Buried Project: 1969 Plymouth Barracuda Formula

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The Ford Mustang is credited with starting the “pony car” movement in 1964, but the Plymouth Barracuda beat them to showrooms by 17 days. Just as the Mustang was based on the Falcon compact, the Barracuda had its roots tied to the Plymouth Barracuda. The Formula S model was introduced in 1965 as the performance edition, and by 1969 you could get one with a 383 cubic inch V8 engine. The seller’s ’69 Formula S is a project car that looks to have been buried in a garage for years. Yet the seller references some restoration work and mechanical upgrades.

Barracuda sales always paled compared to the Mustang. And to some of the other players that would enter the market. The Formula S version came with a V8 engine, special instrumentation, a stiffer suspension, and an assortment of stripes and other graphics. Some 17,000+ Barracuda fastbacks were built in 1969 of which just 700 had the 383 V8. So, the seller’s car is somewhat rare given that the split between automatic and 4-speed transmission was roughly even.

Though the seller’s photos suggest this is a long-forgotten automobile, a lot of it is new – either installed or waiting to be installed. Such as a completely new interior, grill, updated instruments, and a 470 cubic inch V8 that may need assembly. From the seller’s description, this car just needs someone new to finish all the work and put things back in order again.

We’re told the seller will let everything as one lot or will part it out. No price has been set on the car and its pieces as the seller is taking bids without making public what other bidders have been willing to ante up. Located in Seaside, Oregon, a limited number of photos are provided for this Mopar here on Facebook Marketplace. Is there enough here to warrant making an offer?

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Comments

  1. Nevadahalfrack NevadahalfrackMember

    These are far fewer than many “special” Mustangs of the same vintage and would be more unique to that end but Wow.
    “Accepting bids”?
    How about a trade-in exchange for getting it out of the garage the buyer takes it off your hands for free?
    The seller posts that it’s not really free and that they have a lot of stuff for the restoration but how could a potential buyer get inside far enough to see for themselves? Looks like it’d be as much work to get it out as it would be to restore it.

    Like 12
    • Hammer

      Pull it out of the mess!!!!! Filled with junk ? No problem let’s re – imagine what it looks like! How this car is represented makes me want buy it for sure. Glwts cause you’re sure gonna need it.

      Like 0
  2. Steve R

    It would be hard to create an ad that says, “I want to make it as difficult as possible to buy my car” more than this one. The seller is looking for free labor to come to his out of the way location, clean his garage and sort the parts just so they have the privilege of making an offer. It’s a desirable car, but there are limits, especially in a softening market. It would be interesting to see if he cleans up the garage over the winter or posts the same ad next spring.

    Steve R

    Like 23
    • Timothy Phaff

      I could not say it better!!!

      Like 0
  3. PaulG

    Agree with everything, this ad is exactly how NOT to properly sell your car…
    I actually had a similar barracuda back in the late 70’s that was super clean, but like many others bought and sold it soon after.
    This one has the optional peg board driver door, and is extremely rare, plus no need for A/C!

    Like 5
    • Woody Ahern

      Believe a/c was not even available on these when the 383 engine was installed –no room under the hood for that big RV2 compressor they were using then.

      Like 2
  4. Steve Weiman

    Bring a rollback, a rolloff and cash!

    Like 1
    • Tony

      Wow, I had a 1969 forest green one. Your car is 2521 miles away from where I live.
      What a dream!!!

      Like 2
  5. John C.

    I think there is a car in these pictures I’m not sure though. SMH

    Like 3
  6. justpaul

    The least the seller could do is post what he’s willing to pay per hour for the clean out of his “barn”.

    Like 2
  7. chrlsful

    not interested in selling (just a wife pleaser?),
    uninformed on sales?
    what else can B said?
    Justa bout as much as can be seen of this car – .01%

    Like 1
  8. John vititoe

    There is no doubt that that car is sellable , but come on man, Move it out clean it up show the parts and list a price . Trust me it wont last long.

    Like 1
  9. John vititoe

    Hell Mark Warman might come and buy it from you…

    Like 2
    • PRA4SNW PRA4SNWMember

      Yeah, I wonder how far this is from Springfield.
      Mark will come and clean your garage out.

      Like 1
      • Steve R

        It’s 180 miles. It’s hard to see someone in Wormans business invest the time it would take to send at least one employee to dig the car out, inspect and inventory the parts, then negotiate with the seller. The sellers ad screams, difficult to deal with, that’s before you get to price, which is basically an auction.

        Dealing with sellers that won’t name a price is incredibly difficult and rarely ends with a deal getting done. There are a lot of downsides for someone running a business to pursue this car at this point in time. Once the seller clears everything away from the car that dynamic starts to change, but that doesn’t seem to be the case right now.

        Steve R

        Like 2
  10. Ed T

    Poor response from site !!

    Like 0
  11. stillrunners stillrunnersMember

    Yep…..just someone fishing….in that hot bed area of Mopar guys it’s a well know car and jokester…..

    Like 0
  12. Greg G

    How can you make a decision on this Mopar with it hidden under all that debris including that bowl of popcorn sitting on the radiator?

    Like 0
  13. Philbo427

    I dunno, I look at this like a buried treasure hunt! Of course if I really wanted it and I live across the country all the stuff piled on it would be aggravating. But if I was local I would love to check out this car and do an excavation of it. It’s in its natural state and there s story behind this car.

    These fastback Barracudas are cool. I always think of the car from the movie Highway Men with James Cavezil.

    Like 1

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