68 Barracuda
Muscle car enthusiasts around the world know this car for its unique features and its beauty: The 68 Barracuda. The 1968 Barracuda is special in many ways as it was another step for Plymouth to upgrade its already very popular car.
The 1968 Plymouth Barracuda was the second year in production of the second generation of this car. It was based on the so-called “A-Body”, which provided a 108-inch wheel base. The car shared many of its features with the Plymouth Valiant. The Valiant could also be considered a distant cousin. For the 1968 production year, the Barracuda received a newly designed grill as well as new tail lights. In addition to this, special hood plaques were introduced which showed the engines size of every particular car on the hood. This was very popular among customers who purchased the legendary Plymouth Formula S edition of each car. The most impressive changes came in the engine segment though.
Plymouth had already a number of engines lined up to choose from for the 68 Barracuda, but it also made impressive changes to previous engine line ups. The biggest and strongest engine of previous models, the 273ci Commando was replaced with the even stronger 340 Ci for example. The 340Ci was also a V-8 and was listed at an impressive 275 horse power. The problem with this number was that no one believed it to be true. Now this was not because the 1968 Plymouth Barracuda was so slow, it was because it was so fast!
Several people decided to test the car and see if 275 horse power was realistic. Car Life Magazine recorded the most impressive test in conjunction with this car, when they tested its speed over a quarter mile sprint. The 1968 Barracuda Formula S with the 340Ci engine completed the quarter mile in 14.93 seconds and recorded a maximal speed of around 96 mph. If you consider that the Barracuda is officially a “small block”, these numbers are impressive.
For the 1968 model year, the Formula S package for the Barracuda included the option between two different engines; either the 383Ci or the 340Ci. Both of these were V-8s. The costumer also had the choice between a four speed manual transmission or an automatic transmission. The usual upgrades that Plymouth always provided for the Barracuda Formula S such as wider wheels and a better suspension were also part of the package.
