Rotisserie Built Barracuda Ray Barton Dual Quad V8 850 HP Tranzilla 6 Speed

Ask the average enthusiast to name a pony car and most will inevitably say “Mustang” or “Camaro”. Ask a MoPar guy that same question and you'll hear a proud recitation of the history of the Plymouth Barracuda. Publicly available two full weeks before the Mustang, the Barracuda did everything just as well, yet managed to significantly lag both Ford and GM in sales volume. But big sales numbers aren't everything. And in the world of collector cars, less usually translates to more, as in: more passion, more value and more exclusivity. Take this incredible second gen Barracuda fastback, for example. The product of a 5-year, $225K build, it backs 572 cubic inches of Ray Barton Hemi with custom leather upholstery, a substantially lightened body, a custom suspension and a tough Tremec Tranzilla 6-speed. If you're a discerning enthusiast who's looking to satisfy an unrelenting need to go fast and make a big statement, here's the catch of a lifetime!

BODYWORK/TRIM

First impressions are important, and this sinister Barracuda certainly makes a strong one. For starters, Plymouth did a great job whittling the Valiant's conservative shape into a provocative and interesting profile that lends credibility to the car's name. That profile, a completely rust-free body that was sourced from South Carolina, was stripped to bare metal and equipped with a quality fiberglass front-clip during a 2014 ground-up restoration that was completed by Americus, Georgia's Bryce Customs. Once those surfaces were fully prepped and carefully aligned, a nice coat of conventional black base was sealed under glossy clear. And today, a mere 63 miles later, this sweet A-Body can be summed up as tasteful, precise and timeless.

Although it continued to share many components with Plymouth's most economical offering, the second generation Barracuda was fully redesigned with model-specific accoutrements that provided an upscale and aggressive appearance. At the front of this coupe, stainless-trimmed grilles, inspired by inverted trapezoids, hang crystal clear parking lamps between a polished bumper and bright Harley-Davidson headlights. Behind those grilles, a fiberglass hood anchors small lanyards and a requisite Hemi Scoop in front of stainless-trimmed glass that's founded on a filled, wiperless cowl. At the sides of that glass, a clean profile, complete with fiberglass fenders, is devoid of everything but door handles, a driver's mirror, a polished fuel filler and ornate rear marker lamps. And at the back of the car, a shaved and silver-trimmed valence hangs petite taillights above a second polished bumper and a custom roll pan that features integrated exhaust tips.

ENGINE

With an incredible 850 horsepower, and enough torque to drag the Chrysler Building from New York to New Jersey, this Plymouth's 572 cubic inch Ray Barton Hemi is a high-octane MoPar monster that easily transitions from flattering to flat out scary! Inside the aforementioned scoop, a polished, low-profile air cleaner feeds two Holley carburetors, which send a nice mix of fuel and air in to an aluminum cross-ram intake. At the sides of that intake, free-breathing heads bridge the gap between unique Barton Bryce valve covers that are fitted with billet Moroso breathers, and hot FireCore50 ignition cables that are connected to an MSD Pro-Billet distributor. At the front of that distributor, a Billet Specialties Tru Trac serpentine drive spins a polished alternator, an aluminum water pump and a polished AC compressor next to an MSD Blaster HVC coil. In front of that coil, a beefy Be Cool radiator makes excellent use of a polished expansion tank and dual SPAL puller fans. And exhaust duties are handled by large-diameter long-tube headers. While this mill's main purpose is to go straight at a very high rate of speed, it's still very impressive to look at. Silky black 2-stage slinks through the whole engine bay, highlighting a thoroughly massaged firewall and slick fenders. And overall, everything from the car's quality Aeromotive fuel system and braided fluid lines to its hidden AC lines and polished SSBC master cylinder is well-planned and professionally executed.

DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION

Crawl under this A-Body and you'll find a highly detailed chassis that's characterized by a whole roster of 'no compromises' hardware. Behind the Hemi, a RAM hydraulic clutch kicks a Tremec T56 Tranzilla 6-speed which, thanks to a Drive Line Service of Atlanta driveshaft, spins a 9-inch Strange axle. That axle pushes a heavily modified rear-clip, which strings billet Strange shocks and tough monoleaf springs between requisite mini tubs and slick CalTracs traction bars. Opposite that clip, a heavily modified front-half hangs a Reilly Motorsports AlterKtion K-member, complete with QA-1 adjustable coil-overs, behind power rack-and-pinion steering. Stops are provided by Wilwood 4 and 6-piston calipers, which squeeze an impressive quartet of drilled and slotted rotors. Exhaust rolls from ceramic-coated headers to coated, large-diameter pipes, which flatten out just in time to intercept coated SpinTech mufflers. Naturally, the bottom of the car is just as detailed as its top, with body-matched floors framing niceties such as tubular subframe connectors and a large Moroso oil pan. And momentum comes courtesy of polished American Racing Torq Thrust IIs, which wear 235/45ZR17 Nitto Extreme ZRs in front of 305/45R18 Nitto Extreme Drags.

INTERIOR

Open the doors and a custom red interior combines serious hardware with lavish aesthetics to serve as a perfect Jekyll to the car's 572 cubic inch Hyde. The first thing you'll notice is leather front bucket and rear bench seats that wrap tough Simpson race harnesses around the driver and front passenger. Between those seats, a small console props a polished e-brake and chrome power window switches behind a trick Hurst shifter. In front of that stick, a tasteful dash hangs full Auto Meter telemetry and controls for crisp air conditioning above stylish billet foot pedals. Beneath those pedals, fresh carpet traces an NHRA-certified chromoly roll cage. In front of the driver, a Flaming River Waterfall steering wheel laps a polished, tilting column. And behind the passengers, a color-keyed trunk anchors a Fuel Safe fuel cell next to a billet-caged battery and components for the car's MSD Digital-6 Plus ignition.

Brutally fast and visually stunning, this awesome Barracuda should make every enthusiast smile. With the potential to scorch almost any stoplight challenger, and top notch craftsmanship that's good enough to land big trophies, it's ready to blister the blacktop and stop the show! We've built quite a following in the Chrysler community, which means red-hot MoPars tend to sell as soon as they hit our website. How fast is your reaction time?

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SUMMARY

* 5-year $225K build completed in 2014 / Only driven 63 miles
* 572 cubic inch Ray Barton Hemi / Dual-quad induction / 850 horsepower
* Tremec T56 Tranzilla 6-speed manual transmission / RAM Hydraulic clutch
* Custom leather interior / NHRA-certified chromoly roll cage / Air conditioning
* Rust-free body before the build / Fiberglass hood and fenders added during the build
* Strange 9-inch rear axle
* Heavily upgraded suspension
* Power rack-and-pinion steering / 4-wheel disc brakes
* 17 and 18-inch American Racing Torq Thrust II wheels
* Large-diameter exhaust / SpinTech mufflers