1967 Plymouth Barracuda – A Feisty Fish

It seems as though quality second generation Barracuda builds like Troy’s 1967 Plymouth Barracuda are harder and harder to come by.

When we spotted this particular model at the Cobra Experience Cars and Coffee last month, we quickly went in for a closer look. The first thing that really caught our attention about the car was what Troy has under the hood of the car. But before we get into the goodies, let’s take a quick look at the history of the car.

Troy has owned the Barracuda since he was fifteen years old and painted it himself in 1983 for about twenty-five bucks. What’s especially remarkable about the old paint job is that it’s the same paint job that’s on the car today.

While not an all-out show build, it’s pretty amazing how well it’s stood up over time. The black and yellow accents around the exterior just look awesome, and they’re a perfect match to the spirit of the car.

When we met up with Troy at Road Master Rod and Custom, where all of the work that Troy doesn’t feel like doing himself is done, the owner of the shop, Brian had a small surprise for us. While Brian was looking through old photo albums we had a peak around the shop.


Finally, he found it: a print from the 90s that Brian’s father had taken at a car show back in the day where you can see the car looks just about how it does today.

Once you pop the hood, one major difference you’ll immediately notice is the powerplant has changed. Actually, Troy tells us he’s had half a dozen different motors in the car in the past and this is far from the craziest.

However, the Procharger inducted slant six is an awesome choice that you don’t see all the time. It’s a bit unique to see today, especially in a Barracuda and it’s good for enough power to blow the doors off plenty of V8s.

It’s a Cuda that Troy hasn’t been afraid to put the power down in, and we noticed an old-school Goodguys Drag Racing sticker on the vent window while we were peeking around the car. The 225 cid supercharged slant six makes 315 horsepower to the rear wheels (and 325 ft-lb of torque) which is fed to the Real Wheels through an A-833 four-speed transmission. It’s awesome to see a three-pedal setup in the car, and it’s got to be a blast from behind the wheel.

Other than the steering wheel itself, not a whole lot has changed inside the car over the years. A couple extra gauges come in handy, and a decent race harness setup are a requirement at the track.

It’s always awesome to see cars like Troy’s still getting driven around town, especially knowing the history his 1967 Plymouth Barracuda has. He told us he’s certainly been through a lot with the car, at one point blowing a motor before it finished its first quarter mile. It was a crazy build, but Troy tells us a few specs weren’t quite right and a handful valves decided to become permanent friends with a piston or two.

This time around, Troy has made extra sure to dot his I’s and cross his T’s. The result is reliable and responsive power out of the smaller six cylinder.

With the motor at a good place for now, Troy tells us he’s thought about repainting the car but just hasn’t gotten around to it. Besides, the story behind the little bit of patina is pretty cool, and it’s the best $25 job he’ll ever get!

All-in-all, it’s definitely a cool combo and one we hope to see Troy rocking for decades to come!

Trevor Ryan is a track day photographer from Northern California. He has experience in many different areas of photography but always comes back to automotive work in the end. To him, nothing is more rewarding than creating an amazing image of a car. Having purchased a ’66 Mustang almost six years ago, he had no choice but to end up immersed in car culture sooner or later. He also owns a ’99 Miata that he takes to the track. He has love for every part of car culture and besides track days often makes it to drift events, Cars and Coffee, tuner shows, and anything else he can find.