Hi,I have up for auction today an HIGHWAY 61 - 1969 Plymouth Barracuda Hard Top. 1:18 scale diecast collectible model car. This Plymouth Barracuda is a 10.5"Lx 4"Wx 2.75"H die cast metal car with openable doors, hood & trunk, fully plumbed engine, working steering and suspension, detailed interior and soft rubber tires. This Plymouth Barracuda is manufactured by Highway 61.In blue color. Individually packed in a window box. Box size: 14"Lx 6.5"Wx 5.75"H.

 

1969 found Plymouth in an enviable position: the 1968 Barracuda was powerful and popular, but how to improve on success? In typical '60's Plymouth fashion, they just made it faster. A few cosmetic changes were made here and there, including a new grille and larger side marker lights, but Plymouth made it clear that their "go to dinner" car, as they called it, was a "go to the dragstrip" car as well. The 225ci slant six and the 318ci V8 were still the baseline engine optons. The successful 340ci four-barrel V8 was carried over from 1968 while the 383ci four-barrel V8 got an upgraded crankshaft that delivered upwards fo 330hp for the Formula S package. But the big news was the premiere of the 'Cuda high-performance package for the 340 and 383 engines, and in the spring of 1969 Plymouth installed their monstrous 440ci V8 for the first time in a street-legal 375hp package. The tried-and-true 440 was capable of rocketing the lightweight 'Cuda from zero to sixty in 5.5 seconds and running a 14.10-second quarter mile. Plymouth now had bragging rights to the largest engine in the escalation pony car wars....but with those came headaches.

 

Plymouth had finally wrangled a power steering unit under the hood for the 383 Barracuda by 1969, but the 440 left on room for power steering or power brakes. WIth more than half of the 'Cuda's weight now over the front tires, braking and low-speed handling suffered accordingly. Mopar engineers feared a four-speed manual would eventually shred the rear end, so the 440 'Cudas were fitted with a TorqueFlite automatic. The off-the-line performance disappointed many enthusiasts as the TorqueFlite couldn't upshift as crisply as a manual, and more than not left the rear tires spinning. But on an open road or straightaway. the 440 'Cuda's power more than enough made up for its poor handling characteristics. While the 1969 'Cuda couldn't be labeled a complete success, Mopar engineers marked the lesson learned, and would put them to use soon enough. This model is an adult collectible only and is not a childs toy.It is in mint condition in box and only slid out of box for close up photos.The box and plastic window are a little scuffed up from going back and forth to the toy shows,but the model is untouched.This model is not suitable for children under 14 years of age due to the choking hazard of small parts.This model would be a great addition to your real car that you take to the car shows or for future generations.Thanks for looking & Have a Great eBay day!

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On Jun-14-09 at 07:22:02 PDT, seller added the following information:

I might add that some of the Ertl models got damp/wet on the bottom of the boxes,because there were a few times when I went to the outdoor shows that the rain blew up underneath my canopy and got the table wet and so in turn got the bottom of the boxes wet and made the cardboard box separate or feel fluffy underneath them.But the models themselves are untouched.