Bringing back the Barracuda?
 

Just came across a rumor that I haven't heard much about. It looks like the Dodge Challenger may soon be calling it quits. The super-sized muscle car seems to have struggled with the Mustang and Camaro for a couple of years now both in price and performance/fuel economy.

Chrysler has been hinting at the thought of replacing the Challenger with the Barracuda. I thought this would be something interesting to bring up on the FR-S/BRZ forum because I've seen it stated several times that while it will most likely be coming with a V8 package, it very well might come with a turbo 4 cyl as well.

On top of all of the rumors and what not, 2014 will be the 50th anniversary of the Barracuda - time will tell!

Again, all speculation, but there seems to be quite a buzz going on about it.

I think it's time designers make an original design instead of recycling 60s and 70s muscle cars.

AMEN!

I agree, also, but it gives them a little reassurance that the car will from having a familiar name.

While I may not agree with a lot of Chryslers choices of what names they assign to what cars (ie the Charger, the Dart), at least they're using actual names in the age of cars known only by a string of letters and numbers.

Another thing I have a problem with is manufacturer's recent obsession with led accent lights on the front of cars. It's not hip, trendy, or cool. It's gaudy and makes every vehicle that has it look as if it was an afterthought. Yeah, I know Audi did it and it looked pretty cool. You know why? Because they incorporated it into the design of the car, it wasn't just "Oh, guess what this car has? Accent LEDs, that's what!"

'14 Dodge Barracuda = Dodge Dart SRT4.

I have a pessimistic sixth sense about these things. :D

The 2014 Camaro and the 2014 Mustang will both have original designs, not based off of retro throwbacks. :w00t:

Where have you heard that?

I have heard that we can expect all of these big muscles cars to go on a diet though.

Hahaha let's hope not...



Dear God.....

Light weight just doesn't mean what it used to. I'm afraid 3200 lbs will become lightweight soon.

I agree, but it's funny to see that here, where the 86 is heavily influenced by the 2000GT.

I am very involved in the Camaro community, CSSM means CamaroSSMan, which is what I am known as in the Camaro scene. I know and am in contact with builders and designers of the Camaro

Yea, but I honestly don't know what a 2000gt looked like :)

If there is a new cuda, they better incorporate a good looking shaker Hood.

I like the throwback designs, especially the camaro. I personally think they(camaro, stang, challenger) look better than most other cars on the road. If they weren't such pigs I'd actually consider them.

As for the name, call it what you like if its a good car its a good car, if not then its not. But I do appreciate the fact that they atleast take the time to give their cars names. I feel 86/Gt86 is an appropriate name for this car, but fr-s? I feel like they spent all this time perfecting this car, but then were too lazy to name it. It's an unfinished product.

I don't believe that the name FR-S considers the car an unfinished product. There are a lot of famous cars out there there just have numbers and letters as the name. RX-7, GT40, 240sx, etc. Boeing and Airbus don't name their airliners, but that doesn't make them unfinished products. 737, 747, 787, A340, A380 so on and so forth.

Then we get things like the Dodge Dart......

A name does not mean "unfinished project"

Just call it what you want. Call it the GT86 or just the 86 if you want. Same cars - different badges lol

Hold up a sec I've just got to... :barf:, if they put a 4cyl. in a Barracuda. The actual thought of these companies to incorporate 4cyl. engines into american muscle cars makes me sick.
Good thing this is still based on speculation.

Good God I hope not. The Barracuda was a Plymouth, not a Dodge. I never want to see a Chevrolet Firebird Trans Am or a Ford Cougar Eliminator either.

The thought of muscle cars carrying around an optional 4 cylinder doesn't bother me anymore than them carrying around an optional v6. AS LONG as there's a V8 version as well. I always thought the old SVO Mustang was a pretty cool car. Offering an alternative (yet equal in performance) engine to the V8 option. Now I'm sure a present day 4cyl muscle car wouldn't put out the same power, but it would be neat for buyers to have that option.

If you think about it, around 75% of people who go out and buy a car couldn't tell you what the difference is between a 4 cylinder and a v8. A more efficient smaller 4 cylinder engine in a "present day" muscle car might not be that bad of an idea, as many of the buyers are only paying for the interior and exterior looks of the car, and could care less about how fast it is - however, mpg is important to most people these days, and they are now numbers people understand and look for when making a purchase; maybe a 4 cyl could squeeze out a little more efficiency than a v6.

But also, for some reason, a 250hp 3000lb 4 cylinder turbo mustang (or even a nice new barracuda) that gets 35mpg hwy seems very appealing to me.... *runs for cover!!* haha

I guess maybe we could ask ourselves. If the muscle cars swapped their v6 options for 4 cylinders, should we really even care as long as the v8 options are still available?

Tell them that at least one former Camaro owner ('95 Z28 M6) and potential future buyer is extremely disappointed with the size/weight of the current iteration.

If the new one remains a 2-door version of an oversized/overweight sedan, I'm definitely OUT. Seriously, the current Camaro is big enough to be the box that any previous generation came in. Styling details are OK, but the roof needs to come down a good 2" and the hoodline/beltline need to come down 4-6"!

Really really REALLY wish they'd taken their time with Solstice/Sky and made that platform expandable to a 2+2 coupe, and made *that* the "new Camaro" instead of the 3800+ lb. monstrosity we got.

Anyway, here's to a smaller/lighter-weight future Camaro (hope springs eternal!).:happy0180:

http://media.caranddriver.com/images...s-original.jpg
New story about the possible SRT Barracuda:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...da-future-cars

http://media.caranddriver.com/images...s-original.jpg

maybe it's just the blue color, but it makes me think of a BRZ mated with a Fisker Karma? As noted earlier here, it won't really be a competitor to the twins, though due to weight and power differences...

Hm... but it's gonna be weight around <2800lbs right?

I hope it doesn't look like that. That's a slap to the face of the old Barracuda. :paddle:

Article says it will lose about 300 lb from present Challenger. That would put its weight about 3500 lb. So it will still be a fat pig of a car even though it looks sleek. I'll pass.

WOW Challenger was 3800lbs??? DAMN! I knew it was heavy, but not that heavy.

I know Barracuda isn't suppose to be lightweight car... but it would of been cool to see light weight muscle car ;)

Perhaps i'm alone on this, but i disagree 100%.

Camaros are around 3800. Mustangs are 3600.

Everything is heavier. Impact standards, mandatory safety tech, plus things that people want, like comfortable heated power seats and sound deadening. Nobody likes wind noise.

Very true... but I think, it'll be cool to see Solstice size & weight muscle car... but hell, that's JDM car section lol

People do LS3 Solstice/Skys. However, that is miscomprehending why we have the muscle car. The muscle car is supposed to be a 2+2 coupe with a big engine that handles decently, will cruise comfortably, and goes like stink cruising the wide boulevards and highways of America. They're supposed to be low cost GT cars.

You want something the size of a Solstice with a muscle car power? GM would be happy to sell you a Corvette. Anything smaller than that and GM doesn't want the liability of the hairy handling that would come with. This is why I highly doubt we'll ever see anything like a modern day 427 Cobra.

It's not an obsession, it's required by law in most countries.