Interesting Article on the 1975 Barracuda

[Kern Dog]

I understand the styling design shown above as being a viable option. Not that I liked it, just that given the other cars being built at that time, the design isn't very different from the Javelin, Corvette and the 70-81 Camaro/Firebird. Seriously...Cover the front end, look from the front wheels to the rear and the car isn't that unconventional. Concept cars are often a bit outlandish. Maybe it is a case where the designers throw every wild idea out there only to settle for a few of their better, more conventional ones.
Looking at the 1971 Charger/Road Runner, it was a radical departure from the 68-70 cars. I personally find the 71 b body cars hideous. I have a friend that went to a Plymouth dealer in October 1970 to buy a Road Runner. He was in the booth writing a deal on a car from the lot, a 1970 F7 383 727 car. He said he saw a transport truck pull in with some 71 Satellites on it and got up and walked out to get a look at them. He decided immediately to forego the 1970 car and order a 71 equipped the same way. Maybe at the time, the NEW 1971 car seemed cool. If that were me, I'd be kicking myself in the *** at that decision.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

While I didn't read the article closely, I have been into Mopars long enough to have opinions formed long ago. First off, realize that the fugly things seen here were actually just styling "clays" which were used as a basis for forming ideas among the designers. They would obviously have been toned down and brought more into line with existing vehicle themes before being produced. However, as stated in the article, Chrysler let the Management and Accounting Depts overrule the opinions of the actual "car guys" who understood the market and what the public would actually purchase. Chrysler had a reputation in those days for great Engineering, but the Engineers would often get their ideas nixed by the bean counters! Case in point, who do you think had the ideas to put the Challenger name on that fugly Jap import in 1978, or the Charger name on the Omni/Horizon econoboxes in the 80's? I read Lee Iaccoca's book about when he took over Chrysler and made it survive through the "bailout" period. According to what I read, Chrysler's Management at that time period made the current Federal Gov't seem to be a well oiled, efficient organization! There is no way the Max Wedge, Hemi, or Road Runner projects from the 60's could have happened in the late 70's!

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And as a follow up to my above posting.. I am old enough to remember that shortly after I got my driver license in the fall of 1974, the ads for the new Dodge Chargers were appearing in the magazine ads and newspapers. I remember being really pissed off and griping about how Dodge had changed the Chargers from the 3rd gen cars which were attractive to the Cordoba clones..........