Two-Owner Project: 1972 Plymouth Barracuda

While most folks think that the Ford Mustang started the “pony car” movement, the Plymouth Barracuda beat them to the punch by 17 days. Based on the Valiant, the Barracuda carried on through 1969 with its Valiant connection and finally shed those roots in 1970. The Barracuda’s new E-body platform would be shared by the Dodge Challenger, but they had no sheet metal in common. This ’72 Barracuda is from the first year after it lost access to big-block V8 engines due to a decline in muscle car interest. The seller’s car has the basic 318 V8 and is mostly stock, but it has plenty of rust to be dealt with. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, the bidding here on eBay is up to $4,650.

The renewed Barracuda would hit a sales record in 1970 at 48,867 units but production would drop after that as buyers began moving away from fire-breathing powerplants. The wrath of insurance companies helped start the industry-wide slide and later detuning for fewer emissions took out the rest of their steam. In 1972, production inched up to 18,490 from the year before, of which 7,285 units were the basic Barracuda coupe with a 318 V8 and automatic transmission, as represented by the seller’s car.

The seller has owned this Barracuda for four years, having bought it from the original owner with the intent to perform a restoration. But too many projects will not allow this to happen under his watch. It was the original purchaser’s first new car which eventually got passed along to her sons. It saw 122,000 miles of use until it was parked outside where it sat for 10-15 years before the seller came along.

While it has not been confirmed, the engine, transmission, and axle are said to be numbers-matching. The only likely changes against stock are the Holley valve covers, air cleaner, and some gauges. It’s been years since the car last ran, so there’s no telling what it will take to get the Plymouth running again. The cowl tag has been removed but still present, which is usually a red flag for me. On the outside of the car, its once powder blue paint and white vinyl top are long gone in favor of flat black and rust. The white interior is still there, at least what’s left of it, so plan on a full makeover, including the dash pad.

You’re going to need to have your body shop guy on speed dial when it comes to restoring this car. It will need new cabin and trunk floors, rear quarter panels, and fenders. There is at least one big hole where the vinyl top trim used to be. While we’re told the hood and trunk lid are decent, the doors will need skins at least. The seller says the subframes and structure are solid, but I think I see holes in a couple of spots. Some missing parts will have to be sourced, including sidelights, grille, one corner of the trim for the windshield, and the grip on the transmission shifter.

Top dollar, according to Hagerty, is north of $40,000 for a 1972 Barracuda, and that’s with the small V8 and not a “Cuda. That suggests there may be some room to finance a restoration on this car, or at least give it a good head start. Likely the best way to recoup an investment in this Plymouth is to turn it into a ‘Cuda tribute with a 340 motor, but purists will probably object to that decision.