In 1967 a new Barracuda appeared, this time in three body styles; fastback, hardtop, and convertible. For its March issue, Car Life chose to test a fastback and a hardtop from opposite poles of the performance spectrum. A fairly normal practice in reviews of the time. It was an age where options could really alter a vehicle’s character. So why not try different samples? After all, the automotive public wished to know.
After a false start with its poor-selling 1st. gen, a new and more focused Barracuda arrived for another round in the Pony Car Wars. The three body styles were part of that new commitment, offering more options and configurations than any of its other competitors.
Making better use of corporate resources, 4 engines were now offered. The list included the basic 145 hp 6 cyl. 225 in., the 180 hp 2-barrel 273 in. V-8, and its 4-barrel 235 hp version, and the 280 hp 4-barrel 383 in. V-8 (The renowned 340 Commando would become available in 1968).
For CL’s test, the two samples included a hardtop coupe, with the modest 145 hp 6-cyl.; and a fastback with the 235hp 235 in. V-8 and “Formula S” performance package. The transmission on both was the TorqueFlite 3-speed, a favorite of reviewers, with CL joining in the praise. For those who wished, manuals were also available.
The $3222 hardtop came with air conditioning, AM radio, a vinyl top, and vinyl upholstery. Under testing, the 6-cyl. was a leisurely performer, tuned to low rpm freeway cruising. City driving was ‘mastered with ease,’ due to the gentle nature of the tame six. For a Pony Car, interior accommodations were good, although as always, rear-seat passengers rode in tight quarters. The trunk was deemed far superior to the Mustang, Cougar, or Camaro.
One area where the hardtop fell short was the suspension, which bottomed out even during mild activity. The car pitched and dived to the point of discomfort, a quality CL blamed on the hardtop’s lack of an antiroll bar, normally offered in the V-8 engine-equipped cars.
The 235 hp 273 in. V-8 fastback was a different story altogether. With increased compression, higher rpm capability, and a limited-slip differential (not available on the hardtop), the fastback’s drive train was ‘brisk and stimulating.’ The “Formula S” suspension package had much to do with that delivery; making use of stiffer ride rates, larger diameter torsion bars, and six-leaves semi-elliptic rear springs.
Regardless of its new options, the Barracuda’s renewed skin still failed in an age where youthful styling was key. While better looking than its previous generation, the car still shared too many hard points with Chrysler’s A-Body platform, betraying its Valiant underpinnings. When viewed side by side, the Barracuda looked the most conservative against the Mustang and GM’s F-Bodies (As seen in R&T’s comparison review). A factor that helped to place it at the bottom of sales in the Pony Car Wars.
Further reading:
Curbside Classic: 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Formula 340 – The Worst Selling Best Pony Car Of 1968
Vintage R&T Review: 1967 Mustang, Barracuda, Camaro – The Pony Car Shootout
I don’t recall seeing many hardtops. Which is good, because I think they’re horribly proportioned. The short roof and the long trunk make it look vaguely like a 1965+ Corvair coupe, but at least the ‘vair had the excuse of needing a long decklid to fit the engine underneath.
You can see early hints of ’70s exterior styling trends in this generation of Barracuda. Contrasts, with a very ’60s dash design.
So much for the vaunted superior handling of all Chrysler Corp. torsion bar suspension cars. Mushy shocks, soft springs and no anti-roll bar will deliver mediocre results, regardless of whether there are torsion bars or not.
Chrysler really missed the boat with this generation of Barracuda. The hardtop coupe and convertible were essentially the Valiant Signet with a Barracuda front end.
These Barracudas really came into their own in 1968, when the 340 was introduced.
6 with A/C, or for a $100 bucks more a speedy V-8 with sweaty interior that gets the same MPG as the the 6. Decisions, decisions. Maybe I’d look for a low mileage Corsa instead.
I always liked the looks of these cars in the fastback and convertible forms. Sporty and good looking cars. But they weren’t nearly as popular as the models that followed them.
I always found these to be bipolar cars – the fastbacks were quite good looking, with good proportions and detailing that worked for the era. The hardtop, on the other hand, was not in step with current styles at all – unless you were comparing it to a Fury.
The few drawings I have seen make it appear that the fastback was the original concept, which suggests that the hardtop was the afterthought.
It has long been said that Chrysler copied GM’s styling, and the 67 Barracuda hardtop looks a lot like the 1965 Corvair. I have long argued that as much as people find the styling of the 65 Corvair handsome now, it was not what the market was looking for then. When the 65 Corvair’s proportions were adopted by the Barracuda, the result was the same. Except that the Barracuda had none of the Corvair’s (few) headwinds, like a dedicated fan base and all of the intangibles that came from being a Chevrolet.
I always rather liked these as my favorite of all the Barracudas, especially the fastback and the pert, neatly sliced-off tail end styling of them all.
Not so much a fan of the front end, however. For some reason I can’t articulate, the Mopar compacts’ front-end styling of this era always reminds me of Schneider (Pat Harrington, Jr.) from the old One Day At a Time sitcom — a bizarre and probably arbitrary association, but it is what it is. 😅
Remove all badging, and these could easily be confused for Chevrolets or Pontiacs, by first-time observers.
The 2nd gen Barracudas are my favourite of the A body Chryslers, in particular the non fastback Hardtop,I never know what to call it as they are both hardtops.
I think its quite a clever design the way the sail panels curve up to the top trailing edge of the roof to maintain head room while providing a close coupled sporty look,
I wouldn’t pass up a Fastback version, but much prefer the Hardtop on most days, I must be one of a very few who think this way.
I prefer the hardtop too. A 1968 340 hardtop with a 4 speed would meet all of my classic car needs.
I agree, I didn’t know there was as little love for these as there is until reading most of the comments. Fastbacks are always considered cooler by most so I get the preference, but I always thought the hardtop was beautiful in its own right. The 67 Valiant Signet was a 2 door sedan, to make that comparison to the barracuda is like saying a 65 Chevy II 2 door sedan looks like a 65 Corvair, it’s not even close other than the rather clunky shared A pillars and windshield (the only stylistic fault I think Barracudas had). The 68 B body coupes (minus Charger) basically used a scaled up version of the Barracuda hardtop roofline, and people love those.
I admire Plymouth’s refinement of the established Barracuda image, they expanded the line to 3 bodystyles like the Mustang but it wasn’t a Mustang clone like the Camaro and these 67s had a true identity separate from the Valiant. The market of the time just couldn’t get enough of the exaggerated long hood short deck proportions though, which the Barracuda eventually succumbed to with the E body and still floundered.
People love the B body coupes because of the hot rod history, not because of the style.
Considering the significant premium the 68-70s B bodies command over the equivalent 66-67 or 71 B bodies I’m going to strongly dispute that. The Roadrunner may have ushered in an era of budget performance and subsequently nostalgia to elevate it beyond itself, but the GTX, Coronet R/T and Dodge Charger were carryovers in performance and specification all through the years 67-71, and collectors still strongly monetarily favor that specific 68-70 style over all the others.
It’s not like they lacked history or prestige, 66-67 ushered in the street hemi, 440 engine and the R/T and GTX names and the 71 Charger was Dodge’s nascar darling through the 70s after the wing cars were outlawed. They’re not as valuable because the earlier ones are too boxy and the later ones too rounded(fusalageee), 68-70s were just right.
I remember when these came out. Not clearly, I wasn’t even in high school, but not oblivious either. Well, not totally oblivious. The Mustang wow’d me. The GTO wow’d me. Corvettes, of that era only, wow’d me. And a few others. But the Back-a-ruda as it was oft pronounced, not much. Styling I knew I was supposed to be impressed with, but wasn’t. My impression as a kid is it was supposed be look good and be fast, but it didn’t and wasn’t. Closest to driving one I came was a friends 67 Valiant, in the mid 70s, with a 2 barrel 273 and 3 on the tree. I figured it would be quick, if not fast, V8, light car, manual tranny? Not. It wasn’t VW Bug slow, although it appears the 6 cylinder ones were, but like the Peggy Lee song, “Is that all there Is?” I was disappointed.
Later ones with a 340 I’m sure would have felt much different. One more third hand point, I worked with a girl, early 70s with one. She took it up to the mountains for a weekend, not with me I might add, California mountains so cold, but no 40 below or anything, leaned on the seat and the vinyl broke. She was not a large or overweight person, I doubt over 130. I’m sure that was standard MoPar upholstery for the time, but still…
My aunt had a ’68 Barracuda fastback. At the time, she was a single 20-something “career girl.” Imagine Marlo Thomas in the TV show That Girl and you’ll get the idea; her whole look (including the Barracuda) was very much on point with the era.
I was very young at the time and I was experiencing my first big crush…on her car. Whenever she came over to visit, I’d run out to the driveway to ogle the Barracuda; sometimes she even let me sit in it. She later traded it in for a ’72 Dodge Demon, which I thought was a step down.
Sorry – I drove too many Valiants, Dusters and Darts to see anything in these cars, except that. There was a severe break in execution between the Falcon and the Mustang, but there wasn’t between the Valiant and the Barracuda. So the Baracuda didn’t seem to be anything but a different Valiant.
The Barracuda has five more inches of rear overhang than the Valiant, so the fastback tail is as dynamic and exciting as show cars from GM and Italy. Meanwhile, the extra rear overhang makes the hardtop and convertible as dynamic and exciting as … a Valiant.
Also, again: The 1970 Barracuda was a dud. It was utterly out of step with the market. Chrysler knew that as soon as the public gave it a big, fat “Meh.” The 67–69 Barracudas averaged 47K per year. The 1970 Barracuda started out below that, and quickly dwindled to irrelevance while the Duster sold in truckloads.
I to had a 1967 hardtop. The one I had from new did not six bander in, but a eight bander. It was really fast. It was a 4 speed with no slip third member as well as a 440 ci. Not a 383ci, the hard cord 440ci. The dealer was going to used it for racing under the hood. On top of the 440 was two four. It was never race. My mom and dad gave it to me when I was sixteen. I kept it until I total it from the rain.
At one time my drove a Dart with a 440 under the hood. It was a 1964.model. I think it funny when I read about cars they did not make, but maybe they did?
How about a 1974 Dart special Edition with a 4 speeds and a 360 with 3 2 two barrel(dealer options) and air conditioning. I had one of those.
No, actually the 1967 Barracuda (+Valiant + Dart) with disc brakes did have a proportioning valve; read all about it, directly from the horse’s mouth. The braking problem was even stupider than Car Life imagined; Chrysler knew what to do about it, and the parts were right there on the shelf for a $0.00 fix, but despite Consumer Reports and Car Life and every other car magazine justifiably squawking about premature rear lockup, Chrysler kept putting the too-big 15/16″ rear wheel cylinders on non-cop cars.
Every time I swapped the smaller 13/16″ rear wheel cylinders onto a ’60s-’70s Mopar with front discs—an easy direct swap, it is—the brakes got vastly better balanced and it grew much more difficult to induce rear lockup.
And speaking of the ’67 Barracuda:
My brother has a hardtop non Formula S but ordered with the solid lifter V8 and automatic. It’s not something you see many at car cruises. The Fastback Barracuda is immortalized as one of the original 16 HotWheels.