Plymouth Barracuda (1964)
Introduced just two weeks before the Mustang in April of 1964, the Barracuda was the first pony car ever made. It was based on the standard Valiant platform. Since the automotive world was anticipating the Mustang due to reports from Ford, Chrysler decided to introduce a car in the same segment (via Supercars).
The Barracuda had modest underpinnings with three engines available – two straight sixes and one V8. Its designers had to develop an exciting design to attract buyers. So the 1964 Barracuda had a big panoramic rear glass and a sleek fastback body line, which was advanced for the period. Even though the Barracuda didn’t have the same success as the Mustang, it was still well-received and showed that the future of the muscle car segment was in Plymouth’s hands.