For 1967, Plymouth introduced a new Barracuda, with plans to take a bigger bite out of the pony car market.

Introduced on April 1, 1964, the Plymouth Barracuda actually beat the Ford Mustang to market by 17 days. Even so, it was the Mustang and not the Barracuda that quickly defined the Motor City’s hot new pony car category, selling in record numbers. (They’re called pony cars, not fish cars.) So the Plymouth division at the Chrysler Corporation took another swing at the pony car phenomenon with the second-generation ’67 Barracuda, introduced on November 25, 1966.

A collaborative effort, the new exterior was largely the work of prolific Ford and Chrysler stylist John Samsen and young John Herlitz, who eventually became Chrysler’s vice president of design. Four different proposals (more on that here) competed for the production assignment, but ultimately, the new Barracuda was based on the Valiant compact. A bundle had been spent developing a new Valiant for ’67, and there wasn’t funding for a second complete car. The Barracuda’s A-body unit-construction platform and the sheet metal from the cowl forward were shared with the Valiant.

While the original Barracuda was offered in a single glass-back body style, for ’67 there were three: a Fastback Coupe, a Convertible, and a distinctively notch-backed Hardtop Coupe (above). While it was handsome and original, the scoop-roofed Hardtop Coupe didn’t really throw a pony car vibe. But as it worked out, the fastback and notchback sold in roughly equal numbers through the ’67-’69 product cycle. In comparison, the Convertible generated far less volume, contributing around 6 percent of the three-year production total.

A 225 cubic-inch Slant 6 with 145 hp was standard, while for those who desired V8 power there were two optional 273 CID LA-series engines. The two-barrel carb version offered 185 hp, while the four-barrel version sported a Carter AFB, a hotter camshaft, a 10.5:1 compression ratio, and 235 hp. Not long into the model year, a 383 CID V8 with 280 hp joined the list. Offered only in Formula S trim, the 383 was not available with air conditioning or power steering. Even though the A-body’s front rails had been widened three inches with the ’67 redesign, the big-block V8 could barely squeeze in.

In its December 1966 issue, Car and Driver magazine declared the Barracuda fastback “unquestionably the best-looking car out of Detroit in 1967.” Now there’s an affirmation. And furthermore: “It’s a practical, well-balanced, sassy little car with exceptional roadworthiness. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.” That’s with the 273 V8. When they sampled the nose-heavy 383 version in April ’67, they found the slow, heavy, non-assisted steering to be more than a handful, reporting that the car was best suited for the drag strip.

Plymouth projected 100,000 Barracuda sales in ’67, but while the numbers were considerably better than in ’66, at 62,000 cars they didn’t come close to the original estimate. For the ’67-’69 product cycle, the total volume came to not quite 140,000 units, a fraction of what the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro were generatng. Senior management decided that the Barracuda’s handicap was its Valiant roots, and set to work on a dedicated E-Body platform for the 1970 Barracuda and its corporate sibling, the Dodge Challenger.