Plymouth Barracuda Formula S

Barracuda Formula S at a glance

Why Plymouth added the Formula S in 1965

The Barracuda arrived in 1964 as a fastback version of the Valiant compact and sold 23,443 cars in its short first season, against 126,538 Mustangs over the same period. For 1965 Plymouth answered with a package that turned the car into a small grand tourer. The Formula S brought the 273 Commando V8 with a Carter four-barrel carburettor, 10.5:1 compression, solid tappets and a hotter camshaft.

The chassis changes mattered as much as the engine. Plymouth fitted heavy-duty front torsion bars, heavier rear springs, firm-ride dampers and an anti-roll bar, along with wide 14-inch rims, Goodyear Blue Streak tyres, a tachometer, stripes and Formula S medallions. Depending on the gearbox, the package cost US$230 to US$311 in 1965. Car and Driver drove an early car in its October 1964 issue and found it slower in a straight line than a K-code Mustang but better through corners. Plymouth built 64,596 Barracudas for 1965; no source used here gives the Formula S share.

The 273 Commando years, 1965-1966

The 273 Commando was rated at 175 kW (235 hp) at 5,200 rpm and 380 Nm (280 lb-ft) at 4,000 rpm, against 134 kW (180 hp) for the two-barrel 273. In 1966 it received an unsilenced air cleaner and little else. Motor Trend tested a 1966 Formula S with the TorqueFlite automatic in February 1966 and recorded 0-60 mph in 8.9 seconds and the quarter mile in 16.5 seconds at 84 mph. Its test car cost US$3,616.50 (1966) as tested; a V8 Barracuda started at US$2,655 (1966).

The option list of that car shows how a Formula S was usually built up: front disc brakes for US$81.95, power steering for US$80.35 and a tachometer at US$48.70 (all 1966 prices). Barracuda sales fell to 38,029 in 1966, and Old Cars Weekly reports 5,316 Formula S cars that year, 2,346 with the automatic and 2,970 with the four-speed.

The 383 and the 340 in the second generation, 1967-1969

The 1967 redesign gave the Barracuda its own body on a wheelbase stretched by 51 mm (2 in) to 2,743 mm (108 in). Length grew to 4,897 mm (192.8 in) and the front track widened by 38 mm (1.5 in). Old Cars Weekly counts about 30,000 fastbacks, 28,000 hardtops and 4,000 convertibles for 1967. The 273 Commando carried over, and the new 383 B-block became a Formula S-only engine with 209 kW (280 hp), 10.0:1 compression and a Carter four-barrel. Plymouth's bigger cars had 242 kW (325 hp) from the same engine, and the 383 Barracuda was seldom ordered.

For 1968 the 340 replaced the 273. It gave 205 kW (275 hp) at 5,000 rpm and 461 Nm (340 lb-ft) at 3,200 rpm, while the 383 rose to 224 kW (300 hp) at 4,400 rpm and 542 Nm (400 lb-ft) at 2,400 rpm. The package now included dual exhausts, wide wheels with red or white stripe wide-oval tyres and extra instruments. Car Life's 1968 Barracuda 340-S weighed 1,574 kg (3,470 lb) with air conditioning. Plymouth built 45,412 Barracudas that year: 22,575 fastbacks, 19,997 hardtops and 2,840 convertibles.

In 1969 the 383 was rated at 246 kW (330 hp). Plymouth also introduced the 'Cuda trim that year, built on the Formula S option and offered with the 340, 383 or 440. Car Life's 'Cuda 340 test car from the November 1968 issue cost US$3,449 (1968) and ran 0-60 mph in 7.1 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.93 seconds at 96.63 mph. Sports Car Market cites 1,431 Formula S 340 fastbacks for 1969, and total Barracuda output that year was 31,987.

Against the Mustang and the A-body Dodge

The Barracuda's handicap was volume. By the end of 1966 Plymouth had built 126,058 Barracudas, while Ford had built 1,288,557 Mustangs. The Formula S fought on handling and on engine choice, and from 1967 the 383 gave it a big-block option in a compact pony car. Dodge used the same A-body for the Dart, so the two brands shared much of the hardware.

How the Formula S name ended

The 1969 'Cuda trim took over the Formula S role, and the name did not return when the E-body Barracuda arrived for 1970. The later cars, from the 340 small-block to the Hemi, are covered in the Plymouth Barracuda generations guide, and the brand's background in the history of Plymouth.

Barracuda Formula S today: what to check

Old Cars Weekly calls the 1965 production figures fuzzy, so a Formula S claim depends on the car's equipment and paperwork. A 1965-1966 car should have the four-barrel 273 Commando, the tachometer, the heavy-duty suspension and the Formula S medallions. A two-barrel 273 with added badges is a regular V8 Barracuda.

• 383 cars: rare from new; the Old Cars Weekly example has a four-speed and an 8 3/4-inch axle with 3.91:1 gears.
• 340 cars (1968-1969): check that the engine is the high-compression 340 and that the package parts, such as dual exhausts, are present.
• Brakes: front discs were an option in 1966, so many cars have drums all round.
• Values: Sports Car Market reported a 1969 Formula S 340 fastback sold for US$47,300 at Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas on 26 September 2013.

The Formula S is listed in the Plymouth catalogue and belongs to the early pony cars of the American muscle car guide.