1972 Plymouth Barracuda

The first series of the Barracuda was produced from 1964 through 1969, distinguished by its A-body construction. From 1970 through 1974, the second series was produced using an E-body construction.

In 1964, Plymouth offered the Barracuda as an option of the Valiant model line, meaning it wore both the Valiant and Barracuda emblems. The base offering was a 225 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine that produced with 180 horsepower. An optional Commando 273 cubic-inch eight-cylinder engine was available with a four-barrel carburetor, high-compression heads and revised cams. The vehicle was outfitted with a live rear axle and semi-elliptic springs. Unfortunately, the Barracuda was introduced at the same time, separated by only two weeks, as the Ford Mustang. The Mustang proved to be the more popular car outselling the Valiant Barracuda by a ratio of 8 to 1.

The interior was given a floor-shifter, vinyl semi-bucket seats, and rear seating. The rear seats could fold down, allowing ample space for cargo.

In 1968 Plymouth offered a Super Stock 426 Hemi package. The lightweight body and race-tuned Hemi were perfect for the drag racing circuit. Glass was replaced with Lexan, non-essential items were removed, and lightweight seats with aluminum brackets replaced the factory bench, and were given a sticker that indicated the car was not to be driven on public highways but for supervised acceleration trials. The result was a car that could run the quarter mile in the ten-second range.

For 1969 a limited number of 440 Barracudas were produced, giving the vehicle a zero-to-sixty time of around 5.6 seconds.

In 1970 the Barracuda were restyled but shared similarities to the 1967 through 1969 models. The Barracuda was available in convertible and hardtop configuration; the fastback was no longer offered. Sales were strong in 1970 but declined in the years that followed. The muscle car era was coming to a close due to the rising government safety and emission regulations and insurance premiums. Manufacturers were forced to detune their engines. The market segment was slowly shifting from muscle cars to luxury automobiles. 1974 was the final year Plymouth offered the Barracuda.

Plymouth produced over 38,000 examples of the Barracuda in 1970, over 18,000 in 1971, and 18,450 examples in 1972. Government and insurance companies had been instrumental in the decline of performance machines while improving overall safety. Restrictive regulations and high insurance rates crippled the pony car market.

The 1972 Plymouth Barracuda
For 1972, the Barracuda was no longer available as a convertible body style. This left the 2-door hardtop coupe and the optional 'Cuda hardtop. A total of 10,622 examples of the base Barracuda were built in 1972, along with 7,828 examples of the 'Cuda.

The 1972 Barracuda featured a split grille with louvered center divider flanked by single headlamps. Rectangular front parking lamps were repositioned towards the center on either side of the below-the-bumper license plate holder. In the back, on the deck latch panel, were dual round tail lamps.

The 'Cuda received a new twin scoop performance hood treatment and a blacked-out rear panel with 'Cuda lettering on the left side. They also had dual rectangular exhaust exists in the lower gravel pan, under the bumper. Standard items included chrome wheel lip and body sill moldings, performance hood, black-out rear deck panel, heavy-duty suspension and brakes, a two-barrel 318 CID V8, and color-keyed grille.

New options included an electrically-operated sunroof and Sport Decor Group package.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2017