By Vern Parker
It's not every day that a 48-year-old car remains in the same family all that time, even if part of the family is by marriage.
The first two owners of the 1968 Plymouth Barracuda were brothers. Then along came Austin Hott who began dating Brenda, the sister of the two brothers. He couldn't help but notice the Plymouth Barracuda.
Soon afterward he told the brothers that he would like to buy the car if it ever was to be sold. That was in the mid 1970s.
In 1981 the time finally had come and Hott became the third owner of the Matador Red Plymouth Barracuda.
As he later discovered, this particular Barracuda is equipped with the rare George Barris bolt-on cosmetic package.
More than a half century ago Barris was known as the “King of Kustomizers” and made a reputation by doctoring stock cars.
The $523.70 “George Barris” bolt-on kit consists of five parts, none of which are functional, and include :
• * Side pipes.
* Raider wheels.
* Fake hood scoops.
• * Side scoops by rear windows.
* Fiberglass deck lid with spoiler.
The original owner actually bought the Barracuda on a whim.
He and his brother in the summer of 1968 were driving by the Chrysler Plymouth dealership in Woodbridge, Virginia when they spotted the flashy Barracuda on display in the showroom. They happened to have the appropriate amount of cash and the deal was done.
For a few years afterward the car saw some use until the odometer had accumulated 56.000 miles and had begun smoking. At that point the 340-cubic-inch V-8 engine was pulled and set aside for attention at a later date. The original Carter carburetor was also set aside for a later rebuild which eventually came to pass.
The sleek Plymouth Barracuda languished untouched until it was finally hauled to a local body shop, a facility that Hott in hindsight would not have chosen. Eventually, however, the Barracuda was returned to the condition that Hott had sought.
Optional extras on the car include:
* Dual ash trays.
* Front headrests.
* Dual outside mirrors.
* 4-speed transmission.
* 4-barrel Carter carburetor.
Other optional extra features were the E70x14-inch red line wide oval Firestone Champion tires. The original spare is still in the trunk.
Each of the 15-foot-long fastback Barracudas rolled on a 108-inch wheelbase.
The black interior has functional map pockets in the doors and turn signal warning lights on the leading edges of the engine hood.
Hott declared the restoration of his Barracuda complete in September 2008 when the car had a reading of almost 60,000 original miles on the odometer.
Now all Hott has to do is keep the 18-gallon gasoline tank filled which is more difficult than it was in 1968. Chrysler's 1968 slogan of “Safety is built in, not added on” has kept this car going 48 years.
Copyright © 2009, Vern Parker. Al
