Return of the Plymouth Barracuda

Danny Tse

From USA Today comes this piece of automotive surprise....

Chrysler's design chief, who also happens to be boss of the Dodge brand, delivered a big surprise yesterday: He says he's seriously thinking of how to revive the Plymouth Barracuda.

"There's a lot of pressure on us to bring the 'Cuda back," said Ralph Gilles to the crowd that came to see the latest Mopar doings at the SEMA aftermarket parts show. In an interview with Drive On, he said, "The customers have been stomping their feet for it."

Never mind that the brand already has revived the Challenger, 'Cuda's corporate cousin. And it has the four-door performance-oriented Dodge Charger model, redone for 2011 and revealed at SEMA yesterday for the first time. But one problem with Barracuda is that its parent brand, Plymouth, doesn't exist anymore. The Barracuda name would have to be co-opted by Dodge or Chrysler, just as the Plymouth PT Cruiser became a Chrysler after the brand was killed.

But don't underestimate the power of the 'Cuda.

EndersShadow

I would love to see a new 'Cuda....lord knows my 27 year old hands would love to grip the steering wheel of one...

miner

Don't forget about the Cordoba with it's rich Corinthian leather (tanned vinyl).

bobman1235

I don't understand the whole "new _____ " craze. It's just a new car that they slap an old name on. Aside from possibly taking some styling cues from the original (which is cool) it's not like anything else about it has anything to do with the original.

engtaz

My favorite Mopar

steveinaz

I want a Charger that looks like a Charger, damn it.

mole'

great news!

mole'

steveinaz wrote: »

I want a Charger that looks like a Charger, damn it.

then buy a charger

steveinaz

They don't make a Charger, only a Dodge Magnum with Charger logos.

mole'

steveinaz wrote: »

They don't make a Charger, only a Dodge Magnum with Charger logos.

so you dont like the newer chargers?

Ricardo

steveinaz wrote: »

I want a Charger that looks like a Charger, damn it.

mole'

:droooouel:


i have a buddy on the SRTsite that has one. he wants to put a newer 6.1 in it.

dorokusai

The current Charger is an embarassment.

steveinaz

THERE YOU GO RICARDO...THAT'S A CHARGER. I had a pristine 1971, purchased in 1979 with 29,000 on the ticker! Man, what a dumbass for ever selling it.

Ricardo

Here you go Steve

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodge-Charger-Superbee-1971-Dodge-Superbee-Real-Deal-/320614394750?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4aa61b6b7e

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971-DODGE-CHARGER-RT-/150517692530?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item230b8db872

steveinaz

Mine was more like the 2nd one, but I only had the half-coverage vinyl roof. Mine was the "granny" edition without the round gauge set; I had bucket seats--but she was MINT. Bought it off an electrician for $1200. He had 4 Chargers---needless to say, he was a fan of the make.

thuffman03

I did not like the 4 door Charger. I have a Magnum and like it but I want a Challenger SRT8!

Jstas

REAL Chargers have 2 doors, not 4. If you had a 4 door "Charger", you were driving a Plymouth Fury, Belvedere, Savoy or a Dodge 440, Coronet or Dart.

The current Charger is an abomination and an ugly one at that. It's a fat pig too.

The current Challenger is a fat pig as well.

Chrysler, you killed Plymouth. We all hated you for it. Leave it dead before you bring it back and ruin it as well.

starkiller

Chargers Bah!! Ya gotta get yourself a REAL Mopar like a 'Cuda!! My first car was a '69 Cuda with the 440 6-pack and slap Hurst 4-speed. Now THAT was a car, course insurance was a tiny bit expensive and while gas may have been cheap, at 6mpg it still got expensive, especially when my pay was $2.10 hr. But tuning up those 3 deuces was awfully fun, especially with dual thrush mufflers :biggrin:

cnh

Danny Tse wrote: »

From USA Today comes this piece of automotive surprise....

Is that going to come with a Sarah Barracuda 'option'? And will she drive it on her new series up north?

cnh

tonyb

Loved those old chargers....no mention of the Superbee? That was one funky looking car.

dorokusai

I laugh when I see the bright yellow Rumble Bee Dodge truck....makes me appreciate Jstas's Lightning so much more.

cnoat

Had a 70 1/2 AAR with my name on it until my mother found out what is was worth.

audiobliss

cnoat wrote: »

Had a 70 1/2 AAR with my name on it until my mother found out what is was worth.

:eek: :frown:

TECHNOKID

bobman1235 wrote: »

I don't understand the whole "new _____ " craze. It's just a new car that they slap an old name on. Aside from possibly taking some styling cues from the original (which is cool) it's not like anything else about it has anything to do with the original.

First of all, Chrysler has lost the interest of consumers a decade or so ago, it is licking bottom (can't go any further down) so it doesn't have anything to loose but everything to gain if done right of course. The Cuda would IMHO be the perfect car to create consumers enthousiam. Sticking and old name on a new car will not cut it (look at the mess Ford did with the Mustang in the 70s :rolleyes:). It would be OK to use today's mechanical and electronic technology but the appearance of the car must be of the original era. Look at Ford with the return of the Mustang, this is exactly the way Chrysler should go about the Cuda. When companies considers bringing back cars of that era, my opinion is they should focus on the sport cars (muscle cars) of that era rather than the boat type which don't fit the ergonomy of today and are surely not the car that consumers have great memories of and are craving for a come back.

tonyb

Yep, it would be so much better if the body was closer to the original. The GTO, Charger, Shelby GT500,Ford Cobra, so many cool body styles from back then. Not the most aerodynamic of coarse but hey,your not buying a muscle car for the gas mileage. Forgot the Olds 442, convertable was hot, Hemi cuda, Yenko Camaro, man I could go on. You could also argue the end of the auto hay day was brought about by government mandates to the auto industry. Tell me some of you wouldn't snatch up a replica of a Ford Cobra if they build one to original spec. Heck, with todays technology, they could make it a whole lot faster too.

bobman1235

tonyb wrote: »

Not the most aerodynamic of coarse but hey,your not buying a muscle car for the gas mileage.

Assuming the "muscle" part refers to performance, aerodynamics plays a pretty damned big role in how fast a car can go too.

tonyb

Yes it does, but if you look at the early muscle cars, it wasn't a priority. Raw power was. Some also handled like crap, but looked good going in a straight line at 140 mph.

drselect

miner wrote: »

Don't forget about the Cordoba with it's rich Corinthian leather (tanned vinyl).

Whats wrong with the Cordoba?
That was the second car I ever owned.
The irony of the deal was I sold a 1967 Olds 88 to buy it. :frown:

Danny Tse

Chrysler trademarks "Cuda" name....its return is imminent?