Plymouth Barracuda  The Plymouth Barracuda is a two-door pony car manufactured by Plymouth from 1964 to 1974. The first-generation Barracuda, a hardtop fastback, was based on the A-body platform (shared with the Valiant). The first generation car featured distinctive wraparound back glass and was marketed from 1964 to 1966. The second-generation Barracuda, built from 1967 to 1969, though still Valiant-based, was heavily redesigned. Body designs were now available in fastback, hardtop coupé, and convertible versions. The third generation, offered from 1970 to 1974, was no longer based on the A-body, but on the Chrysler E-body. The completely new design was similar to the Dodge Challenger and available in hardtop and convertible body styles. The Barracuda was discontinued after the 1974 model year. During development of the Barracuda, one of the worst kept secrets was Ford's plan to introduce a new sporty compact car based on the inexpensive Falcon chassis and running gear (which was eventually released as the 1964 1/2 Mustang); the extent of the other changes was not known. Chrysler stylist Irv Ritchie sketched a fastback version of the compact Valiant, as this body style "has always been considered sporty." Budgets were limited, but the company's executives wanted to have an entry in this quickly growing sporty-compact car market segment and to capture some of the sales from Chevrolet's Corvair Monza models. Plymouth's executives had wanted to name the new model "Panda", an idea unpopular with its designers. In the end, John Samsen's suggestion of "Barracuda" prevailed. Based on Chrysler's A-body, the Barracuda debuted in fastback form on April 1, 1964. The new model used the Valiant's wheelbase and the Valiant hood, headlamp bezels, windshield, vent windows, quarter panels, doors, A-pillar, and bumpers; the trunk and some of the glass was new. Utilizing the same hybrid design approach as Ford did turning its Falcon into the Mustang significantly reduced Plymouth's development and tooling cost and time for the new model. The greatest effort was put into creating its distinguishing rear window, a collaboration between Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG) and Chrysler designers that created the largest ever installed on a standard production car to that time. Powertrains were identical to the Valiant's, including two versions of Chrysler's slant-6 six-cylinder engine.