What’s the attraction?
I never thought I would own a first-gen either. My high school hot rod in 1972 was a '66 Valiant with a 340 and 4-speed. I had always been a Chevy guy, but I wasn't going to go through my senior year in high school without having a hot rod, and I did what I could afford on a paper route and yard work budget. A few years later, having transitioned to a Mopar guy and rebuilt the 340 with some tweaks, as well as adding an 8-3/4" rear end, I started looking for a '67-'69 Barracuda as a candidate for a drivetrain transplant. However, while sitting in a classroom during my mechanical engineering studies, I looked out the window and saw a red '65 Barracuda (with the period typical Cragar wheels), and thought that wouldn't be so bad. A few months later, I bought a rust-free '65 for $375. It was silver with red interior. It had a 273 that was running on maybe 5 or 6 cylinders, with a 904 Torqueflite. I drove it home, yanked the drivetrain, and made the swap, but went with a 727 Torqueflite instead of the 4-speed because it was just easier at the time. I had it painted red a few years later, and drove it with no further modifications until 2015. The picture in my screen name for this site was taken in 1982. This one is from SEMA 2019, and there's not much '65 Barracuda left--aluminum 433 c.i. 3rd gen hemi with Hilborn injection and dry sump, Tremec 6-speed with PPG sequential shift conversion, full frame with cage, independent rear suspension with Hammerhead center section and differential cooler, Detroit Speed Alumaframe front suspension, Viking active shock control, Alcon brakes, onboard fire suppression system, full interior with sound system and Vintage Air. The first-gen Barracudas seem to be polarizing; most people either love them or hate them. I had a secretary years ago who told me it was the ugliest car she had ever seen. She drove a Volvo 244.
I never thought I would own a first-gen either. My high school hot rod in 1972 was a '66 Valiant with a 340 and 4-speed. I had always been a Chevy guy, but I wasn't going to go through my senior year in high school without having a hot rod, and I did what I could afford on a paper route and yard work budget. A few years later, having transitioned to a Mopar guy and rebuilt the 340 with some tweaks, as well as adding an 8-3/4" rear end, I started looking for a '67-'69 Barracuda as a candidate for a drivetrain transplant. However, while sitting in a classroom during my mechanical engineering studies, I looked out the window and saw a red '65 Barracuda (with the period typical Cragar wheels), and thought that wouldn't be so bad. A few months later, I bought a rust-free '65 for $375. It was silver with red interior. It had a 273 that was running on maybe 5 or 6 cylinders, with a 904 Torqueflite. I drove it home, yanked the drivetrain, and made the swap, but went with a 727 Torqueflite instead of the 4-speed because it was just easier at the time. I had it painted red a few years later, and drove it with no further modifications until 2015. The picture in my screen name for this site was taken in 1982. This one is from SEMA 2019, and there's not much '65 Barracuda left--aluminum 433 c.i. 3rd gen hemi with Hilborn injection and dry sump, Tremec 6-speed with PPG sequential shift conversion, full frame with cage, independent rear suspension with Hammerhead center section and differential cooler, Detroit Speed Alumaframe front suspension, Viking active shock control, Alcon brakes, onboard fire suppression system, full interior with sound system and Vintage Air. The first-gen Barracudas seem to be polarizing; most people either love them or hate them. I had a secretary years ago who told me it was the ugliest car she had ever seen. She drove a Volvo 244.
