Will the Dodge Barracuda ever go into production?

[Number9Dream]

I've been reading about, and seeing photos of the Dodge Barracuda on the internet for a long time. Does anybody know if this will ever go beyond a concept car? They keep speculating on a release date.

[asiliveandbreathe]

1. Reading through some of the speculation - who knows - friend had a '64 barrie..

Fun facts..

The Barracuda beat the Mustang to market by two weeks (April 1, 1964).

It was an A-Body from its introduction in 1964 with 90% of buyers ordering the V8, which was an all-new 273 CID powerplant, Chrysler’s first lightweight V8, designated “LA” – the beginning of an engine family that would continue through 1992.

I purchased 1963 Chevy Impala convertible...in "64 - grad HS year...$1300 - then in 1966 I purchased a 1965 GTO...brother took it to Boston - I only had it two weeks...I gave the ins. co. the keys..they must have cut through the canvas...whaaaa

I had so many cars - if I knew then what Jay Leno knew....oh my.....

[TreasonousBastard]

2. It's going head-to-head with the Mustang and Camaro, so who knows if it's got the juice...

to make it in a shrinking market. It's FIAT's call.

Pix I've seen look nice, but hear it will be built on an Alfa chassis, which is good news/bad news.

[JohnnyRingo]

3. FCA seems to be focusing on reviving the Viper for now.

...without it's signature V10. They plan to use the Hemi that powers the Dodge Demon and Hellcat, an engine they swore a couple years ago wouldn't fit in a Viper due to height restrictions. That'll go up against the Corvette and Ford GT, a car FCA no longer has after cancelling the aging Viper platform last year.

The dodge Challenger competes nicely against the other pony cars right now. Adding another one would just be an added expense with no upside. Some of the design cues from the Barracuda concept are likely to find their way on future Challenger upgrades.

Cars are like pizzas now. Instead of offering five different shaped pies, you just pick one of three sizes and add expensive toppings to your taste. and wallet. The Mustang has always been such a car.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

4. re: "The Mustang has always been such a car."

In most cases this would be true but equating the 1970 Boss 429 Mustang with it's distant cousin, with an inline 6 cylinder is a bit of a stretch. I suppose however the Shelby Mustangs are essentially different from the basic Fords.

[JohnnyRingo]

5. I understand what you're saying.

But the Boss 429 was indeed the same 1970 platform as the so called "secretary car" that was the base model that year. Instead of a distant cousin it was actually a primped up sister car with every available performance topping, including suspension upgrades to match the increased power. Even the body panels were the same with bolt on pieces to appear more beefy, including the hood and spoiler. As usual with the Mustang, it was offered in three basic sub-models, hardtop, fastback, and convertible (though not all available on the Boss). In the pizza world that would be akin to choosing between vegetarian, Hawaiian, and meat lovers, plus expensive toppings via the factory, Shelby, and official aftermarket shop Car Craft.

As far as DNA lineage goes, I believe the only cousin the Mustang ever knew was the Falcon, a related platform that spawned the original Mustang. It lived on in Australia until two years ago where it too followed the pizza analogy for performance upgrades, the eventual product being almost unrecognizable from the original econo box. Sad that they never saw our shores after 1970.

Still you're right that it's hard to imagine one sister in the car universe could be so dowdy while another a supermodel, but such is the reality of life itself.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

6. I suppose it depends on feelings about factory customization

The new "apron" and revised fenders kind of say this is remodeled and reworked car rather than just bolt on options or dropping in a bigger engine. (Your mileage, although poor, may vary)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss_429_Mustang
The Mustang's engine compartment was not wide enough to accommodate the massive Boss 429 engine. As a result Ford assigned Kar Kraft of Dearborn, MI to modify 4 speed Cobra Jet Mustangs to accept the new Boss 429 Engine. Kar Kraft was a Ford exclusive contracted experimental vehicle facility that functioned as Vehicle Engineering for Ford Special Vehicles. Kar Kraft had previously developed the first GT40 MKII's and designed and built the GT40 MKIV's, both of which won the LeMans 24 Hour Race in France in 1966 & 1967.
Production of the Boss 429 began in 1968 at Kar Kraft's new assembly plant in Brighton, Michigan; the cars were transported to this plant directly from the Ford Rouge plant. The new, revised, front apron assemblies that accepted the large Boss 429 engine had been installed by the Rouge plant as the base vehicles were being built; this produced a stronger and cleaner front structure. The reworked front fenders were also installed at the Rouge plant.
Next the battery was repositioned to the trunk and a stiff 3/4" sway bar was added to rear end to improve handling since the car was now nose heavy. This was the first Mustang ever fitted with a rear sway bar, and it notably handled much better than other big-block Mustangs of the time, making it a very capable track car. It came fitted with an 8,000rpm tachometer, and AM only radio. In addition, a hole was cut in the hood, and a manually controlled hood scoop was added to these cars. Other features included a front spoiler that was shallower than the Boss 302 spoiler, color keyed dual racing mirrors, and an engine oil cooler. It was also equipped with a 3.91 ratio rear axle with a "Traction-Lock" limited slip differential.

[JohnnyRingo]

7. I didn't know the GT40 was partly developed by Kar Kraft.

Had to be the coolest blank check factory car ever.

I also didn't know it was spelled with Ks. I must have confused it with my favorite magazine when I was a teen.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

8. I remember Car Craft, Hot Rod... (dialup warning)

From the '60s and '70s.

I loved the GT40 and AC/Shelby Cobra.

I was also a fan of the Superbird/Daytona and I wanted the Shah's P400 SV/J Miura and a Porsche 917.