The Hodad Mobile

[kopper]

Why I like my 1965 Barracuda:

1. It’s so ugly it’s beautiful.
2. That Slant Six will probably outlive me. Seriously, they run forever! They’re virtually indestructible and extremely simple and easy to work on (not to mention supe up).
3. C’mon, that back window is huge! Bubble back! Glass back! Over 14 square feet of glass back there to watch the world go by!
4. Versatility. It can seat five pretty comfortably, or you can lay that back seat down and haul all kindsa crap in the back. And speaking of that back cargo area… You can actually lay under that big window. The backseat folds down to reveal about 7′ of open space in the back. Then you just climb back there, get comfortable with a pillow and a sixer, kick back and stare up at the stars. Fuckin’ wonderful.
5. It has no side-view mirrors. Nope, not on either side. They were still in the trunk when I bought the car. The previous owners just never installed them. I don’t think I’ve ever come across another early ‘Cuda without mirrors. Never had ‘em, never will (as long as I own it, anyway).
6. I like to imagine new ways of painting or modifying it. Like painting it Petty blue and putting the “43 Jr.” on the doors and Plymouth” on the back quarters. That’d be cool, but I’d probably get tired of that blue pretty quick. I think eventually I’ll probably go with a copper color (one of the original colors offered). I’ve just never been a big fan of red cars. I’ll leave the interior black, and probably put a big black stripe down the center of the top of the car, front to back. Tint that big back window, paint some cop wheels black with chrome lugs, and run all-black tires, the beefier the better. No low-profile tires on 20″ billet rims on this baby, no sirreee.
7. It’s paid for. Owning this car keeps me from going out and spending a lot of money on a car I don’t need… and then having an additional car payment to fork out every month. As long as this is my daily driver, I’ll drive it. No need for another car. And driving a car that’s paid for is a damned good feeling, even if it does need costly repairs every few months. But hey, that’s the reality of driving a 42-year-old automobile.
8. We’re the same age. I dunno, I just think that’s cool. So sue me.
9. No bells or whistles. It’s just a car. Hell, right now the radio doesn’t even work. No power windows, power steering, power breaks, power seats, air conditioning… nothing! And I *like it* like that. Well, OK, it does have a horn. My bad.
10. I have only seen one other ‘64/’65 Barracuda driving on the streets of St. Louis in the 5+ years I’ve owned mine, and that was probably 4 years ago now. None since. And actually, now that I think about it, that may have been a ‘66 (slightly different body style). I saw another ‘66 parked on the side of the street in the Richmond Heights area a coule of years ago, too, but if it’s not moving, it doesn’t count. So as far as I can tell, there are close to none (or at least VERY few) others out there on the road, at least locally. So it’s unique. VERY unique. That said, I would be very happy to see a few others out there on the streets. Why there aren’t any completely baffles me, to tell you the truth. I see them for sale all the time, especially on eBay (where I unashamedly purchased mine).