Snow Scape: 1965 Plymouth Barracuda – $23,000

The first “Pony Car” was not the Mustang.  Plymouth beat Ford to the punch by two weeks with the launch of the Plymouth Barracuda.  In the mid-1960s, fastback rooflines were quickly becoming the rage by U.S. automobile stylists and Plymouth again beat Ford by one model year by offering a unique glass-back Plymouth Barracuda version.  This red 1965 Plymouth Barracuda, listed on Craigslist in Granby, Colorado, shows off a stunning design that has stood the test of time.  The snow-filled background helps highlight the car’s lines.

Currently offered for $23,000, Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the ask is slightly below the one-year rolling average of this guide’s summary for first-generation Plymouth Barracudas produced between 1964 and 1966.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the truck featured here:

As a second data point, the  Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask falls between this guide’s #2 Very Good” estimate of $16,000 and its #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $25,800.

Knowing Ford was busy developing a sporty Falcon-based compact car, Chrysler stylist Irv Ritchie sketched a fastback version of Valiant.  At the time, Chrysler dumped most of its R&D budget into the Turbine Car project, leaving little capital to develop new models.  However, Chrysler’s marketing and sale executives needed a car to compete in this soon-to-grow segment.

Based on Chrysler’s A-body, Plymouth launched the Barracuda fastback on April 1, 1964. The new model used the Valiant’s 106-inch wheelbase and the Valiant hood, headlamp bezels, windshield, vent windows, quarter panels, doors, A-pillar, and bumpers; the trunk and some of the glass was new. Utilizing the same hybrid design approach as Ford did turning its Falcon into the Mustang significantly reduced Plymouth’s development and tooling cost and time for the new model. The greatest effort was put into creating its distinguishing 14.4 square foot rear window, a collaboration between Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG) and Chrysler designers.

Powertrains were identical to the Valiant’s, including two versions of Chrysler’s slant-6 six-cylinder engine. was the 101 horsepower 170 cubic inch slant six while the 145 horsepower, 225 cubic inch version served as the mid-level power choice.  The highest-power option was Chrysler’s all-new 180 horsepower 273 cubic inch V8 in either two-barrel or four-barrel “Commando” form.

The 1964 model year was the first for the Barracuda and also the last year for push-button control of the optional Torqueflite automatic transmission. This year also marked the first use of the smaller “TorqueFlite 6” (A904) transmission behind a V8.

The MyMopar YouTube Channel features this video of a vintage 1965 Plymouth Dealer film strip extolling the virtues of the 1965 Valiant lineup:

This 1965 Plymouth Barracuda for sale appears to be a solid driver quality example equipped with a mildly massaged 318 cubic inch V8.  Classic Cragar SS aftermarket rims can make just about any car look better, and this Barracuda is no exception.

If you are serious about buying this Barracuda, you can start the conversation by calling Al at (305) 525-5887.  When you connect, please mention that you saw his vintage Plymouth featured here on GuysWithRides.com. Good luck with the purchase!

Here’s the seller’s brief description:

Show or go: What would you do with this 1965 Plymouth Barracuda for sale?  Please comment below and let us know!