The career of the Plymouth Barracuda was a short but memorable one, and it came to an end in 1974.

Introduced in 1970, the third-generation Plymouth Barracuda went through only a few minor styling changes in its five-year career—one might say it was a sound design from the start. Both it and the Dodge Challenger, its corporate sibling, were based on the Chrysler E-body platform introduced in ’70, though the two pony cars had no exterior sheet metal in common. However, the pair did originally share the full complement of potent Chrysler small-block and big-block V8 drivetrain combinations.

But by 1974 the muscle era had passed and the available engine combinations had dwindled to just two, thanks in part to stiffer emissions regulations. A 318 cubic-inch LA series V8 was standard, and with a compression ratio of 8.6:1 it produced 150 SAE net hp. The optional 360 cubic-inch V8 boasted a Carter Thermoquad carburetor and 245 hp (it was a sleeper, as things turned out). The two V8s could be paired with the standard three-speed manual transmission or the Torqueflite three-speed automatic, and for the 360 V8, a four-speed manual gearbox was available. The four-speed included a distinctive pistol-grip Hurst shifter handle.

The third-gen Barracuda was two cars, or rather two flavors: Barracuda and ‘Cuda. For ’74 the Barracuda was the base model, while the ‘Cuda added a sport hood with twin air intakes, heavy-duty suspension, and a front stabilizer bar. The Barracuda (model VH23) listed for $3,067, the ‘Cuda (VS23) for $3,252. There was just one body style, a hardtop coupe; the convertible had been dropped after 1971.

There were plans for a totally redesigned Barracuda for 1975, and then a more modest refresh, but neither came to pass. The pony car category was waning in the early ’70s even for the Mustang and Camaro class leaders, thanks to the OPEC oil embargo and changing consumer demand in general. At Plymouth in 1974, the total Barracuda and ‘Cuda volume amounted to just 11,734 cars. Sales of the third-gen Barracuda had never been stellar, in part because the introduction of the Dodge Challenger had split the  Chrysler Corporation’s pony car sales in two. At the end of the ’74 model year, the Barracuda/’Cuda was quietly dropped, and the Challenger got the ax, too.

Since then, there have been several efforts to revive the Barracuda name, including a semi-official attempt at a Chrysler plant in Belvidere, Illinois based on the front-drive Plymouth Turismo (see our feature here.) And after the Dodge Challenger was reintroduced in 2008, there were a few rounds of rumors around the campfire about a ‘Cuda-styled spinoff on the Challenger, but the talk never came to anything.