Plymouth Barracuda V-8 1965 images

Plymouth’s answer to the Ford Mustang did not just need to look sporty; it needed to earn the title, and the 1965 Formula S package was how it happened. A 235 horsepower Commando V8 paired with upgraded suspension and a factory tachometer turned an ordinary Barracuda into a genuine performer. Fewer than three thousand buyers ordered it that year, so why did the option that made the car worth having stay so rare?

The PlymouthÂ Barracuda is on the compact Â Valiant “A” platform and, initially, is equipped with one of two six cylinder engines as standard equipment. The rear window glass (backlight) on the fastback is not unique, but it is huge, at 14.4Â ftÂ² (1.33Â mÂ²)). Models marketed in the USA are equipped with the Â base Â 225 cu in (3.68 L) slant-6 engine, but Canadian cars would have a 170 cu in (2.78 L) version. under the hood. The power option is a two barrel on the 273 cu in ( 4,5 L) V8 engine and be bolted to the newly designed, lighter, “TorqueFlite 6” (A904) automatic transmission. For the ’65 model year a four barrel version of the 273 could beÂ an option.

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Plymouth entered the compact sporty car race in 1964 with a fastback nobody expected to matter much, going up against a Ford Mustang that would go on to sell over a million units in eighteen months. For 1965, Plymouth answered with something sharper: the Formula S package, a performance option built around a V8 strong enough to make the Barracuda genuinely competitive rather than just another fastback trying to keep up. Out of 58,709 Barracudas built that year, only a small fraction of buyers actually checked that box. Why did so few people order the version that made the car worth taking seriously?

What the Formula S Actually Added

The Formula S package was not a separate model; it was an option list that transformed the car underneath. At its center sat the 273 cubic inch Commando V8, a four-barrel engine with 10.25 to 1 compression, solid lifters, and an aggressive camshaft producing 235 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. Around that engine, Plymouth bundled heavy-duty suspension with stiffer springs and sway bars, firmer shocks, a dash-mounted tachometer, and wider Blue Streak tires: everything needed to back up the extra power with real handling.

A Genuinely Rare Combination

Buyers could pair the Formula S with a 3-speed manual, a 4-speed manual, or Chrysler’s TorqueFlite automatic, giving enthusiasts real flexibility in how they wanted to drive it. Despite the upgrade being available to nearly anyone who wanted it, only 2,994 of the 58,709 Barracudas built in 1965 left the factory with the Formula S package, making it a rare find on today’s market compared to the more common six-cylinder and small V8 base cars.

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