Pity the poor Barracuda. It beat the Mustang to market in 1964 by 16 days, but was utterly trounced by that seminal (and genre name-giving) pony car. In their first full year (1965), the Mustang outsold the ‘Cuda by 9 to 1. Well, despite that huge glassy fastback, it was hard to fool anyone that the Barracuda was anything other than a Valiant Signet with a fishbowl grafted on. That hardly made it an inferior car per se, and the fold down rear seat and resulting flat floor made it highly practical for certain uses. But the distinctive long-hood short-deck proportions of the Mustang instantly became iconic and a must-have; a glass-back Valiant just wasn’t going to do the trick, unless of course you found yourself in the right position to fully appreciate the Barracuda’s unique qualities. (Read More…)
Recent Comments
NMGOM - niky…. …or girlier than the new 911 Turbo? Is the only decent 911 left the Carrera or Carrera S? ————&# 8212;——-
GTL - Ah, you are correct! I was thinking of my old TR4.
rpm1200 - Great article.
bigtruckseriesreview @ Youtube - The scariest thing about my XJ-L is wondering when and if my transmission knob will stop rising.
corntrollio - I suspect you could tell the difference between tinfoil-hat patronage theories vs. reality too, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The best...
niky - My 626 had motorized air vents. In 1996. I have been eternally befuddled by how such useful items have gone missing from “cheap cars” since then, leaving us to...
carguy - The F-Type is undeniably beautiful and seemingly competent but it will have an uphill battle ahead from the established competition. At $81K base for the V6 S model (and...
schmitt trigger - Thomas; your writing is superb. After reading your articles, I always reflect for a while about them. back to the article; The Japanese Imperial...
edgett - Thanks for a great story – the ride to Costco and then the wonderful meeting with the elderly Japanese man. The writing is exceptional and you were...
PrincipalDan - Beautiful cars do not automatically equal sales. Wasn’t 1985 a banner year for car sales in the United States? I can’t think of...