Early Barracudas have always lived a little in the shadow of their Mustang rivals, but cars like this 1965 Plymouth Barracuda show exactly why Chrysler’s first pony car deserves more attention. Listed on eBay, this example is described as a clean, largely original car that still retains its original 273ci V8, making it a compelling survivor with an interesting factory-backed twist. Thanks for the tip, Curvette!
According to the seller, this Barracuda shows just 28,000 miles and remains powered by its original 273ci V8. What makes this car especially noteworthy is its transmission story. The fender tag reportedly indicates the car was originally built as an automatic, but the original owner later sent it back to Plymouth to have a four-speed manual installed by the factory. That kind of period-correct, factory-documented upgrade is rare and adds a unique layer to the car’s history while still keeping it within the realm of originality.
The Barracuda retains its gold bucket seat interior, which the seller notes is original to the car. Features like factory air conditioning and heat are still in place, along with the original radio, reinforcing the idea that this car hasn’t been stripped or modernized beyond recognition. It’s presented as a driver-ready classic rather than a car frozen in time or heavily restored.
Cosmetically, the exterior has been repainted from its original finish to a matte black look with a gold stripe. While the paint is no longer factory, the seller notes that the original tag was not replaced after repainting. The result is a car that blends originality with a personalized appearance that still fits the Barracuda’s aggressive, fastback shape. Whether that finish is viewed as a plus or a candidate for a future color change will depend on the buyer’s taste.
The sale also includes a selection of extra parts, including additional back glass, side mirrors, a rearview mirror, and chrome trim pieces. Those extras can be valuable for future upkeep or refinement and suggest the car has been owned by someone who planned ahead.
Overall, this 1965 Plymouth Barracuda appears to offer a solid balance between originality, drivability, and character. It’s not positioned as a concours car, but rather as a clean, honest early Barracuda with a real V8, a rare factory transmission upgrade, and enough originality left to matter. For someone looking to enjoy an early Mopar pony car without starting from a project or paying top-tier restored prices, this one checks a lot of the right boxes.
These older Barracuda are pretty cool.
The owner’s camera is about the same vintage as his car.
The dealer has it listed for a price of $27,995 or best offer.
Steve R
There is a 1966 Barracuda for sale on Ebay for $25,000,00 Much nicer 400 miles on a new motor new interior super clean much nicer than this one.
Always liked these…but this one is not a Formula “S” with the suspension mods, is it?
If it’s a Formula S, it would also have the Commando 273 featuring higher compression and 4-barrel along with body graphics.
No it is not a Form S or a factory Commando car….a quick look at the left side valance under the bumper is a small half curve for the stock exhaust – a Commando motor would have the LARGE square hole in the valance for the Commando muffler…..there’s more but….
I don’t know a lot about one of these, but I do know what still runners is correct about the Commando exhaust. A friend had a ’65 GT Dart with that exhaust and at the time it was the coolest factory exhaust around.
I am surprised the first owner didnt get the Hyper pack set up. 274-4 bbl 4 speed special exhaust system with big oval chrome tip. These early Cudas are cool to have. I remember the Hemi under Glass when I was a kid. That was soooo cool going down the the 1/4 mile on the rear tires!! I wish the next owner good luck! 🇺🇸🐻
I had a 1965 Formula S its was a great car especially in high school. Oh they had a rectangle chrome exhaust Tip not round.
Big Bear- The Hyper-pak only came as an option on the early 60’s slant -six.
I was in the pits at the first Spring Nationals in Bristol. Pitted kinda close to Hemi Under Glass and watched a mechanic drop a socket the rolled under the front of the car. Instead of crawling down to get it, he grabbed the front bumper, picked the whole front end off the ground and his buddy picked up the socket.
As long as the transmission change is factory documented, it’s good. Not that it matters much as a lot of the car has been changed, not all to the good. That matte paint for one. The door speakers too, the car never came with those. It’s overpriced but since it’s being sold by a dealer, that’s no surprise.
Thats not period correct factory air, nor do I see the proper under dash venting for such. I doubt the factory would change out a trans, a dealer maybe, not the factory. Plus, when new, this car was not worth that much extra expense, why not buy what you want originally. Sounds fishy to me. If the car is solid, fine, just don’t pay extra for some fishy story.
I couldn’t agree more re: the transmission swap. When I first read that story, my first thought was WTF. All that aside, methinks that this old gal is a fair bit overpriced.
The transmission swap was done by a Plymouth dealer, not “the factory.” Even if assembly plants had the capacity to modify owners’ cars (they don’t), the cost of shipping the car back, doing the modifications, and shipping it again would have made it far cheaper to just trade this car in on a 4-speed model.
I have to agree. That story has too many holes in it to be true!
neat looking but not a fan of the flat paint look. looks like primer to me.
Lovely looking car. I’ve always loved the first two generations Plymouth Cuda (short for Barracuda), Between 1965 and 1970. I hope whoever buys this car takes care of it and enjoys it. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as long as there are no rust holes to be seen.
There’s a 1965 4 Speed Barracuda item # 116999468687 for sale on eBay for under $20K that is far nicer than this one. I have no relationship to the seller.
I’ve had 3 if these. A ’64 and 2 ’65s. One 65 and the ’64 were V8 automatic transmission cars and one ’65 was a slant 6 and 3 on the tree. When I sold my V8 ’65 it had only 38,000 miles on the odo. And no rust. (And it was an Illinois car) That was over 40 years ago and I still miss that car. But if I picked up another I would not keep it stock. I would scavenge an Aspen/Volare for the rear differential and front disc brakes. The brakes on these are woefully inadequate. No high speed driving as the brakes are not up to the task. (Don’t ask me how I know!) By swapping the Aspen/Volare stuff you then get the 5×4.5 bolt circle for the wheels. Which opens up a whole new world for these cars in the wheel and tire department. Then add some front and rear sway bars and THEN you have a great driving car. And I agree with the “no factory modification ” working many years in dealerships, I vote no way. You never know why the dealer did the change over. This may have been a special order that the dealer screwed up, or a mistake on the assembly line/build sheet. But going back to the factory for the change is just impossible to me. Even when the Firebirds were in short supply because of the strike. We had one that had very serious damage on the rail car. (Train was sitting partially under a bridge and someone put about 12 rounds of 44 magnum into the hood and roof. It would have been a total loss under normal situations. (Required a new engine block and at least one cylinder head, an intake manifold, carburetor, both front seats, dashboard, windshield, etc. ) But Pontiac Motor Division said fix it! Now if they were not behind on orders. They may have built a, duplicate right away. But going back to the factory only happens in the RV world and only if it is within a certain mile range.
I agree! I had a 1965 Formula S It had Ac. Factory headers with a dump plate, dual point distributor, solid lifters, Hurst 4 speed. It was fast as heck could smoke the tires at will but had the worst brakes of any car ive ever owned. Scary bad. I got married and my wife couldnt drive a stick so i traded it for a 1963 Pontiac Catalina. big change.
Definitely agree on the 🐴🪶🪶 trans story. That is definitely a modern mini-compressor under the hood. Chrysler was using that gigantic v-twin job back in this cars day. Just another clueless dealer hoping to find an equally clueless buyer. 🤦🏽
Exactly my thought too about the ac compressor.
Darn these dealers can spin a tale…..
you’d need about 10g just to tear the car down , strip the bad paint job off ( look at the body tag and see the poor masking job) and repaint the car correctly – and that’s only if the flat black paint isnt hiding other issues that need to be addressed . I’m not surprised it got no bids
I had a 65 back in 70. It had the Commando 273 at 235 hp, 4 speed, solid lifters, dual point distributor, chrome valve covers, single rectangle exhaust outlet, and a racing stripe down the hood longways. Ran really good but was very light in the front at 110 mph.
JC Whitney dual exhaust was first order of business then chrome reverse 14 wheels on back.