1965 Plymouth Barracuda - Jalopnik Comments

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

TheOnlyRaphael — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:00:03 EST

I saw this at the Alemany flea market today!

TheOnlyRaphael

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

salguod — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:43:57 EST

I grew up in the back of a '65 Barracuda. (No, that's not what I mean.) Dad bought his new and drove it until '82. I spent my childhood riding in the back.

I remember going to the drive in with Mom and Dad in front. We'd fold the rear seat down and spread out our sleeping bags. We'd be asleep right after the Disney flick and Mom and Dad would stay for the Bond movie and drive home with us sacked out in the back.

Dad's was the 273 2 bbl with the 4 speed and Hurst shifter. Ohio winters were not kind, big holes in the fender tops and the rear quarters.

It was killed in 1982 when T-boned by a potato chip truck. That big rear window must have popped out in one piece, since it was gone and not a piece of glass in the rear.

Ah, memories.

salguod

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Mark Miller — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:02:27 EST

@CurlyQLink: and @Armand4: Interesting... and in a parallel universe somewhere Jalopnik-dot-something fans are lamenting the end of that incredible fish-car era. That reminds me, what do you think of the new Marlin? ;-)
(Oh and also we had the Stingray and the GM showcars Mako Shark and Manta Ray... oh, and the Opel Manta! Fish-cars all.)

Mark Miller

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Armand Bengle — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:23:03 EST

Since the Barracuda beat the Mustang to market by a month or so, and both were quickly followed by the AMC Marlin, shouldn't we refer to "pony cars" as "fish cars?" I mean, one car with a horse-related name, two cars with fish-related names. I think I'll start referring to them as "fish cars" just to mess with people.

Armand Bengle

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

tad49 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:14:33 EST

I had a '65 Val & loved it

tad49

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

CurlyQLink — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:56:01 EST

I owned two 65's and loved them both. The Barracuda vs. Mustang debate may rage forever but I'll always know the truth. The Mustang was just a Falcon in a Speedo. The Barracuda was Mopar A body good to it's core. Yes the packaging was a bit stale and the marketing was worse but the proof was in the driving. Oh, the Barracuda actually did hit the market two weeks before the Stang as a 64 1/2 and those were the only ones with pushbutton Torqueflites.

CurlyQLink

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

brandegee — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:59:24 EST

The Marlin would eat this for lunch. Mmmm...oily.

brandegee

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

NovaloadMissesPolar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:37:13 EST

This thing really is a mullet, Valient/hyperuncool in the front, fastback in the rear. These first generations were just losers/wanna-be, but boy howdy they evolved.
The paint job looks like a swimming pool--I'm sure whoever painted it had that theme in mind--fish/water. Very subtle.

NovaloadMissesPolar

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

warpig — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:15:15 EST

A Dueling page?

warpig

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

warpig — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:10:50 EST

Look what I found out there: [alamedarides.com]

warpig

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Mark Miller — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:10:11 EST

The only thing close to a muscle car in my family, and my sister owned it! (Used, circa 1973.) It was a '66 with the same record-size PPG fastback glass. (I like the front end of the '65 better.) Floor shift auto, must have been the two-barrel 273ci V8. Sounded great!
Presumably Chrysler's attempt to quickly capture some of that Mustang madness, the front end looked like grandma's Valiant econo-car, the back looked like "THE FUTURE!". [en.wikipedia.org]
(I'm assuming that's a dry brush technique on this one, and that the paint didn't actually oxidize like that? Good hue match!)

Mark Miller

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

TR3-A — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:50:31 EST

@rognbrow: Right on the money. When this thing first came out, my buddies and I refered to it as the "Valiant with the greenhouse option."

TR3-A

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

TinaChow — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:41:12 EST

Today on Martha Stewart Living, we're going to show you how delightful, textured, faux decoupage rag painting can turn a dead '65 Barracuda into a truly elegant and whimsical garden gnome.

TinaChow

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

lascauxcaveman — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:37:57 EST

I'm sure I've told this story before, but when my dad brought his '65 Barracuda home form the used car lot, he took a bunch of my siblings and various neighborhood kids for a quick drive downtown. Eleven bodies in all packed into the car, including my dad.

lascauxcaveman

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Zarba — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:17:39 EST

I could just never find the love for the first-gen Barracuda. Gulf livery or no, this is just ugly.

Zarba

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

sos10 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:37:52 EST

There is a white one just around the corner where I live... I love all that glass!

sos10

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

skaz — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:24:10 EST

I love these cars. This was actually one of the first cars I ever drooled over when I was a youngin'. I was about 14 and we were looking at buying it, but it was missing the rear glass.

It drove fine, had a straight body. That rear glass at the time couldn't be had for less than $4,000. So, no Barracuda for me.

skaz

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

ĎāvĕΓħëβЯĂvė — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:18:26 EST

@Maymar: Or a new supplement, Gulf Fish Oil!

ĎāvĕΓħëβЯĂvė

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

thatguy01 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:49:28 EST

"wasn't the pushbutton automatic done away with by '65? (Federal law or something?)"

Last year for typewriter-drive was 64. Chrysler did it on its own as part of a "Let's get rid of all the freaky oddball stuff and move some units" program.

thatguy01

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

rexplex — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:48:41 EST

I dig that crazy rear glass.
Also, one of my favortie transmissions ever was a three on the tree. Even if it was more for the reaction on passengers faces as I started rowing gears than for the driving dynamics. (Mind you this was in high school during the Reagan era - not many cars w/ three on the tree at that time.)

rexplex

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Uncle Bo, ironically aestheticized — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:40:16 EST

Speaking of early Barracuda's and Gulf Oil......

[www.earlycuda.org]

Uncle Bo, ironically aestheticized

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Uncle Bo, ironically aestheticized — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:36:37 EST

Faux finished Gulf Oil livery and a '65 Dodge Dart GT stripe..... a combination of 60's racing heritage and LSD. I'm impressed.

Uncle Bo, ironically aestheticized

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

BlackIce_GTS — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:36:27 EST

When you see these "move your damn junkheap" stickers, do you ever get the urge to write on an offer and your phone number?

BlackIce_GTS

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Maymar - now with 37% less anonymity — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:33:25 EST

@-chet: With the two-tone blue, it's a Gulf Oil Fish!

Maymar - now with 37% less anonymity

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

west-coaster — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:20:52 EST

@Tanshanomi:

I'll never forget the line used to describe this first Barracuda in a year-by-year car chronolgy book my high school's library had:

"Unfortunately, the Barracuda turned out to be just a mild-mannered fish, and not the wild slasher its name promised." Classic!

Of course, some years later, the 'Cuda would become the stuff of musclecar legend.

BTW Murilee, wasn't the pushbutton automatic done away with by '65? (Federal law or something?)

west-coaster

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:20:49 EST

I wonder if the rear glass on those Cudas were bigger than the rear hatch on C4 Vettes? Either way, that's a lot of glass to replace.

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

UDMan — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:18:52 EST

A Three on the Tree. That sure takes me back, though I always parked mine (which was a Rambler American BTW) in Reverse, so it looked like I had an Automatic to anyone who passed by the car. (Yes, I was that shallow)

UDMan

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Tanshanomi — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:03:21 EST

Is the urban legend true that 1gen Barracudas would get significant lift at high speeds due to their wing-shaped profile?

Tanshanomi

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

MalFuller — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:00:24 EST

I thought back then and I still think now, that the Barracuda badly missed the mark that had been set by the Mustang. I got my license in '61 and during the Barracuda's brief time in the sun I drove a sharp '64 Galaxie 500 fastback and neither my friends nor I would have been caught dead in a Barracuda. I think that this example's paint job says it all.

MalFuller

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

48pan2 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:50:31 EST

Now here is where that Hemi should go. We need a new "HEMI UNDER GLASS".

48pan2

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Dr.Danger, Shogun of Jalopnik — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:39:06 EST

Cue Heart

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOh Barracuda!"

Dr.Danger, Shogun of Jalopnik

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

rognbrow — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:37:06 EST

I'm sure you could grow a nice crop of tomatos under that rear window

rognbrow

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

-chet — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:36:06 EST

I like the Gulf Oil livery.

-chet