After NASCAR put a moratorium on the Chrysler Hemi in 1964, driver Richard Petty took a year off from stock cars and tried his hand at drag racing. It was a one-year detour and by 1966, NASCAR relented and let the Hemi back in. The seller’s car is painted to resemble Petty’s 43 Jr. Barracuda of which at least two were built with one surviving. With a 273 cubic inch V8 and a 4-speed manual transmission, this Plymouth is in Orrville, Ohio, and is available here on craigslist for $9,995. Credit for finding this tip goes to T.J.!
Rather than ditch his ties to Chrysler after the Hemi was outlawed, King Richard built a Hemi-powered Barracuda to hit the drag strips. It was numbered 43 Jr. as a nod to his long-tenured image in NASCAR and the word “Outlawed” was painted on the sides as a dig at Bill France. Richard had some success, turning 10-second times at 140 mph. But after a nasty wreck in early 1965 that killed a small child, Petty had the remains of the car buried. He kept going for a while with a second machine, but success was limited after that. By 1966, he was back in stock cars.
We assume the current or prior owner of this Barracuda is/was a big Petty fan, hence the reason for taking a rather ordinary passenger car and painting it up (the shade looks a little off from the official Petty Blue paint). The seller refers to the car as both a 1965 and 1966 model, but the grill suggests a ’65. The VIN provided doesn’t seem to decode as you would expect.
We’re told the factory tachometer in the car was a rare option in the day (before the ‘Cuda came along a few years later). Not much in the way of good interior photos are provided, so we don’t know if anything was done to the cockpit to resemble the real 43 Jr. No mention is made of any tweaking having been made to the small-block V8. The Plymouth wears Cragar wheels with new tires. We’re told it’s a good running car, but its space in the garage is needed for other projects.
Whoa, Russ, dude, this sends chills up my touch-as, and should every fan of the King. This was a very dark chapter in Pettys life, and I read, he was so upset, he almost quit racing altogether. It was Feb. 28, 1965, Petty was lined up against Arnie Beswick, at a dragstrip near Atlanta. On the 1-2 shift, I presume a wheelie, coming down, something in the steering broke, sending the car into the stands, killing an 8 year old boy, ironically named Wayne “Dye”. It’s said, he never forgave himself for that, to this day.
I have nothing else to say,,,
But wait….you lied….
Ha! Read on, pal,,
I think this car should be stripped of everything connected to that fateful day.
The original car was put to rest. Fate was the fault, not the car or driver. Possible to much power for such a lightweight car. Because of the accident, improvements were made.
First thing I’d do with this car is put it back to stock.
Richard Petty was so distraught over what happened that he litterally had what was left of the car burried. It was unearthed later on from what Ive read but its never to ever be sold or rebuilt. That was a horrible ordeal for ALL people involved.
That being said if the car is solid, take the graphics off, if you really must keep it Petty blue then so be it, but personally I would make this one a different color. But thats me.
The ‘chute is a clever touch…
Nice looking car but look closely at the photos of the rear and it’s what the Brazilians call a “pizza”. More “massa” (dough or filler) than a pizza.
Ya gotta love these backwoods tribute cars. What do you do with a roached out Barracuda? Two quarts of paint, decals and some ratty Cragar’s. And there ya go.
I dreamed of owning a 64/5 Barracuda with that sweet little 273 and 4 speed. I never got one though but remembering that cramped engine bay there’s no way a hemi would have fit into a street car, but really, dragsters only use the sheet metal exterior. A total chassis upgrade would have been in order. As for this project, 150 pounds of Bondo that makes up the rear valance panel would add traction but slow it down. How many mire panels are replaced with condo. I’d never buy it based on photos.
I see people’s point that the original is connected to tragedy, but this is not the original, and the car it represents is an important part of Petty racing history. After all, had it not been for the tragedy Richard may well have decided that he liked drag racing better than stock cars, plus no matter how much he may want to forget this year, it did occur and it did prove that he could be successful in more than one type of racing vehicle. I see no problem with a tribute to this. After all there have been numerous tragedy’s involved in all forms of racing, and there is no ignoring that. This car could be a tribute not only to Richard Petty, but a way to honor the unfortunate child that died though showcasing how safety improvements have been made to keep fans safer. To me ignoring that the tragedy happened actually is ignoring the 8 year old died. I have a T-shirt that in about fallen veterans that says on it you never really die until the last time someone mentions your name. I say don’t let this boy “die” again because it is an unpleasant memory.
Like the M/B crash in the 50’s……whoa let’s talk about this car or – what was the first 4 seater American car with a factory tach ? What was the first Plymouth model that came stock with a factory tach ? Anyway lots of tributes out there – this one most likely was a 1965 Formula S…..lots of tell tales there but hey if there were more pictures or closer to the south it might sell better.
Sad to see Chrysler propaganda lives to this day, more than 60 years later. The 413/426 wedges were getting spanked by Ford’s 427, so they dug up some of their old Fifties parts (no Chrysler did not invent the Hemi, though they laughingly tried to trademark the name) and adapted them to the RB block. France said you can run them in the Fury and Polara body styles (full size cars, like everyone else ran) but Ronney Householder (ChryCo performance chief) threw a hissie fit when he was denied an unfair (weight) adventure and withdrew from NASCAR races. Buck Baker (an independent racer, no factory backing) ran a Monaco/Polara with a hemi.
Hmm, you kind of sound like a butt hurt Ford guy… maybe next you can tell us about the first car to hit 200 mph in NASCAR.
Bill Elliot still holds the record. That the one you’re asking about?
Okay, well I was a bit apprehensive about where this would go, all seem pretty civil. Thanks for that, as I usually direct a thread with my 1st comments, not intentional. It’s just this, like many things in history, is important that people know about what happened, that may not have known otherwise. Yes, the original is gone, however, think of poor Waynes family, who was my age, by the way, to see this “tribute” to their sons death.
Okay, too far for BarnFinds, back to the top, and thanks all. I rip on the site, but dagnabit, got some cool people here,,,
Actually I was thinking of his family, the perfect answer here would actually come from his family. I see it like all the war memorials, which are reminders of tragedy. I would never want to be in their position, but if I were, I would like to think that I would rather see his memory live on through a tribute than be ignored that he ever existed. But again, the perfect answer would come from them, and whatever that answer is, should be followed. I am just providing another point of view, that through Wayne’s unfortunate death, his memory could be honored, as long as it was done correctly, through the lens of promoting safety.