Javillac
The sixties were a great decade of changes that also affected the automobile industry. This was especially notable in America, and if one key year has to be cited as a turning point it could well be 1964, with the market launch of the Pontiac GTO, considered by many to be the first muscle car, and the debut of the Ford Mustang and Plymouth Barracuda.
Those last two created a new category of automobiles, The Pony cars, which were two-door cars characterized by their compact size and affordable purchase price, a great attraction for buyers. But, although the Plymouth Barracuda was launched a few days before the Ford, the Mustang ended up being the model that gave its name to this class of passenger cars.
THE CAR THAT ALMOST REVOLUTIONIZED AMERICA
On April 1, 1964, Plymouth presented a new model; the Barracuda, although it was thought to name it Panda. This car was a coupe that had an attractive fastback-type body that was so fashionable at that time since the presentation of the Second generation Corvette. This model was the work of designer John Samsen, and was based on the Plymouth Valiant platform, which was the most affordable car in the Plymouth catalog., and therefore of all Chrysler in America.
The Barracuda shared mechanics with the Valiant. The most basic engines were six-cylinder in-line; the smallest of the range was 2,7 liters and developed 101 HP, and the 3,7 liter and 145 HP mechanics were also offered who equipped the Dodge Dart Barreiros in Spain and later 3700. Also, and as was almost mandatory in the United States at that time, there was a 8 HP V180.
The car was only offered with a single body, which was the fastback. This was one of the biggest strengths for the brand's marketing department, which They advertised the Barracuda as an attractive, affordable and very usable coupe as it had space for five occupants and was capable, with the rear seats folded, of transporting packages over two meters long.. As a curiosity, this Plymouth still holds the record for having the largest piece of glass in a mass-produced car.
A FISH OUT OF WATER
Although the public received the Barracuda with great enthusiasm, the future of this newborn model would change just two weeks later. On April 17, 1964, the Ford Mustang was presented to the public., and it was a coupe that followed the same formula as the Plymouth by being based on the firm's most basic model; the Ford Falcon.
Since then both were direct competitors in a segment of the industry that was baptized as the Pony car, which made clear the absolute favoritism of the Mustang. The Ford model also had several bodies; coupe and convertible, in addition to adding a fastback version at the end of 1964.
The prices were very similar, the Barracuda was priced below $2.500 in its most basic version, while the Mustang went on the market for $2.368. The Plymouth managed to sell 23,433 units in its first year, more than respectable figures, but minimal compared to the Ford, which had already sold 22.000 units on its first day on the market., and that during 1964 manufactured 263.434 of these cars, ten times more than the competition.
Plymouth was making changes to the Barracuda with new, more powerful mechanics to make it more competitive, and although its sales were increasing, there was nothing to do against Ford's horse. In 1967 the second generation of the model appeared, which finally incorporated the coupe and convertible version in addition to the fastback, and in 1970 the third and last generation of the car was released, which was when it reached the height of sportiness., by ceasing to share a platform with the Valiant and equipping engines of up to 425 HP. Finally, in 1974, in the midst of the oil crisis, this iconic model was discontinued.
A BARRACUDA IN BARREIROS?
As previously mentioned, The first generation Plymouth Barracuda could be equipped with Chrylser's "Slant six" engine, 225 cubic inches, or 3,7 liters, which they shared with the Dodge Dart that Barreiros manufactured in Villaverde since 1965.
Under the headline “The Barracuda will be manufactured by Barreiros” the Speed magazine in its number 247 published on June 4, 1966 placed on the cover a piece of news that was striking to say the least. Unfortunately The plans for the Spanish manufacture of this car did not materialize and seeing a Barracuda with the anagram of the Barreiros surname remained only a nice idea. 
Images: Chrysler, Speed Magazine
