V.I.S.I.T. – Presenting the 1969 Plymouth Barracuda, now with more attitude-a

Marcal Eilenstein

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I couldn’t help myself.

I decided to spend my lunch break standing in line with my fellow citizens at the auto licensing office. It was the last day of the month and, like everyone else, I procrastinated getting my tags renewed until the last day. Why do people do that, anyway? It didn’t change how much I had to pay, it just made it more of a hassle. On the other hand, I caught a glimpse of this sweet ride, and stopped to grab a few pictures for you.

Check it out.

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Sitting under a tree near the U-Haul store sat this 1969 Plymouth Barracuda with a 340 and an automatic. It’s hard to tell without looking under the hood, but the wide rear tires tell me that 340 might be slightly warmed up. The side markers, and the handy vanity plate, identify this Barracuda as a 1969 model. A fun fact that I believe I have mentioned before: the front and rear bumpers on the second-generation Barracuda are identical, at least on the 1967’s. It certainly looks to be the case here, as well.

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The light was weird this afternoon – overcast but bright – so this isn’t award-winning photography, but you can still most of the important bits. I’ve always like the Valiant-based ‘Cudas; they’re not too big, but still pack big punch (properly equipped, of course). It was hard for me to find much wrong with this car; the paint was great shape, there was no rust to speak of, the body was straight, and even though it’s an automatic, the interior looked like a fun place to sit. For forcing myself to be patient and polite in the line for my new tabs, the fates rewarded me with this classic machine.

What do you think of this Barracuda? Would you drive it?

 

[Photos Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Marcal Eilenstein]

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Marcal Eilenstein

Marcal Eilenstein

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10 responses to “V.I.S.I.T. – Presenting the 1969 Plymouth Barracuda, now with more attitude-a”

  1. $kaycog Avatar
    $kaycog

    Did someone say Barracuda?
    <img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0hqNRVaP49g/TNUC2oxrdqI/AAAAAAAAA9c/XyqD4zkbxaE/s640/plymouth_barracuda.jpg"width="500"/&gt;

    Reply
  2. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar
    Rust-MyEnemy

    I like it rather well. I'm also reminded of how good a job Chrysler did of referencing these tail-lamps on late Neons. Nice catch.

    Reply
    1. MVEilenstein Avatar
      MVEilenstein

      Oh, good point. Never noticed.

      Reply
  3. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    It was always a party in the parking lot of the Massachusetts DMV at the end of December, like between Christmas and New Year's. All of the motorcycles in Mass had registrations that expired in December, a feature they shared with all of the pickup trucks and other commercial plates. The line would be out the door and into the cold ass parking lot at 10:00 A.M. Some folks would actually roll up on their bikes, to great cheers and applause, everybody seemed to be in a convivial mood because of the holidays, and the general stuck in the same boat of it all. Invariably one of the commercial vehicles there would be a roach coach with some sammies and coffee on board. Good times.
    Also, may I once again express my undying, as yet unrequited love for the A-body Barracuda. Batshitbox <3s Barracuda 4-eva! TLA

    Reply
    1. MVEilenstein Avatar
      MVEilenstein

      B|B
      A|B
      4EVER

      Reply
    2. MVEilenstein Avatar
      MVEilenstein

      That sounds like a horrible, wonderful experience.
      Our tabs are renewed annually, based on registration date. Technically, tabs expire on the day they were registered, so I was illegal for a few weeks.

      Reply
      1. Batshitbox Avatar
        Batshitbox

        It was mostly wonderful (relative to DMV visits as a class.) Late December in Southern New England is frequently pre-snow season, people are psyched to be rid of sweaty summer and eager to prove what a winter hardass they can be. The filthy snowbanks, salt damaged metal, sand damaged paint, ice damaged trim, twisted ankles and bruised buttocks of the previous winter are distant memories.
        The rest of Massachusetts is like your situation, if you reg the car in June it expires every June. It's just the pickups and motorcycles that expire, for no discernible reason, at the end of the calendar year.

        Reply
      2. scoudude Avatar
        scoudude

        The trick is to do the online payment and set it to pickup at your local agent. Then you just walk in and in the case of my local agent ring the bell at the special window, show your ID and be on your way. One time I waited until the last day and the car needed an emissions test. As soon as I pulled out of the test I called my wife and she payed online. By the time I had made the ~15 min drive to the office they had them waiting in the file by the window for me. Meanwhile there were 10 or so people sitting there holding their number from the Turn-O-Matic device staring at the now serving light.

        Reply
  4. Felis_Concolor Avatar
    Felis_Concolor

    My favorite of the Barracuda body styles.
    I'd like to obtain a clean and straight model with a vanilla drive train, the better to alter with a 4-banger. An LA-based 2.9 equipped with the P5 Hemi head and supercharged with Honeywell's newest single sequential turbo units should produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 500+ horsepower without difficulty. Get the drag racing block in order to have it mate up with a 727 or something manual from Tremec or Saenz, then fit a Viper IRS in the back to give it a little more bite in the corners. Utilise a proper bypass valve plumbed into the exhaust system upstream of the mufflers to eliminate that obnoxious blow-off valve chuffing; it makes the sound of the air slamming into the hole the car punches that much more audible.

    Reply
  5. John M Avatar
    John M

    Awesome car that I would love to own! You are correct about the bumpers being the same, all 1967-1969 Barracuda's were the same, just different mounting brackets from front to rear. You are incorrect when your called it a Valiant based 'Cuda though, that was only the first generation '64-'66. The second gen 'Cuda's '67-'69 were a completely new and original design, and look nothing like a Valiant. This particular car is a little confused about what year it wants to be. Without seeing the VIN I can't say for sure, but it sure appears to be a 1967. I know the rectangular side markers, side stripes with the 340 callouts, and the front vanity plate say 1969, but the hood (with'67 ornaments), flat front header panel, grille assemblies, tailights, trunk moldings, trunk fish emblem, and forward mounted sideview mirror, all say 1967. All that being said, I would still be proud to own this fine fish!

    Reply