How time slips away…it has been almost ten years since this fish crossed the big pond. It’s still in my garage, ever ready for some action on those sunny days and evenings.
I’ve always kept a November 2010 photo file, compiled by our man in the US. If I recall correctly, he hailed from Nashville. Back then, he took many pictures of the shipping process. I thought it was about time to post some of them here, a highly appropriate place.
This was the true starting point of Operation Barracuda. The original internet-ad from Greene’s Classic Cars, Lenoir City, TN. Sadly, owner Mr. David Greene passed away in 2013.
Our man in the US found the car, did a thorough inspection and reported everything. He also took care of all the paperwork and the transport from Lenoir City to the Port of Charleston, SC.
All set for the trip to Charleston.
All body panels straight as an arrow, with a magnificent 2006 paint job.
Mopar towing Mopar. The Dodge Magnum was sold here wearing a Chrysler outfit, called the 300C Touring.
Once in Charleston, the Barracuda was driven into a shipping container for the long journey to the Port of Rotterdam.
Fast forward to December 2010, the arrival at the place of our man in the Netherlands, after a road trip from Rotterdam to Waalwijk, further down south. The car seems to fit perfectly on the tandem trailer with a full canopy.
These pictures were taken shortly after the Plymouth got its Dutch registration and license plates, when it was still rumbling around in the Waalwijk area.
The sealed beams were replaced by Euro-spec headlamps (standard procedure) plus new ball joints (a bit too much wear on the old ones, according to the inspector). Other than that, everything was perfectly fine!
The Barracuda wears pre-1978 plates. In that year, our format changed to black letters and digits on a yellow background.
Some further, basic information:
Engine: Chrysler LA 340 V8 with a Carter AVS four-barrel carb, Chrysler electronic ignition. Transmission: TorqueFlite 727, the beefy three-speed automatic. Color: Saddle Bronze metallic (T7). If you want to know more, feel free to ask.
I only feed the lil’ beast with ethanol free, premium gasoline (octane rating RON 98). No complaints whatsoever.
For parts and advice we turn to these guys, a highly professional and experienced shop. A visit also gives us an excellent excuse to drool over their showroom inventory!
You can have your own inspection, if you wish. My brother made this video in the last week of 2010. How time slips away…
Related articles:
Curbside Classic: 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Formula 340 – The Worst Selling But Best Pony Car Of 1968 by PN
Vintage Review: Car and Driver Compares The 1968 Pony Cars by GN
Beautiful car…my favorite of the Barracudas! Even the stance is just right.
I love these cars, one of the few cars that looks good no matter what the color.
The example of this generation of Barracuda that I will always remember is the Mod Top hardtop I saw at a lonely, central Texas gas station. Yellow, with a “flower power” vinyl roof covering.
Wow, very nice Barracuda! I had no idea you owned this car. Is there any backstory as to why you picked this particular Barracuda as the one for you? It must turn a lot of heads in the Netherlands. Wishing you many more years of enjoyment.
Thanks Vince!
I had a budget and a segment in mind, the latter mainly given the garage space…I mean, there has to be room for other items too and enough safe walk & work space around the car, on all sides.
So Mopar A-bodies (including the later Duster and Demon), Mustang, Camaro, Firebird. Certainly not a convertible and it had to be (very) good, technically + bodywork.
The Barracuda was actually the first, serious find. I liked it from the start. And the rest is history, as they say…
Just, *wow*. The second-generation Barracuda fastback is, in my opinion, the best-looking Plymouth, ever. Yours is a stunner in that gorgeous root beer-brown. Thank you for the pics and history!
You’ve been holding out on us……all those trucks…. and THIS is in your garage??? It is absolutely perfect, by the way. You cannot get away with so little said….
How many tickets have you received from the local police?
Was it everything you thought it would be when you bought it?
Is there a Chrysler or US make club you have gathered with nearby, perhaps through Pedal to the Metal? How do you enjoy this car, or does it mainly stay in storage?
Finally, are there other COAL worthy vehicles in your garage???
….Surpriiiisssee…!
-No tickets at all, tickets are for the daily driver.
-Yes, and I was especially pleased with its good road manners and ease of handling. Brakes are so-so (drums all around), so I always keep distance.
-There are clubs for everything (forums included), but I’m a member of a nationwide club for all American cars, regardless brand, model, or age.
-I enjoy it by driving it, fun trips only, winter months included (provided that it’s nice weather and that the roads are absolutely salt-free).
-Not that I know of. Does a circa 30 years old Wolf Garten electric lawn mower count?
Hold on, now I remember I almost got a ticket, about three years ago…
I was driving around on a sunny day, came through a corner, when my eye suddenly fell on a serious traffic jam. Mind you, in the middle of nowhere, on a backroad.
So I hit the brakes, turned the car and roared away in the direction I came from. Within a minute or so, two motorbike-policemen were in hot pursuit and pulled me over. Question: “Sir, why did you turn your car and run away from our alcohol and drugs control??”
It was the day after a nearby music and dance festival, when many visitors were leaving the camping site in the morning…
After an alcohol test, my excuses, some nice words about my car and a serious warning I was free to go.
So yes, so far tickets only for the daily driver!
I also bought a 1969 barracuda fast back four speed original about 3 years ago it’s gold a little black vinyl on top I drove in a little bit I need to do some things to it the 340 S is a monster motor ! ! ! I ran ethanol gas but that at clogged up my gas lines as I don’t started up every day
Excellent choice Johannes, this is a very attractive Plymouth! In many ways, this design could have been introduced a decade later, and it would still look very fresh and clean. As it does today! Thank you for sharing this.
That is the generation that means Barracuda to me. Lovely fastback and convertible. The coupe? Well, Mustang had one . . .
Love these. The 340 A-bodys were by the far the best balanced car of the muscle era.
Its odd seeing musclecars with Euro tags on them but Im glad its with a good owner
The very first car that my family ever owned was a 1968 Barracuda notchback. You have a great car, Johannes.
Wow, what a car! I too had no idea of this in the garage, I now have to wonder what else you’ve been hiding in there… 🙂
I hope it gets regular “exercise” and that it serves you well for, well, forever. Beautiful car in an excellent and too rarely seen color scheme.
He’s shown a few shots before, actually these same ones in the field. Maybe in the comments or? I recognized them instantly. After I saw them I did ask him to please write up this beautiful car. But it’s taken a while… 🙂
That’s right Paul, I mentioned and showed it in the comment sections here and there. But it certainly was about time!
Absolutely beautiful car, and with the 340/727 combination no less. This car is perfection, made more so by its rarity – in any country.
This would be a far better way to drive the Afsluitdijk than in a rental dog bone 1971 Ford Escort 1100 Mk1.
I just looked up the Afsluitdijk (it’s been almost 50 years since I was there) and Wikipedia says the speed limit is now 80 mph (130 km/h). Not a good place for a 2CV, but just right for this beauty.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afsluitdijk
That’s a beauty. Drool! And quarter lights! Why oh why were they deleted in the 80s? The perfect way to direct rain free air into the cabin or assist in demisting the windscreen. These days, you lower your windows in the rain and it drips all over the interior because the manufacturers deleted the roof’s rain channels too!
Great essay on a nice little muscle car. Enjoy your ride!
I live about ten miles from Lenoir City. Small world, etc.
There used to be an old car lot in Lenoir City that was chock full of interesting items. Don’t remember the owner’s name, but it was at a different location than the Greene dealership, so it probably wasn’t him. My dad bought a rusty 1968 Maserati Quattroporte to restore from this place, and I remember seeing all kinds of odd, dusty old cars sitting there, mostly under cover — a 1936 Dodge sedan, a 1955 Hudson with the Packard V-8, a Willys Aero with a “clergy” sticker in the window (so that’s who bought them), a Bentley Mark VI that seemed to be mostly Bondo, that kind of thing.
Rusty cars are a rarity in this neck of the woods, though, and it looks like you got a good one. Congrats!
+1 to other comments, we had no idea that you owned a classic. I hope we can see more photos of it out and about at the car shows you attend.
Geweldig!
There is some irony here. I was considering buying one new (a 318) and the alternative expenditure was a summer in Europe traveling by Eurailpass. I chose the latter and had a comprehensive tour, including the Netherlands, but I still wish I could have had both.
Absolutely stunning and in a beautiful color!
Would love to hear more about your experiences driving this car on Dutch roads and whether you’ve ever been able to open up on a highway.
I prefer open, two-lane roads and gently rumbling through small towns/villages. Both are plentiful where I live.
Highway/freeway driving not so much, I just go with the flow, around 70 mph.
That is gorgeous Johannes – and with the great 340 engine. That must make quite an impression when you take it out for a spin.
Beautiful! I’m just as jealous of your ability to buy ethanol-free premium too.
BP Ultimate and Shell V-Power are available nearby, both RON 98 octane rating and both ethanol-free. At least, the latter according to their websites…and for the time being. RON 98 is around AKI 93 in the US, me thinks.
Wow, I was first bowled over by the car’s stunning good looks, then again when I see that it is yours!
The Barracuda fastback of this generation was one of the best styling jobs ever to come out of Chrysler. I could take or leave the regular hardtop (it looks too much like a Plymouth Corvair, with that relatively long deck) but the proportions on the fastback are perfection.
And I forget what nice interiors Chrysler could put in a vehicle when it wanted to. The difference between the inside of this 69 and the 1970 E body is stark, with its many square yards of molded plastic. This is just a lovely car, even without the 340/Torqueflite at the business end.
Gazing again at your profile shot, the roof on this car is almost identical to that on the 1970 Camaro, only with the C pillar set farther back.
I certainly like the looks of the E-body Barracuda and Challenger. But those interiors…oh man, what a terrible let-down!
Awesome car. This is the sort of classic muscle car I’d want. A simple 340 4bbl would be perfect and should provide an easy driving experience.
Chrysler interiors were certainly all over the board. This look very nice and the quality looks quite good, and it is well styled to its purpose.
Love the color, my first car was dark metallic brown, so maybe I’m biased.
I’d add AC to make it perfect for where I live.
It’s exactly as you say, “an easy driving experience”, completely hassle-free.
Like a lot of the other folks here who have expressed surprise, a lot of us over the years have seen you comment on a number of different posts, and had no idea that you were the owner of your own sweet CC. And it’s not like you stuck a malaise-mobile or some quirky, but largely forgotten obscurity into your garage; This is a killer muscle car, and it looks to have been nicely restored! It’s a car that shouts, not whimpers, that’s for sure.
There’s much more to say on this car! You didn’t even really talk about what it’s like to drive and maintain it. Part II is in order! 😉
My complements on a beautiful car.
Nice car, and clearly being looked after well.
That top side profile shot is nigh on perfect. Well done.
Fancy bringing it to the UK?
What a terrific Plymouth! You chose well – that 340 must be a lot of fun. May you have many more years and miles with your Barracuda.
You have a delightful number of surprises about you, not least of which is this Plymouth. 🙂
That is indeed a beauty! I think these were one of the best fastback designs ever from a US manufacturer. The proportions are just right. The root beer brown is a nice color choice pus you have the best engine/trans combo ever offered in these (in my humble opinion).
What a great car! I had a red ’69 383S in 1976. It was a real change from the $100 beaters I generally drove. With a lighter engine, yours no doubt handles better than mine ever did and is probably faster too. Even before US gas prices went up, these were never popular – which is why I could afford to buy mine. I really loved mine anyway. Hated to part with it when I entered the Army. Glad to see one kept in such nice condition. Well done.
You have to pity the second generation A-body Barracuda. Even though it had completely new and very attractive sheetmetal, the stigma of ‘just a Valiant’ was still there. It didn’t help that the Dart in GTS or Swinger guise was still around as Dodge’s small car performance entry. Nor did it help that the ponycar competition from Ford and GM was still pretty good looking and stout, as well. If you wanted easy driving, you got a Mustang. For street muscle, it was a Camaro. That left the Barracuda as sort of the European entry. Unfortunately, the international flavor of the Plymouth’s styling couldn’t carry enough of the day.
The irony, of course, is how the Duster just cleaned up in a market that should have been the A-body Barracuda’s. There was even a custom Barracuda available for a short time in 1968-69 (the Savage GT) that had a reworked grille that looked remarkably like the 1970 Duster. Unfortunately, the Savage GT is extremely rare, with barely over a dozen built over the course of two years.
What really rubs salt in the wound is the second gen Camaro roofline bore an uncanny resemblance to the 67-69 Barracuda fastback – ignore the fact that it has quarter glass and look at the actual window shapes
Beautiful car, and your opening photo is spectacular!
That is such a beauty, a great example of an underappreciated model. I like the color too. I hope you have many more years of enjoyment!
Stunning automobile, I am often torn between the 2 roof choices on these and often lean towards the coupe version, I like the short roof..
But the way this car is set up with the great stance and great choice of wheels makes me realize what a handsome car this is..
Congratulations , absolute Plymouth Perfection. .
Thank you all for the kind words and compliments, much appreciated!
Well earned!
I had a 1968 Plymouth Baracuda with a 383 cu.inch engine, 4 spd, with a sure grip rear end mine was Midnight Blue with white interior. I would give both of.my you know what, to have it back. Had to have something more family oriented because of three children.
So, that’s where latest Hyundai Sonata drew it’s inspiration from for the taillights.
Nice car Johannes and a 340 engine awesome local 340s were strangled but that can be cured I like that style of Barracuda.