1968 Barracuda
- A little over 300 Barracudas came with the 383 big block engine. They are very rare today.
- Larger available engines were the big news for 1968. The 440ci big block turned the lightweight barracuda into a very fast car.
- Plymouth in association with Hurst stuffed a 426 Hemi into about 70 Barracudas for the drag racing crowd. In order to do fit the engine, they had to relocate the battery to the truck. They also had to relocate the brake cylinder and reshape the right shock tower. Other changes included a fiberglass hood and fenders along with lighter gauge metal in the doors and bumpers. The large Hemi engine and the relatively light weight car was a drag racing machine. Mid 10 second quarter miles in the 130 mph range were common in these Super Stock S/S Hemi Barracudas.
Appearance upgrades for 1968 included changes to the grill and the tail lights. For those choosing the Formula S Barracuda special hood plaques announced the engine size.
The real news was the engine choices. The 273ci Commando was replaced with a larger 340ci V8 also designated as a “Commando”. The 340ci engine was designed to be a performance engine from the start and it proved a very good designed. Horsepower was officially listed at 275. However, no one really believed that and most agreed that it was much higher. Car Life magazine ran the ¼ mile in 14.93 seconds at over 96 mph in a 340 Formula S Barracuda. Those are pretty impressive numbers for a small block.
The Formula S package included either a 383ci or 340ci V8 with a choice of a four speed manual transmission or a beefed up automatic transmission. Other upgrades include wide wheels, heavy duty suspension, white or red White Oval tires, dual exhaust, still moldings and special instrumentation.
1968 Barracuda Statistics |
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| 1968 Barracuda Formula S | |
| Base Price | $2,685 |
| 0-60 Time | 7.0 sec |
| 1/4 Mile Time | 14.9 sec @ 95.4 mph |
| Engine Used | 340ci/275hp |
| Source | Car Life |
Production Numbers |
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| Hardtop | Fastback | Convertibles | Total | |
| 6 Cylinders | 7,200 | 3,187 | 2,840 | 12,867 |
| 8 Cylinders | 19,997 | 22,575 | 2,103 | 44,675 |
| Of the 10,974 domestically produced V8 hardtops, 9,855 had the 318 V8, 867 hat the 340ci V8, and 252 had the 383 V8 | ||||
| Of the 2,103 domestically produced V8 convertibles, 1,756 had the 318 V8, 193 hat the 340ci V8, and 64 had the 383 V8 | ||||
Available Engines |
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| Code | Size Cubic Inch | Fuel System | Horsepower @ rpm | Torque @ rpm |
| I6 | 225 | 1x1bbl | 145 @ 4000 | 215 @ 2400 |
| V8 | 318 | 1x2bbl | 230 @ 4400 | 340 @ 2400 |
| 340 Commando | 340 | 1x4bbl | 275 @ 5000 | 340 @ 3200 |
| 383 | 383 | 1x4bbl | 300 @ 4400 | 400 @ 2400 |