For 1966, Plymouth, like most of it’s competitors, changed very little in their compact car design. The Barracuda got the Valiant’s Big Bumper, but also received a new grille with large egg-crate sections that made it distinct from the Valiant. Also, the Barracuda got special fish emblems that would be used until the car shifted up to E-body in 1970.

The Barracuda was no longer a Valiant model during the 1966 year, and the revamped option packages were more formidable than before. Plymouth also allowed for a limited number of 426 hemi cars to be produced, but was strict in selling these vehicles, which were only made available to racing organizations. Yet while the 1966 Barracuda Formula S could outperform any standard production Mustang, Plymouth saw sales figures dropping significantly.

Thus it was clear to the designers at Plymouth that what the Barracuda needed was a fresh start, free from the mundane Valiant completely. This was done in 1967, and the new A-body design lasted until 1970, when the Barracuda was re-designed to fit on Chrysler's E-body frame. The larger E-body cars were enhanced to become muscle cars in every sense of the word - a limited number of units were even sold with the famous 426 'hemi engine. Eventually, the Barracuda would be discontinued with most of the other muscle cars after 1974, as the oil crisis and resultant high gas prices killed the market for inefficient, high-performance cars.

< Early History

Production Specs >