Interesting Article on the 1975 Barracuda

[Bruzilla]

http://www.hotrod.com/features/history/1512-inside-scoop-why-chrysler-cancelled-the-1975-barracuda/

Even more interesting...

"These three factors had severely impacted the market, and by 1974, the Barracuda and the Challenger were doomed as ponycar sales plummeted. And while proposals were made for a new generation of E-Bodies, Chrysler management was not interested in perpetuating a product line that didn’t fit into its plans for a future that consisted of Valiants, Aspens, Volares, Omnis, and Horizons. There was no place for sporty high performance cars.

"Ironically, Chrysler management pulled the plug on the Barracuda and Challenger just as the ponycar market was showing an upward trend that would reach its zenith at the end of the 1970s. “We got out of the only part of the market that grew,” Carl Cameron reflected. Cameron had been a designer in the Dodge Studio and was responsible for the 1970 Challenger. “We abandoned that, and I always thought that was a mistake.”

Like I keep saying... E bodies were Pony cars, not Muscle cars.

 

[slepr1]

Like I keep saying... E bodies were Pony cars, not Muscle cars.

My E body was born a pony car but grew up to be a muscle car.

 

[Bruzilla]

They were Pony cars, and will always be Pony cars. Muscle cars will always be high-performance intermediates, not high-performance compacts.

 

[mmissile]

Glad they didn't build that hideous thing.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Glad they didn't build that hideous thing.

Yup.

 

[Budnicks]

Glad they didn't build that hideous thing.

AMEN to that...

 

[SteveSS]

The look like the last Javelins which were very awkward. None of these concepts looked good.

 

[Cranky]

The E body cars shared much of the B body platform and not the A body one. The WB was shortened but they actually had a wider track and shared many chassis parts from the B cars. The E cars participated in the pony car wars but unlike the Mustang, it was a larger car. Yeah, the Mustang got bigger and fatter in 69 and even got heavier but it was still smaller than the E cars. The E cars started out heavy while the early Mustangs were in the very low 3000 lb range much like the A body cars. Heck, my 66 Fastback was only 3050 with a 289 and 4 speed with the V8 coupes weighing in 50 to 100 lbs less. Chrysler may have called them pony cars but in reality, there was nothing pony about them.....let alone compact. The A body cars were compacts at the time.

I've also read that Chrysler didn't want to spend the extra money making them meet the new bumper standards along with other EPA required junk.....

 

[TetanusShot]

Glad they didn't build that hideous thing.

Yup.

AMEN to that...

Really... Remind me about the overwhelming sales success of the Superbird or 71 barracuda styling, they don't look so bad nowadays selling for 6 figures.
I wish they had built this car.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Really... Remind me about the overwhelming sales success of the Superbird or 71 barracuda styling, they don't look so bad nowadays selling for 6 figures.
I wish they had built this car.

I stand by my "yup". Butt ugly doesn't even begin to describe the *** end of that big pile of playdough.

I will say that the front end bears a striking resemblance to this failure....

 

[Budnicks]

I guess different strokes for different folks, not my taste at all,
Like the ol' adage says
"I guess there's an *** for every seat", still just not mine...LOL

It's a far-site from a Superbird or Daytona too IMO

 

[72Fourspeed]

I think the Ford was/is a Phantom. I dont think they really built it. Nahhh !!'

 

[Richard Cranium]

I think the Ford was/is a Phantom. I dont think they really built it. Nahhh !!'

They built two to hopefully be a NASCAR supercar, but they were just not as aerodynamic as their Talladega and Cyclone Spoiler. How they got into private hands I do not know.

 

[Budnicks]

The "Fugly" King Cobra was built, but only like 3 of them or something,
one sold for like $180k IIRC on an auction {repeat/re-air} I saw the other morning

 

[72Fourspeed]

3 is not a production run. They were prototypes, at best.

 

[Dennis H]

This is a 'Cuda. 70. Bitchin. All downhill from here.

 

[YY1]

IDK, not terible...

Sure would have scooped the ford and gm offerings for sportscar influenced styling.

Looks more like a pantera to me with just a hint of javelin.

I can even see some 67-69 Barracuda in the back glass of one version, and 2013 Charger in the window line of another!

 

[72Fourspeed]

70 'cuda may be high water mark of Chrysler design studio.

 

[Kern Dog]

70 'cuda may be high water mark of Chrysler design studio.

Differing opinions for sure....

 

[Budnicks]

68 Charger R/T was the best looking Mopar,
great grill, great tail, great interior, great engine options, great color options,
great profile, great top views, just great overall

Hands down high water mark for styling IMO, different strokes for different folks,
it'd be boring as all hell, if we all liked the same stuff...

Closely followed by the IMHO
68-69 RR/GTX, I'm a little biased...LOL, especially the A-12 6bbl cars
68 Hemi `cuda' S/S,
68 Hemi Dart S/S
68-69 Dart GTS {mini RR}
68-69 Super Bee
68-69 Coronet R/T
the 70 `cuda, with a shaker hood
the 71 Hemi `cuda convert.
a 68-69 Super Bee
a 69 Charger R/T {as long as it's not a DOH/GL clone}
a 70 Charger R/T
a 70 Coronet R/T
a 70 RR/GTX
a 70 Super Bee {might be my favorite 70 model}
a 70-71 Duster/Demon
a 71 Chargers/Super Bees with a hemi/SixPac or race versions,
it could be way up the list
a 71 RR/GTX's with a hemi/6bbl or race versions,
it could be way up the list too
etc. etc. etc.

I could go on & on...