The Plymouth Barracuda, an Overlooked Muscle Car
Carlos Kirby
· 3 min read
For a decade, Plymouth regaled drivers with the Plymouth Barracuda, affectionately known as the 'Cuda’. Few people realized that the Barracuda became the first-ever pony car. It’s also one of the best, classic
used cars
. They still will be tricky to find, however. You’ll need to keep watch over local sales, used cars online, or the local car club to spot a classic Barracuda of your own. Here's what makes it the overlooked muscle car you should be interested in.
History of the Plymouth Barracuda
Debuted in 1964, just weeks before the Ford Mustang, Plymouth provided a car specifically targeted to appeal to young adults. It didn't fare as well as the Mustang since it cost only a few hundred dollars less than a Cadillac.
It originally used a body style inspired by the Valiant, which Plymouth brought out in 1960 to compete with vehicles from the foreign car market. With expensive rear glass, that provided a larger rearview than any car, and European lines, it fared poorly although what it offered under the hood rivaled other competitors for youth dollars.
The Hemi 'Cuda, released in 1970, finally gave the car its due. With improved sales, Plymouth readied itself for a 1971 sales year, but it stopped production when the US released new emissions standards.
Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds
No spam · No long forms · No fees
Restoring American muscle: Shopping for a Plymouth Barracuda
MORE: How to Buy a Good Used Project Car
While the very limited 1971 run of 115 vehicles can get pricey, you can shop around for 1964 to 1970 Plymouth Barracudas and have a bit of luck finding a reasonable deal on an often-overlooked muscle car.
The sticker price on a 1971 model that has already been restored can run in the millions. You can nab a deal on the other years though, especially the car's earliest years.
While
AutoExpress
ranks the 1971 ‘Cuda as one of the top ten muscle cars, you can also get other years of this vehicle and still restore a great car. 1971 featured a Hemi V8, but the Hemi came as an option in other model years, too, such as 1970, says Muscle Car Facts
. You can find 'Cuda vehicles produced through 1974.Certain years feature body style changes, says
TrustAuto
, and these can affect rarity. For example, in 1968, the manufacturer released 50 dragster variants of this model. That model year also introduced the Cuda trim.Those options cost more than a new car in 2021. The 1968 Cuda cars run more than $40,000, but you can pick up a 1965 or 1966 for about $8,000, according to
AutoTrader
.How can Jerry help me insure a classic 'Cuda car?
Jerry can find you cheap car insurance with the best coverage in under a minute. Drivers who use Jerry's insurance brokerage app save an average of $879 a year!
Sign up for
Jerry
right now. Download the Jerry app and get competitive quotes from the top 50 insurance companies across the US. We can even help you find classic car insurance for your Plymouth Barracuda Cuda.
