Here’s another low-mileage car, this one is a 1966 Plymouth Barracuda. The story goes that this car was found in a garage in southern California where it had been stored for over 40 years, which means that it must have driven those 13,020 miles in less than ten years? This hidden Plymouth is listed here on eBay with a current bid of just over $3,600 and a Buy It Now price of $7,900.
Baby got back! Watch that rear window; no, not the Hitchcock movie, the rear window on this car. Unless you’re a tv producer looking to add some obviously fake drama to your “reality show” and purposely-by-accident have your “talent” (term used loosely) break one for ratings, they can be tough to track down. These are, by far, my favorite Barracudas. Some people like the later notchbacks and most people want a Hemi ‘Cuda, but I would much rather have this classic fastback first-generation design from 1964-1966. The early Barracuda was based on the Plymouth Valiant but there was no badging by 1966 that indicated that.
As much as I like the wide whites and knock-off-like wheel covers on the other side, I really like those wide whites with plain, black rims. Especially on a car with this “patina”. You knew that P-word would come up on this one. This is, or was, a California car, supposedly, which explains the relatively rust-free condition. According to the seller, this car has 100% original paint, interior, engine, transmission, rear end, and all original rust-free body panels. Crazy stuff! It sure looks good, other than some dings here and there and somehow the paint became dull from sitting in a garage for 40+ years? I would have thought that not having the southern California sun beating on the bronze finish for that long would have kept it at least somewhat shiny and original-looking?
The interior looks good, but this is an automatic-transmission car. That’s not a deal-breaker by any means but most folks would want a 4-speed in this car, me included. Three of our cars are automatics so I can’t say too much, I don’t always practice what I preach, either. The rear seat looks like new and other than the carpet either needing to be replaced or taken out and throughly cleaned, it looks good in there. Well, there’s the cracked dash, somehow on a car that was stored inside for 40+ years. Is that the original steering wheel? Wouldn’t it have looked like this?
Here’s a nice feature, a 273 V8 with 180 hp. One of my favorite engines is the 225 slant-six, but a 273 V8 is the engine that most people want in a Barracuda of this vintage. I’m not sure if the engine compartment, and the engine, for that matter, have been repainted or could it actually be that clean and shiny in there when the exterior of the car is so dull and aged? I guess all that matters is if it works and the seller says that it runs and drives great, so there ya go. This is the last year for the first-generation Barracuda, which generation do you like? What do you think of this car?
Back in 1970, I owned a 1966 Barradcuda Formula S, 273 4bbl, 4 spd tranny, and Plymouth’s version of British Racing Green….sold it to help buy a house that my wife got in the divorce….LOL….I sure miss her (the car that is).
i bought a green, barracuda formulaS with the 273 4bbl, 4spd back in about 71 from another airman on the base. i had it for several years until i went to southeast Asia and my wife left me taking the cuda with her… wouldn’t it be strange if it was the same car. ha ha ha ha
If a good cleaning and polish doesn’t get rid of that “p”, with the shape it appears to be in, it would be an easy repaint to make it more than presentable. Nice find!
I don’t even like Barracudas and I want this car. There is just something about a original unmolested car that just makes me want to own it, its like looking at Golden Retriver puppies , you just want one!
I thought they went to thin whitewalls by 66.
Correct, wide white walls were not original
They ruined the engine compartment slathering the black paint on it. Mopar engine bays are body color
I love the first gen Baracuda’s, 1968 & 69 were my favorites. This is a great find if it is all original, but why would they put the black paint under the hood, that’s certainly not original. Makes me wonder what their trying to hide, It’s too far for me so I guess somebody else will have to find out.
At the risk of being rude, I find it hard to believe that anyone would prefer this model to a Hemi version! You could always sell the Hemi and by a bunch of these with the money you’d make. Having said that, I do like this very much, but Hemi’s rule!
I like the 70-71 best,but the 67-69s are cool with that 340. I did have a 66 formula s with the commander 273, and a 4sp. That car was cool but jacked up way high in the back and crager ss wheels with very wide tires. I never liked the car that much but for $100 back in 1992 it was a driving deal. I still have the v-8 commander fender emblems. I used to collect emblems like that and still havemost of them.
This is a very nice barracuda-hope it gets a nice home!!!!
The 66s are my favorite year of Barracuda and a sort of dream car of mine. 7900 makes it all the closer to reality but not this time around. 66 really is the best though. You get the redesigned cleaner nose and the big back glass.
Look at the profile on this car. From front to back nothing’s copacetic. I still want this though.
Front, back, interior beautiful. Love to drive this.
Those wheel covers appear to be from a mid-sized Buick of the same vintage. Nice, but they would have to go. Also, I’d have to replace the wide whites too. They’re nice on some cars but, for me, this isn’t one of them. There are lots of aftermarket wheel choices I’d consider with plain black wall tire. Nice looking buggy.
HI JW454, ’64-’65 Skylark
’64. The ’65s had round holes
The more I look at this Mopar the more I love it.
Highly skeptical of the 13k miles.
The ugly duckling cuda! I can buy better looking cars for less!
I’m with ya on this one dj these cars are but ugly ,If this car were across town I woulden’t waste my gas or my time ,I’d rather have a Dart or better yet a 70’s barracuda/cuda/challenger.
Well, this thread seems a little light on the “thumbs down”, so pile ’em on. Again, I like the car, I do, but if you think this has 13K miles, you really are mistaken. So many things. I see about 4 different colors on this car, crunched arm rests and it looks like the gas tank is leaking. I mean, it’s still cool, love these mid-60’s Mopars, my 2nd and 3rd cars were Valiants, one had a 273, 4 barrel, so they are fun, but no way on the 13K miles, sorry. I would say 113 “California” miles though.
I got the most thumbs-down, do I win???
well upon closer look (e-bay ad) They say 100% orig. including paint. It might be lighting or something, but sure looks green in door jams and underneath.
Also the engine compartment is black, should be same as orig. body color. Buick hubcaps and blue wheels. all that and its really a bit rough.
I don’t think its very orig.wrong steering wheel.
Something just isn’t right here. I’m struggling to come up with a scenario where a car can be driven only 13K miles, stored indoors for most of its life, and still end up looking like this. The condition, inside, outside, and underneath, is more consistent with 113K miles. Dirt accumulated in the corners of the door jambs, wear on the door seal mating surfaces, surface rust on the underside of the rear quarter (where the paint was blasted away by road debris) – all signs of far more than 13K miles of road use.
With the advent of 6 digit odometers since the early 1990’s, some younger folks don’t even know that the older cars’ odometers only went to 99,999 and then tuned over to zero again. I’ve seen many 100K mile cars posted as low mileage originals not to be deceiving but only because of the owner not knowing about the odometer being able to go back to zero after 99,999 miles. Cars going more than 100,000 miles was basically unheard of back then so the odometers were made to only go that far. most cars didn’t make it past 80K and then were sent to die in a junkyard. This one is I’m sure a rare bread even if the miles are actual 113K California miles. Too many mods for a 13K mile original but again, current owner probably doesn’t know any better.
Hi MBO, I agree. I think in some cases, like here, perhaps, the person get’s the car cheap, doesn’t really know what a 13K mile car looks like, figures must be legit ( and everybody is stupid except me) couple rattle cans, VOILA!
A question for the Mopar experts: did the 273 later become the 318? I learned to drive in a Satellite with a 318. Just wondering.
The 273 was based on the new LA block that was new for 1964. The LA block was bored out to make the new LA 318 for 1967. The same applies to the 340. All three are LA engines with the same stroke but different bores. The 360 is also a LA engine with bore and stroke increased to the max.
The 273 was the prototype for the “A” style 318’s introduced in ’67. There were 318’s prior to ’67, but they were polyspheric head motors, used in Dodge trucks.
273’s can use many of the ’67 and up parts for 318’s and even 340’s and 360’s. I’m running a 273 right now in a ’66 Barracuda with an old Edlebrock LD4B intake, designed for 318 “A” mototrs.
Brian, the A block was introduced in 1956 in Plymouth. The A block 318 was made in the US until 1967. It was then replaced with the LA block 318. The LA block was basically a light A block.
113k is more like it, My BS detector just went up in SMOKE while reading the Ebay listing, LOL
The hot of under the rear bumper appears to be a different colour (almost lite lime green)
Drivers door jam appears to be the same green and is that body paint over spray ? Same comment on the passenger side door jam.
Steering wheel is from JC Whitney or other after market parts seller. It belongs in a dune buggy.
I wonder if the under hood black covers the original colour paint looks like they missed part of the radiator cross member.
I believe like CCFisher. Very consistent with 113k. All in all though if it is relatively rust free could be a fun project and driver.
Although most interior upholstery of the 40’s – 70’s did not wear well, many covered it with plastic see-through seat covers, so it held up well. On the other hand, modern upholstery wears “like iron”. You could not tell the driver’s seat in my 14 year old Audi, 180,000 miles, from new, just made of good, well tanned, horsehide, I suspect. This car sure looks like 113,000.
in this case sellers are shady
somethin’ fishy about this one…… I have a hard time believing the miles, but a good price no matter. My mom had one back in the 60’s, that Dad bought new for her in Tucson…. I remember as a kid laying in the back looking at the Arizona stars through that big window. It was pretty cool. Her’s was copper with matching interior. Still, to me now, a glorified Valiant.
The seller is either dumb as a rock, a very young flipper or the world’s biggest liar. Take your pick. The ad is complete BS. Rust beginning in drivers wheel well plus the obvious peeling repaint in the same picture. Plus what others have pointed out I don’t believe much of what the seller posted. JMO
Yes it’s been repainted….where’s that missing fender tag ? It’s a factory a/c car missing the compressor stuff….what was said – enginge compartment has that funny just painted smell. Still has the factory 66 year only buckets….the 273 would live on into 1967 along with the wide block old 318 – the 318LA would come along in 1968….nice little cuda at $4500…..
YEP, I AGREE TOTALLY !!! WAY too many uninformed young flippers out there today. Buyers have to Beware. But I guess car sales people have always had the Gift of B.S. since day one so nothing new here.
Years ago a friend of mines brother was a car salesman. He sold a used car off the lot with non working windshield wipers in a rainstorm. He used to laugh about it all the time. As P T Barnum always said there is sucker born every minute, glad I am not one of them.
Look at the door jams….. car has been repainted. Engine compartment painted black, fresh engine repaint. There is no way this is a 13K mile car. Buyer beware….
Gentlemen,could i throw a cat among the pigeons and ask is this a 213000 mile car?We didn’t unfortunately have this car here in Australia but i love them.Seems to many things not right for a car garaged for 40 plus years.Will make a great project car.I had Valiants in the early years and they were great cars.Bruce.
Hi Bruce, I’ve never heard that expression, must be a regional dialect, I can only imagine to “shake things up”. I highly doubt it’s 213K. This looks very consistent with a car that was driven for 10 years and put away, for whatever reason. Cars like this rarely made it past 100K. Us young punks made sure of that. :)
my car is still alive and well back east. i bought the car thru my car dealer step-dad in montana in 66 and had it undercoated for under a hun. little did i know but after my first marriage and this car being delivered to us it would be hammered home that this was the worst car decision of my adult life to that point. my fiance had to give up her convertible. i never lived it down…it is now winning trophies by the current owner because it is rust free and looks beautiful. he found my name on the build sheet under the back sheet after 30 years and sent me photos. too bad he painted over my pale yellow to metallic red..ycch!! its his car.. small v8 4 on the floor…
Bunk,bunk,triple bunk.
Sellers who try to flog 50 yr old cars, better be a little more aware that some of us had these cars when new, you just can’t turn around and tell us that this is a 13K beauty. We don’t buy it,
I had a 64 valiant 2 door hardtop with a 273. I installed a 4 barrel carb. Same thing as a barricuda. A great car I wish I still had it. More rare then the barricuda. Very strong motor .I always was impressed with the barricade first generation.