Why Chrysler chose April 1st, in 1964, to launch the Plymouth Barracuda is one of the enduring automotive mysteries.
Chrysler has never offered an official explanation.
And in the 60 years since its release, no one has admitted to choosing the date either, or divulged who chose it.
The Barracuda beat Ford’s Mustang into the public arena by 16 days, so it claims the prize for the first compact “pony car”.
It was targeted at the same buyer as the Mustang.
That is, anyone with a liking for a simple, stylish sporty car that could seat at least four people, could be had with a V8 and cost under US $2500.
To keep costs low, Chrysler used the Valiant front end and spent most of the development budget on the huge rear window.
The rear glass was a technological triumph for supplier Pittsburgh Plate and Glass (PPG).
It was the largest piece of glass used on a car at the time, and PPG had a lot of trouble getting it right.
It was not able to hold the shape in production and the glass had more of a bubble shape than intended.
In early advertisements and brochures the rear window was re-touched to look smoother.
The Barracuda name came from John “Dick” Samsen, one of the principal stylists of the car.
Chrysler executives originally wanted to call it the Panda, but Samsen and his mates believed a stronger name was needed — and won the argument.
The large rear window meant the car did not have a traditional closed in boot.
The boot lid opened into the interior of the car.
Combined with fold down rear seats it meant you could fit large items inside the car.
The rear window size and design also meant the boot lid had external hinges.
These were cleverly hidden by a band of chrome across the bottom edge of the window.
It was so close to being a hatchback.
The problem with the Barracuda, compared to the Mustang, is that it looked like a cheap Valiant with a big back window.
Although the Mustang was really the Falcon underneath, Ford had re-shaped the sheet metal to disguise its humble underpinnings.
And that made all the difference.
The public preferred the Mustang over the Barracuda by at least 15 to 1.
That said, to see a Barracuda lined up next to a Mustang, one cannot but marvel at the Barra’s expanse of glass and the lost opportunity to make it a hatchback.
Today, if someone offered me the choice of a Mustang or a Barracuda, I’d take the Plymouth every time.
It is such a stand out.
David Burrell is the editor of retroautos
