The pony car era began with the 1964 ½ Ford Mustang, but the small domestic sports car market might have been called the fish car era if the Plymouth Barracuda had gained the same kind of popularity with buyers.
The Plymouth Barracuda was introduced a few weeks before the Mustang, but its unorthodox style never grabbed the public in the same way.
Consequently, the immense popularity of the Ford product pushed the Barracuda into the shadows and ignited the pony car era with its famous Mustang name.
Jim Sutherland
The unusual design of the fastback-only Barracuda was not a huge hit with buyers at the time, but the first-gen Mopar sports car gained a loyal fan club over the years, including Kirk Stooner, the proud owner of a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda for the past 35 years.
Kirk purchased his Barracuda in California for only $100 in 1990, a grim sign of the car’s lack of popularity at the time. It still had its original 273-cubic-inch small block coupled to a 3-speed automatic transmission.
Serious Mopar fanatics will already know the automatic transmission operated on a cable linkage identical to the push button versions from the previous year, but legislation forced Chrysler to discontinue the push button transmission by 1965.
In 1992, Kirk moved to Canada and brought his Barracuda with him at the time because he was drawn to the car’s unusual design and became attached to it. The car was sunbaked by the warm California climate and required a makeover to turn back the hands of time.
The ’65 Barracuda had a blue paint job when Kirk initially bought it, but needed new paint, so Kirk dove into the deep end of the pool and repainted it a few times before he settled on his current paint scheme. Kirk told MyStarCollectorCar that he has taken the car’s brightwork off “at least three times”, by his count.
The vintage Barracuda now sports a charcoal gray paint job with metallic flakes in it. Kirk was inspired by a Mustang with the same paint scheme and knew it would look good on his Barracuda.
As mentioned, the Barracuda had a 273 in it when Kirk bought it, but now it has a 318 transplant from a newer Mopar donor car. Kirk also added front disc brakes with a power booster to help slow down his fast fish whenever the situation warrants it.
The car still rides on rear air shocks after they were added in 1990 and they still work very well, according to Kirk.
The interior of the Barracuda is still a project in the works because Kirk relied upon a local upholster guy and he was unable to meet his deadline. However, Kirk intends to tackle the work himself with a process that will begin when his sister visits from California and brings a replacement headliner with her. His search for suitable front seat upholstery material is still in the works.
The good news is Kirk can enjoy his 1965 Plymouth Barracuda because it’s ready for the road and he is the right guy to take it on the road.
It’s a perfect world for both car and car guy.
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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