This second-generation Barracuda hides one of 1968’s most underrated factory performance packages, a 275-horsepower 340 small-block Plymouth built barely a few thousand of. Here is why the Formula S 340 earned a reputation as a genuine sleeper, and how rare it actually was.
Calling a car hot or not usually comes down to gut reaction, but this particular Barracuda has a more interesting case to make than most drag-strip red paint jobs get credit for. Plymouth‘s second-generation Barracuda had only been redesigned the year before, with all-new sheet metal and, for the first time, a genuine small-block performance option built specifically to answer the Mustang and Camaro. It was not the biggest engine Plymouth could stuff under that hood, but in the right configuration it may have been the best-balanced one. So is hot actually the right word here, or does the story go deeper than the color?
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A Redesign With a Purpose
Plymouth thoroughly redesigned the Barracuda for 1967, giving it bespoke sheet metal separate from the Valiant it had been based on since 1964, along with new fastback, notchback coupe, and convertible body styles. That redesign set the stage for 1968‘s biggest addition: a genuine small-block performance package built to go head-to-head with the era’s other emerging pony cars.
The 340 That Nobody Expected
For 1968, the Formula S package could be ordered with a new 340-cubic-inch V8 exclusive to the Barracuda, rated at 275 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of torque, with larger-port heads, bigger 2.02/1.60-inch valves, and a 10.5:1 compression ratio. Four-speed cars got a more aggressive camshaft than the automatics, and the whole package was tuned to feel like a genuine sports car rather than a straight-line bruiser. Road testers of the era clocked it in the low 14s at the drag strip while praising its balance with options like power steering and front disc brakes.
A Rare Package, Even New
Despite the strong reputation the 340 Formula S built over time, Plymouth only sold 2,857 fastbacks, 867 hardtops, and 193 convertibles with the package in 1968, modest numbers next to the volume rivals like the Mustang and Camaro were putting up in the same showroom season. That relative rarity, combined with the 340‘s reputation as a genuine factory sleeper, is exactly why a correctly equipped 68 Formula S 340 draws a much closer look today than its production numbers alone would suggest.
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