4-Door Barracuda

Beavis · #1 02-17-2016, 04:54 AM

I have to admit this guy does some amazing work. Nobody is taking away the amount of detail and craftsmanship put into this project.

The real point is that there's been no single shred of evidence that Chrysler Corporation had any involvement in a 1970 4-door Plymouth Barracuda project, or built any such prototype at any level. Not even as a clay design. Someone is trying to insert an erroneous page into Chrysler E-Body history without proof or verification, that Chrysler built a 4-door Barracuda prototype.

Supposedly it was built in 1969 and later destroyed. This story was recently hatched a few years ago from a corporate mail delivery person (allegedly employed in 1969 at Chrysler World Headquarters but never proven) who recently started writing as an automotive journalist/historian.

The article gave witness of a 4-door Barracuda prototype sitting on a loading dock for three days - but sadly there's nobody at Chrysler who could verify this story. There's no pictures, records, or drawings of such a car in the corporate word of Chrysler engineering to date.

Pretend this story involved an alleged prototype build of lets say, a Mustang. You can bet Kevin Marti and the MCA would be going ape crazy. If it was another brand, you can bet the Pontiac, Chevy, Oldsmobile (or any other body that has historical verification of an automotive brand) would also be concerned about historical correctness.

So what's the story from the Mopar guys?

I'd like to hear something from the Mopar camp on this.

Check out the link:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/...d.php?t=303350

**ZLP955** · #2 02-17-2016, 08:30 AM

Not a Mopar guy, but love the E-body.
Unbelievable that there was so much hostility, baiting and negative commentary on that forum. Whatever your personal opinion is on if it ever existed or not, why stir all that animosity up again?

**WILMASBOYL78** · #3 02-17-2016, 02:41 PM

Back in the day one of my old car buddies had a 65 Belvedere 4 door. Started out as a slant six car with push button auto. We got a junkyard 383 out of a police car and after a lot of grunts and groans it came back to life. The car was amazing...the 6 cylinder rear would allow 120mph plus top end with ease. In fact he used to break speedo cables about once a month. The car was a maroon color, cloth bench, low mileage, very clean.

He ended up doing a resto/mod...hood scoop, fender flares, N50 x 15 MT, Cragars, rebuilt the engine, upgraded tranny w/B&M shifter, etc. Wish I had a photo...that car did the greatest burnouts I ever saw [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/burnout.gif[/img]

marxjunk · #4 02-17-2016, 03:02 PM

if its the same car, and i believe it is,,,my buddy named Steve in St Louis area is building the car. I was there in STL last week, and another friend that used to work with him said he was building a 4 door Cuda..i'm not sure if its for him or a customer...reading the post

and i think i recognize the shop..steve showed me pics of a challenger he built in front of that shop years ago...

you build a car like that for 1 one 2 reasons...because the customer has more money than he knows what to do with or for the challenge..and if its Steve..its the challenge...his first frame off challenger was a test car...to see how he could do it..how the finishes worked out...and figured all the mistakes would be on the first one and hed be more efficient on the next couple dozen...

hes a good dude..but weird..he likes the stuff no one else has seen or done...

as far as the anger etc...its a mopar thing..no one wants to be an outsider nor can they be wrong...lol...bad moderating there...

**RS_COPO_Canuck** · #5 02-17-2016, 03:50 PM

Yes it is Dave Walden in St. Louis....Steve is his body man.

Beavis · #6 02-17-2016, 05:16 PM

I have no problem with recreations, clones, concepts, tributes, "one-of-none's", modified's, or "design studies" ...as long as they are presented as such.

Here's the problem.

When this very imaginative and creative "automotive journalist" made the poor decision to write his imaginative story based on recollection of a 4-door Barracuda (while working as a corporate mail delivery person) he must have thought nobody in the world would ever question his flawed account. Now this carefully manufactured history is being touted by the builder as absolute truth.... without a shred of evidence, no pictures, literature, sketches, clay mock ups...nothing.

Supposedly, here's an automobile so confidential and so secretive, yet it was stored outside on a loading dock for three days. A very expensive automotive prototype concept left outdoors, in plain sight, that was never photographed, spoken about, or even heard of until 45 years later....until this journalist wrote his recollection.

An automobile corporation doesn't spend a million of dollars of development money in design studies, clay modeling, and prototype building of a 4-Door Barracuda concept and never take a single photograph of it. It would be a complete waste of time and resources to get this design into the prototype stage with the intent of keeping it top secret throughout the corporation. For what goal?

The favored argument of the builder.... "this was a concept design never released to the public", makes no sense at all because not a single person from the Chrysler design office during that era remembers this project.

I won't question the craftsmanship because it top notch. But the story behind Chrysler ever making a 4-door prototype is an absolute falsehood. Hell, there's not even a known SKETCH of this thing!

marxjunk · #7 02-17-2016, 05:33 PM

just a bunch of speculation...until theres proof..theres no proof...enjoy it for what it is...

HawkX66 · #8 02-17-2016, 06:15 PM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Beavis</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Here's the problem.

When this very imaginative and creative "automotive journalist" made the poor decision to write his imaginative story based on recollection of a 4-door Barracuda (while working as a corporate mail delivery person) he must have thought nobody in the world would ever question his flawed account. Now this carefully manufactured history is being touted by the builder as absolute truth.... without a shred of evidence, no pictures, literature, sketches, clay mock ups...nothing.
</div></div>
Where's the problem? Who cares? If you don't believe it, move on. If it's not real and some unsuspecting buyer happens along and drops a ton of cash on it, it's always been "caveat emptor." Basically you're saying there is something on the internet that isn't what it's purported to be. WOW, imagine that!

442w30 · #9 02-17-2016, 06:47 PM

Sorry, Dave, but I side with Beavis too.

Build a 4-door phantom car? Sure, sounds like fun!

But to create a faux story around it? Game over.

In the end, the whole thread is an ego stroke for the builder. I have no bone to pick with him, but he always enjoys attracting drama, yet gets mad when others start asking questions.

HawkX66 · #10 02-17-2016, 07:59 PM

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 442w30</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Sorry, Dave, but I side with Beavis too.

Build a 4-door phantom car? Sure, sounds like fun!

But to create a faux story around it? Game over.

In the end, the whole thread is an ego stroke for the builder. I have no bone to pick with him, but he always enjoys attracting drama, yet gets mad when others start asking questions.</div></div>
No disrespect intended, but why read the thread if he's a drama queen? I read a ton of things on the internet that annoy the hell out of me. I just move on. You aren't going to change people so why try and why complain about it unless you're prepared to do something about it? You want to complain about threads, complain about all the ones supporting terrorist activity. That's a much better place to expend energy IMO.