The Plymouth Barracuda is one of the most highly prized collectible cars today. Ironically, its present high prices is the result of the low number of people who wanted to buy them when they were first introduced. The convertible version, along the high performance Cuda version, can fetch extremely high prices, especially the factory cars.

The first Barracuda first came out in 1964, though it was nearly called something else. The executives at Plymouth had originally planned to call it the Panda, but fortunately for everyone the designers objected until it was named the Barracuda. It shared many characteristics with the Plymouth valiant, and it tried to go against the Ford Mustang, a model which became so popular that this entire class of automobile was labeled pony cars.

The second generation Barracuda came out in 1967. This generation came with a full redesign, and its own range of models. These included fastbacks, notchbacks, and convertibles. The 1969 version cam with more options, including a trim package called the Cuda.

In 1970, The Barracuda was again redesigned, this time erasing all similarities with the Valiant. It shared a new platform with the Dodge Challenger, which was first introduced at the time. But the model was displaying less performance as the years went by, due to the manufacturer’s attempts to comply with exhaust emission laws and safety regulations. The increasing costs of insurance for these vehicles, as well as its propensity to consume large amounts of gasoline, prevented the model from becoming a bestseller. The Barracuda ended its run right after the oil crisis in 1974.