1964 Plymouth Barracuda
The original Plymouth Barracuda was built upon the A-body chassis, which was also common to several other vehicles manufactured by Chrysler, including the popular Dodge Dart. It was directly spun off of the existing Valiant series to appeal to a sportier market, and it is also considered the first pony car, because it preceded the Ford Mustang to market by two weeks.
The first generation Barracuda's main claim to fame was its enormous fastback wrap-around rear window, considered the largest piece of automotive glass ever installed at that time. Powertrains were identical to the Valiant's, including two versions of Chrysler's legendary inline "slant 6" — a 170 in³ (2.8 L), 101 hp (75 kW) version and an optional 225 in³ (3.7 L), 145 hp (108 kW) version offered. A two-barrel carbureted 180 hp (134 kW) 273 in³ (4.5 L) V8 was the top engine option for 1964, so performance at first was modest. The 170 in³ six was later eliminated as an option, leaving the 225 in³ 145 hp version as the smallest engine option. The Barracuda sold for a base price of US$2,500, and unlike any other year, all automatic 1964 Barracudas had a push button shifter on the dashboard. |
