The new Barracuda was based upon Plymouth’s compact Valiant. It was designed to compete with Ford’s new Mustang. To say that the Barracuda was just a restyled Valiant was an understatement. The car even had a “Valiant” badge on the rear of the car. Some of the major changes included the large rear glass that turned the car into a fastback. Also included were standard bucket seats, are rear bench seat that could fold down and substantially increase the cargo area. The major weakness of the Barracuda was the available power plants. The engines were underpowered compared to options available in the new Mustang. The Ford could be purchased with a 289ci engine with 271 horsepower. The top of the line engine available for the Plymouth was a 273ci engine with only 180 horsepower. The 1964 Barracuda was not yet a high performance muscle car.