Cole Irving is the owner of an unusual 1969 Plymouth Barracuda convertible that is the result of a car guy tag team project with his father Todd.
The car was rejuvenated by the two multi-generational car guys and now it has logged over 10,000 miles since it was reintroduced to the road.
Jim Sutherland
Second generation Barracudas were built between 1967-69 and represent the last of the A-body platforms used by the Mopar for its most famous pony car, a foundation typically associated with Chrysler’s compact Valiant and Dart models.

Todd told MyStarCollectorCar his grandmother had a 1969 Barracuda and she was undoubtedly an influence on him in terms of interest in Mopar’s second-gen pony car. In fact, her car became a donor car for his son Cole’s Barracuda during the restoration phase, mainly because Todd’s grandmother’s ’69 Barracuda was no longer a feasible restoration project but was a suitable and sentimental donor car.

Cole’s Barracuda is a rare combination of unusual factory components because it is a convertible (one of 248 built with Slant Six engines, according to his father Todd) and has a three-on-the-tree manual (one of 40 by Todd’s research) transmission. We at MyStarCollectorCar had never seen these factory features on a 1969 Plymouth Barracuda convertible, likely because there are only nine of these models left on the road, according to Todd’s figures.

Cole and Todd bought the convertible about seven years ago and were able to bring the drop top back on the road after the completion of the five-year restoration phase on it. The convertible retains its factory powertrain combination, but has undergone a few changes, mostly cosmetic in nature.

For example, the Barracuda was originally a factory yellow car, a color that did not work for Cole, so he chose to paint it Vitamin C orange from the vintage Mopar paint choice list.

The Barracuda was also given sporty hood scoops that were period correct in Mopar world at the time but were added by Cole and Todd to enhance the car’s overall style. They also added fender-mounted signal lights that were an upscale feature on Mopar models during the late 1960s.

The Magnum wheels are another example of cosmetic enhancements on the ’69 Barracuda and required a rear end swap so the car could accommodate the wheel upgrade.
As mentioned, Cole logs plenty of time behind the steering wheel of his Barracuda convertible, so he got the car’s factory AM radio upgraded with modern electronic components to access 21st century music options. The system worked well until it started to cut out and went silent, but the issue was not related to the radio upgrade. Instead, the problem was a faulty voltage regulator, and the radio was simply a symptom of the electrical issue.

The happy ending to this 1969 Barracuda story? It was a successful effort by a dedicated father and son car guy team and is now at 10,000 miles and counting since the project’s completion. We at MyStarCollectorCar predict many more miles of happy motoring in this rare 1969 Plymouth Barracuda drop top.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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