With all of the hype Ford is spewing out over the 50th anniversary of the Mustang and the well-recognized 50th anniversary of Mopar's 426 HEMI, let's also recognize Mother Mopars entry into what was called the "sporty" car market back in 1964 - and it actually beat the Mustang with a 12-day earlier launch date.
The 1964 Barracuda was "launched" on April 1 while the Mustang was introduced to the media at the New York World's Fair on April 13. The Mustang went on sale to the public on April 17 while several reports say the Barracuda didn't actually go on sale until the first week of May.
The Barracuda also beat the Mustang in magazine coverage by being the cover story of the May 1964 issue of Motor Trend while the Mustang only made a small blurb in the upper right hand corner of the cover. Motor Trend described the '64 Barracuda as "a four-passenger sports coupe designed around Valiant components."
Bob McVay of Motor Trend wrote, "The newly introduced 273-cubic-inch V8, teamed with Chrysler's four-speed, floor-mounted manual transmission and a Hurst competition shift linkage, should prove popular on the Barracuda."
Unfortunately, the A-body Barracuda couldn't match the Mustang is the sales race. The Mustang sold 1-million units by early 1966 while the Barracuda barely passed the 100,000 mark.
Happy 50th Birthday, Barracuda!
The 1964 Barracuda was "launched" on April 1 while the Mustang was introduced to the media at the New York World's Fair on April 13. The Mustang went on sale to the public on April 17 while several reports say the Barracuda didn't actually go on sale until the first week of May.
The Barracuda also beat the Mustang in magazine coverage by being the cover story of the May 1964 issue of Motor Trend while the Mustang only made a small blurb in the upper right hand corner of the cover. Motor Trend described the '64 Barracuda as "a four-passenger sports coupe designed around Valiant components."
Bob McVay of Motor Trend wrote, "The newly introduced 273-cubic-inch V8, teamed with Chrysler's four-speed, floor-mounted manual transmission and a Hurst competition shift linkage, should prove popular on the Barracuda."
Unfortunately, the A-body Barracuda couldn't match the Mustang is the sales race. The Mustang sold 1-million units by early 1966 while the Barracuda barely passed the 100,000 mark.
Happy 50th Birthday, Barracuda!
