The Ford Mustang usually gets credit for starting the “pony car” craze in 1964. But few remember that the Plymouth Barracuda beat the ‘Stang to market by a whole 17 days that April. The “Cuda” maintained its heritage with the compact Valiant through the balance of the decade, with one redesign along the way. This nice 1967 Barracuda is a fairly routine notchback coupe, with Slant-Six power and a TorqueFlite automatic. It’s been inactive for five years, so it will need a bit of tinkering to get it running again. Located in a storage yard in Reno, Nevada, this survivor is available here on eBay where $6,100 is the latest bid.
In its 11 years on the market, the Barracuda would never come close to reaching the popularity of Ford’s offering. With a rework in 1967 to follow that of the Valiant, the car got more of its own personality, but it would not be until 1970 that it shed those roots with a body of its own. By contrast to the 472,000 Mustangs built in 1967, Barracuda output reached 62,500, which would be its second-best sales year. Instead of just the fastback, the “Cuda” could now be had as a coupe and a convertible in 1967-69. ’67 Barracudas could mostly be distinguished from 1968-69 editions by their lack of side marker lights.
Barracuda’s like the seller’s car was a popular way to go, with one of every five having a 225 motor and an automatic. That pairing was often thought of as the “secretary’s edition” because it was sporty yet economical, a lot of show with little go. The Barracuda was only a small player in the muscle car market at the time, as a 383 V8 rated at 280 hp was a seldom-ordered option (fewer than 1,800 copies were produced in 1967), which meant that the 390 Mustang practically owned that part of the space.
For reasons unknown, this ’67 coupe has been dormant since 2018. It looks to be in good, but well-used condition, with an odometer reading of 106,000 miles. The seller says he/she has flushed out the gas tank and given the car a tune-up, but apparently, more will be needed to get the engine to respond. The paint and interior are original and present okay, with a little bit of rust on the bottom of one quarter panel (we’re told). The interior panel below the rear window is tattered, the carpeting dirty, and a seam is split on one seat back. Other than that and a ding in the rear bumper, just get it running, put new tires on it, and start taking it out on the weekends. In a sea of Mustangs, this would be a nice change.
And not a single photo of the engine bay!
Big Mike.. The engine is extra!! 😂
id put a 2jz in it and watch the world burn!
i used to like the fastbacks more but now i prefer the coupes
nice ride!
A 2JZ with a biga** turbo, a 6 speed and drag radials in the back would really blow people’s minds and it would sound awesome! I like the way you think, JJ.
I really think these are good looking cars. My stepdad had a ‘69 fastback with a 318/auto and it was surprisingly quick for what it was. His was maroon with aluminum slotted mags, 60k miles and it was in good condition for being a SW PA car. He sold it in 1988 for a thousand bucks, after I begged him to sell it to me. But he and my mom thought I would either kill myself in it or run it into the ground, so he sold it to a drag racer who completely rebuilt it with a 440, tubbed and narrowed and painted it metallic blue. I still give him crap about it to this day, but maybe he was right, we’ll never know. I miss that car and would love to be able to buy him one someday to show him how much I appreciate him raising me and my sisters.
Change the color and IIRC put a 273 in it and it would be a match to one a classmate had in HS. Cool little car, very sporty and though I’ve not driven one, was told they handled well. Unfortunately his bit the dust one day when he crested a hill and there stood a full grown bull.
This one looks to be in very good condition. Had a little experience with the slant 6 and guessing it won’t take a lot of work to get it running again.
Awesome looking car. As nice as the Mustang may have been, I’ve always loved the 1964-69 Cuda. I’d buy one if there was one here in Tacoma Washington, and it ran and drove under its own power. Given its condition and rarity, I’d be willing to pay around the asking price of $6,000 for the car. While a V8 is nice, a slant six engine would be even better.
The asking price isn’t $6k, it’s an auction, and as I type this, bidding is at $7,100. I think it’s worth a little more than that even, just due to it’s solidness. I have around $10k into the bodywork on my car already, and that’s without even any primer or paint on it yet!
Okay. I could still buy one at $7100, as long as everything on it is solid, no rust holes to speak of, and everything works as they should. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I don’t mind patina, as long as there’s no rust holes to be concerned about.
Hi all !! If anyone is interested~~ I have a hood for 1 of these,,, Northeast Pa.
If I recall correctly, the distributor drive gear roll pin would often sheer in the slant six. . . . . or, maybe the gear would strip. I don’t remember which but, I had to replace the gear on mine back in ’75. BULLETPROOF ENGINE couldn’t hurt it, and I tried. Finally “blew up” the rear doing “neutral slams”.
Normally I am the first to say leave the slanty in it, but this is not a Valiant or Dart….What amazes me is that noone has found this beauty yet. This car begs for a nicely tuned 340 or 383, 727 tourque flight and 3:55 sure grip. My favorite body style, and I’m a Ford guy.
There are some pretty cool performance parts for the Chrysler “Slant Six”, including single and dual quad intake manifolds.
It may have beat the Mustang to the market by 17 days but it did not motivate the masses like the Mustang did. It wasn’t until the Cuda’s 2nd generation that it caught attention.
Chrysler had so many performance cars at the time that they never worried about making a fast Barracuda.
The front bench seat has to be unusual. Didn’t most of these come with bucket seats?
These were nice looking cars in all variations. Looks very solid. I’d keep the 6 and look for a console.
Had a 68 Formula S with a 340.
Loved that little car , and it was FAST
Windshield needs replacing, and why is the dash and steering wheel so corroded? is that normal in a car with such a nice exterior?
The dash parts are plastic and the black paint has worn off , they aren’t corroded. The horn ring looks pitted and really dirty but some polish would make it look better
Hey! It’s patina. As long as everything is solid and everything works like they should, I’d keep as much stock as I can.