Stick Shift 1973 Plymouth Barracuda Relies on the Power of Three, Is Ready to Rumble

Arriving at the market around the same time (1964) as the legendary Ford Mustang pony car, the Plymouth Barracuda was initially based on the Chrysler A-body during the runs of the first two generations. But then, from 1970 to 1974, the third generation jumped ship on the Chrysler E-body, which was exclusive to the ‘Cuda and the marginally bigger Dodge Challenger.

History was made in the pony/muscle car class with just three iterations and across the span of a single decade. But the Plymouth Barracuda still attracts onlooker envy like a magnet, especially when the owner is not showing up in an orange 1973 model year found decaying in a yard, just waiting and begging for a full restoration and a new V8.

Luckily, that’s not happening with this example that proudly sits in the inventory of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Garage Kept Motors relying on the proverbial power of three. Quite the opposite, actually, like this orange (with black stripes) over black unit looks ready and eager to rumble away to make new road trip memories.

Interestingly, the bright orange example seems to have been lightly restored piece by piece – and some regions (such as the underbody) are still waiting for a bit of TLC and professional refreshments. Oddly enough, though, while the dealership offers no indication of what happened during the past half-century with this ‘Cuda, its odometer has a like-new indication of just 609 miles/980 km – but it is entirely safe to assume we are dealing with a nasty case of TMU (total mileage unknown).

Other than that, this ‘Cuda relies on all sorts of threes: it was born for the 1973 model year, has a 318ci V8 tucked under the hood with an Edelbrock AVS 4bbl carburetor, Weiand aluminum dual-plane manifold, and Thrust chambered mufflers, as well as a three-speed manual transmission setup. As for the asking price, it is not cheap at all: $49,500.