During the dark days of 70s emissions systems, there was stalwart car guys. During the lackluster 80s performance scene, there was hardcore car guys. And even now, with ever increasing gas prices becoming the norm, there are still diehard car guys. No matter where the future leads, there will ALWAYS be lifestyle enthusiasts who build a culture around the rush of pushing cars to their extremes; and unless you’re one of us, it’s something you’ll never understand. So, what happens when a ‘lifer’ executes a dream build in which the sky is literally the limit? You get a mind numbing head turner like this 1968 Plymouth Barracuda! The product of a five year $236K build, this incredible pro-street Mopar wraps a 605 cubic inch dual-quad Hemi and a completely modified suspension in a custom leather interior and killer paint that’s complete with subtle ghost Barracudas. If you’re a fellow enthusiast who’s looking to satisfy an unrelenting need to go fast and make a big statement, this award winning A-Body is just your style!

Completed in November of last year, this clean classic is the direct product of an intense build and world class artistic talent. Its build began with a body that was stripped and dipped to remove every remnant of rust and pitting which is typically left behind by traditional metalwork. Once that body was completely sanitized, an experienced builder came out of retirement to tap its panels into better than factory straight condition; and everything was loaded on a truck and sent for a thorough test fitting. With the test fitting complete, and the car once again in pieces, Tom Argue of Tom Argue Design laid down a great looking Viper Black and Viper Orange color combination, and executed a full detail which included intricate Metallic Gray and Silver divider stripes, body-matched jams, and spectacular ghosted Barracudas. Once that brilliant paint was dry, the car was shipped to final assembly and buffed to the kind of expo center shine that anchors vendor booths and graces marketing materials. Today, this awesome Barracuda is a restoration fresh trophy winner which sits as a modern and exceptionally well-done tribute to the legendary Super Stock Plymouths of the late 60s and early 70s.

Although it continued to share many components with the Valiant, the second generation Barracuda was fully redesigned with model-specific sheetmetal that provided a more upscale and aggressive appearance. At the front of the car a stainless trimmed grille, which was inspired by an inverted trapezoid, hangs deep-set vertical bars and crystal clear parking lights between bright halogen headlights, a show worthy chrome bumper and an offset “Plymouth” script. Behind that grille, the car’s smooth orange hood wears a sinister Hemi scoop that’s braced by satin metal supports and adorned with “605 Hemi” callouts. And at the sides of that grille, ‘68 Barracuda specific round marker lights combine with wide wheel well openings, new chrome door handles and a handsome metal fuel filler to add character to an awesome coke bottle profile. At the top of the car like-new glass, which includes a tinted rear window, is framed by pristine stainless trim, cleared by matte stainless wipers and flanked by a traditional chrome Chrysler driver’s mirror. At the back of the car, a concave rear valence hangs fresh tail lights at the edges of a second show worthy bumper and a great looking combination of silver and stainless trim. And overall this old school Plymouth is simple, cool and could pass for an ‘everyday’ classic Mopar if it wasn’t for some serious rolling stock and the not-so-subtle hood callouts.

Carefully raise the car’s bright orange hood and you’ll find 605 cubic inches of naturally aspirated Hemi power! With a nasty 11.3 to 1 compression ratio, and enough torque to drag the Chrysler building from New York to New Jersey, this solid mounted Indy block is an all-aluminum Mopar monster which is capable of producing some flat out scary trap speeds! Inside the massive Hemi hood scoop, a low profile air cleaner feeds two 600 cfm Holley 4-barrel carburetors which send a 50/50 mix of racing fuel and 94 octane pump gas into a Mopar Performance cross ram intake. At the sides of that intake, Indy Legion heads bridge the gap between slick aluminum valve covers that are fitted with silver Moroso breathers and Wiseco pistons that are connected to a Callies Magnum crankshaft. And at the front of that intake a billet points distributor, which is spun by a Comp Cams hydraulic camshaft, sends fire from an MSD coil to loomed Moroso Ultra 40 Race Wires. Lubrication for the big engine is provided by a Keith Black oil system which shuttles fluid between a front mount cooler, an Oberg Tattle Tale filter and a Charlie’s eight quart aluminum pan. Cooling comes courtesy of a high flow aluminum radiator which shoots water past a giant pulley fan and a polished overflow tank to a billet thermostat housing. And exhaust duties are handled by a sweet set of custom fabricated stainless steel headers. While this engines main purpose is to go straight at a very high rate of speed, it’s still very impressive to look at. The Viper orange from the exterior of the car caps a spotless, flat black engine bay which features a smoothed firewall and smoothed inner fenders. And everything from the car’s Aeromotive fuel regulator and stainless fuel lines to its solid motor mounts and bright orange Big Daddy autograph is well-planned and professionally executed.

Put this Barracuda in the air and you’ll find a highly detailed undercarriage which is characterized by a whole roster of ‘no compromises’ hardware and professional grade race equipment. Behind the Hemi, a five clutch A727 Torqueflite heavy duty transmission shifts quickly and efficiently while a 3,000 RPM stall converter provides wheel stand inducing bite during hard launches. Out back there’s a fresh Strange Dana 60 Posi-traction rear end which is equipped with both a spool and pavement pounding 4.11 gears. And at the front of the car, modern rack and pinion steering provides the kind of quick reflexes needed to counter the big engines straight line fury. Holding that engine off the ground is fully rebuilt double A-arm suspension that’s been upgraded with tubular control arms, fresh coil over shocks and a Magnum Force tubular K-member. And holding the car’s rear end off the ground is a triangulated four link set up that’s equipped with new QA-1 aluminum shocks. Stops are provided by a Baer four wheel disc system which squeezes giant calipers around an impressive set of drilled and slotted rotors. Exhaust rolls from the aforementioned custom headers into vicious sounding custom stainless steel pipes that are complete with an X-pipe crossover and slick Magnaflow mufflers. Momentum comes courtesy of proven 15 inch Weld Pro Star aluminum wheels which wear 25×7.5 front and 29×15.5 rear Hoosier Pro Street radials. And with its custom fabricated back half, which utilizes 2”x 4” inch steel tubing, clean and straight satin black floors and fully sorted details, which include a full set of stainless lines and a chrome differential cover, this awesome Plymouth is ready for the drag strip OR the show floor!

Open this A-Body’s solid closing doors and take in its custom Saddle interior which, as a combination of serious hardware and lavish aesthetics, serves as the perfect Jekyll to the car’s 605 cubic inch Hyde. The first thing you’ll notice is leather front bucket and rear bench seats that are so soft and supple they’d be more at home living life 100 miles at a time as opposed to a quarter mile at a time. Between those seats, a new Hurst Pro Matic 2 shifter ratchets toward an obligatory fire extinguisher. In front of those seats, a custom dash hangs classic white-faced Auto Meter gauges inside a slick and subtle faux carbon fiber insert. And at the sides of those seats, black door frames back custom Saddle door panels that are detailed with new chrome handles, fresh stainless trim and pleated leather map pockets. At the bottom of the car, new black carpet and “Mopar” branded floor mats provide an excellent contrast to the custom Saddle trim. At the top of the car, a tight leather headliner frames a fully functional dome light. In front of the driver, a three-spoke aluminum steering wheel spins a classy wood rim around a tilt column that’s complete with a full set of billet stalks. And behind the cockpit, a solid black trunk props a new fuel cell between an Optima gel cell battery and just enough room to display a few choice trophies.

Since this cool, old-school A-Body is essentially paint shop fresh, it hasn’t made the rounds during a full show season yet. But, at the shows it has attended, both judges and participants alike have seen fit to bestow it with some major honors.

• Second Place at the 2011 Mopar Nationals in Columbus, Ohio
• Second Place at the Florida Mopar Association’s 24th Annual ‘Mopars with Big Daddy’ Show
• Participants Choice Third Place at the Florida Mopar Association’s 24th Annual ‘Mopars with Big Daddy’ Show

This first rate Plymouth also comes with ample documentation which includes its original fender tag, a folder of receipts and photos that chronicle its entire five year build, a complete, hand written price list, a large show board and a signed picture of Big Daddy Don Garlits.

Brutally fast and visually stunning, this awesome Barracuda perfectly embodies the tried and true philosophy of pushing the envelope as far as the arc will go. With the potential to rip off blistering quarter mile passes, and top notch craftsmanship that’s good enough to land national trophies, it’s ready to hit the strip tomorrow morning and win the show tomorrow night. Hot Mopars like this normally sell as soon as they’re posted to our website; how fast is your reaction time?