Photo: Mecum
There are many car brands and models that are no longer around, yet dearly missed by fans. Chrysler's now-defunct Plymouth is one of those brands, and some of the models it made that reshaped the industry are the well-known Fury, Roadrunner, and, of course, Barracuda. We'll focus on the latter today because, well, we found the finest example of the breed you've probably seen all year.
The Barracuda has its place in the history of American pony and muscle cars as one of the most impressive such machines ever made. Produced for just a decade, from 1964 to 1974, it made such a lasting impression on people that some go to great lengths to keep them alive even today, half a century since the last one rolled off the assembly lines.
The year was 1973 when this particular example was produced, a few short months before Plymouth pulled the plug on the model. Part of the third generation of the model, the Barracuda was brought into this world to fulfill the dream of someone in need of a potent monster on four wheels, but ended up being a lot more than anyone dreamed of decades later.
We don't know the name of the crew responsible for the transformation of the Barracuda, but the way it looks now is probably how everyone imagines a pony car should look like: dark, muscular, yet easy on those who use it for their daily travels.
The Plymouth had its entire bodywork remade, with each and every one of the body panels replaced with new metal. In the process of doing that, the builders also swapped the original nose of the car with one from a 1971 Cuda, and the hood with one sourced from a 1970 AAR Cuda.
Once all the panels were in place, a crew called Moda Motive applied a matte black coat of paint in hot rod-style. The body and chassis, on which details are scarce, were then propped on 15-inch Vision wheels that are shod in BF Goodrich tires. Behind each of them Bilstein suspension components were installed.
The hood of the pony, when moved out of the way, reveals a 440ci engine standing proud in a remarkably clean bay. It's not the original one, most likely, but it does come in the largest displacement Plymouth offered for the range back when it was producing these things. It is tied to a Torqueflite three-speed automatic transmission and breathes out through a Pypes exhaust system.
Inside, the Barracuda was modernized with the fitting of an air conditioning system, a new instrument cluster in the dashboard, and a Bluetooth-capable radio.
The 1973 Plymouth Barracuda as you see it is going under the hammer on July 12 during the Mecum Florida Summer Special auction in Kissimmee. As far as we can tell this is the first time this particular pony car is selling, but there is no information on how much its owner expects to fetch for it.
I'm pretty certain, though, that if the right crowd in the house, bidding will likely go over the $44,000 valuation specialist Hagerty says a perfect condition one is worth.
The year was 1973 when this particular example was produced, a few short months before Plymouth pulled the plug on the model. Part of the third generation of the model, the Barracuda was brought into this world to fulfill the dream of someone in need of a potent monster on four wheels, but ended up being a lot more than anyone dreamed of decades later.
We don't know the name of the crew responsible for the transformation of the Barracuda, but the way it looks now is probably how everyone imagines a pony car should look like: dark, muscular, yet easy on those who use it for their daily travels.
The Plymouth had its entire bodywork remade, with each and every one of the body panels replaced with new metal. In the process of doing that, the builders also swapped the original nose of the car with one from a 1971 Cuda, and the hood with one sourced from a 1970 AAR Cuda.
Once all the panels were in place, a crew called Moda Motive applied a matte black coat of paint in hot rod-style. The body and chassis, on which details are scarce, were then propped on 15-inch Vision wheels that are shod in BF Goodrich tires. Behind each of them Bilstein suspension components were installed.
The hood of the pony, when moved out of the way, reveals a 440ci engine standing proud in a remarkably clean bay. It's not the original one, most likely, but it does come in the largest displacement Plymouth offered for the range back when it was producing these things. It is tied to a Torqueflite three-speed automatic transmission and breathes out through a Pypes exhaust system.
Inside, the Barracuda was modernized with the fitting of an air conditioning system, a new instrument cluster in the dashboard, and a Bluetooth-capable radio.
The 1973 Plymouth Barracuda as you see it is going under the hammer on July 12 during the Mecum Florida Summer Special auction in Kissimmee. As far as we can tell this is the first time this particular pony car is selling, but there is no information on how much its owner expects to fetch for it.
I'm pretty certain, though, that if the right crowd in the house, bidding will likely go over the $44,000 valuation specialist Hagerty says a perfect condition one is worth.
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