Dang, I was just in Goldendale, Washington; this guy apparently hadn’t decided to sell his Formula S yet. But here it is on craigslist, Plymouth’s high-performance package wrapped in the early body style, showing off that impressive rear glass. The seller wants $18,500, and that’s just about right for this niche-y pony car, especially given its long-term ownership stretching back to the 1980s. Yes, the base Barracuda was a dressed-up Valiant, but the Formula S had the right stuff to compete against the Mustang; Plymouth was just a bit late to the pony party. Here’s why I’m sorry I missed visiting this car —
The base Barracuda was fine when equipped with a 225 cu. in. slant six, but it was much more scintillating when it packed the 273 V8, good for 180 hp. Then in 1965, the Formula S came along, with a four-barrel set-up on the Commando engine. An aggressive cam and domed pistons yield a 10.5:1 compression ratio, boosting output to 235 hp. Underneath, the Rallye Suspension package includes heavy-duty torsion bars and springs, along with a front anti-sway bar. This car was produced before disc brakes came standard – I’d think about that as an upgrade. A TorqueFlite automatic handles gearshifts; I’d rather have a manual, but back in the day, an auto incurred an upcharge. The condition of this engine bay offers upside: a few hours and some elbow grease would have this looking ten times better.
The dash appears as if it’s cracked in a couple of places – maybe not, hard to tell, but I almost hope so because that’s a bargaining chip. The carpet needs replacing, a few errant wires are peeking out, and the upholstery needs cleaning – but it’s not torn! If I visit the car, I expect to see so-so rubber seals and a few other trim problems that I will wish didn’t exist – but overall, this interior is tolerable. Oh yeah – see that lonely gauge out there to the left? That’s the tach supplied with the Formula S kit. Ok, it’s not an elegant installation – thanks Plymouth – but it’s there!
The money shot is this enormous back glass, but I also like the tidy back bumper and the weird tail lights punctuated by round back-up lenses – straight off the Valiant. Despite their humble origin, I still like ’em. This car received new paint – including the trademark Formula S stripes – sometime in the 1990s. These early Barracudas tipped the scales at about 3100 lbs; later generations grew in width, wheelbase, and weight. I’ve always liked this car, and the Formula S package is a bonus; thanks to Curvette for finding this one. I might have to trek back up I84 to take a look. What do you think of this example?
Introduced before the Mustang in April 1964, I don’t understand why you said Plymouth was late.
Can you imagine trying to replace that back glass ?
Good luck !