Dual headlights
Two headlights on each side, for this year only; the 1970 and the 1972–74 cars have one.67
Class of '71 · Plymouth Barracuda · 1971 body · third generation
1971Plymouth Barracuda
The second year: dual headlights, a new grille, gills on the 'Cuda's fenders, a low-priced coupe, and production down to 18,690 by Consumer Guide's count.
The year in brief
The 1971 got a new grille and taillights and, for this year only, two headlights on each side.167
At the bottom was a coupe with fixed rear side glass and the 198 six. Plymouth called it the best-priced sporty car and said it had been the lowest-priced in America «last year»; when it first appeared is disputed.157sources disagree
The 'Cuda kept its big-block options, the 440 Six Barrel and the 426 Hemi, but the AAR 'Cuda and the 340 Six Barrel were gone, and the 383 now ran on regular fuel at 300 hp gross.567
Consumer Guide's articles add up to 18,690 cars (our sum); plymouthbarracuda.net, and Wikipedia with it, gives 16,492.1289sources disagree
The story of the year
The most valuable 'Cuda
Hagerty calls the 1971 Hemi 'Cuda convertibles the most valuable of all American muscle cars, and Wikipedia one of the most valuable. How many were built is disputed: plymouthbarracuda.net counts 7, Hagerty 11 and Wikipedia 13.6810
1971 was the last year of the Hemi, the 440 and the convertible in the Barracuda; Consumer Guide puts the end of the big-block engines down to rising insurance rates.1210
How to spot a 1971
What tells it apart from a 1970.
'Cuda: fender gills
Gills on the 'Cuda's front fenders, for 1971 only.6one source
Production12389
18,690 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Coupe and hardtop | Barracuda | 9,459 |
| All coupe and hardtops | 9,459 | |
| Hardtop | Gran Coupe | 1,615 |
| 'Cuda | 6,228 | |
| All hardtops | 7,843 | |
| Convertible | Barracuda | 1,014 |
| 'Cuda | 374 | |
| All convertibles | 1,388 | |
| Total | 18,690 | |
Rows from Consumer Guide's two articles; Over-Drive's table repeats the same rows, so it is not a second count, and counts the coupe with the hardtop, «with no separate breakout». plymouthbarracuda.net, and Wikipedia with it, gives 16,492. See the ruling.
Engines4567
8 engines. The letter is the engine code in the VIN.
Gross and net horsepower, both from Plymouth's 1971 catalog, which calls its net figures «installed»; Wikipedia gives the same. Two engines were not on the list: the 340 Six Barrel, sold only as a loose engine, and the 440 four-barrel, which Over-Drive says could be special-ordered for the 'Cuda.
Price when new311one source
Base retail prices in 1971 dollars, before options.
Factory prices from Over-Drive's table. J.D. Power's price guide repeats the V8 prices, except $3,155 for the 'Cuda hardtop, and has no six-cylinder prices.
Colors5one source
19 factory colors. The color names come from one source57; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Gunmetal GrayA4
Light BlueB2
True BlueB5
Evening BlueB7
Plum CrazyC7
Rally RedE5
Amber SherwoodF3
Ivy GreenF7
Sassy GreenJ6
Autumn BronzeK6
Bahama YellowL5
Tunisian TanT2
Hemi OrangeV2
Sno WhiteW3
Black VelvetX9
Top BananaY1
Citron YellaY3
Gold LeafY8
Tawny GoldY9
No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are left empty. The 19 names and codes are Over-Drive's. Plymouth's own 1971 catalog names Tor-Red and In-Violet, which are not on Over-Drive's list.
Reading the VIN412
A 1971 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
BS23N1B100001412 · An example built from the code tables on this page, not a real car's VIN: 'Cuda hardtop, 383 four-barrel, 1971, Hamtramck, unit 100001. None of our sources prints a real Barracuda VIN.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| B | Car line: Plymouth Barracuda |
| H · P · S | Price class: Barracuda (coupe, hardtop and convertible) · Gran Coupe · 'Cuda |
| 21 · 23 · 27 | Body: 2-door coupe (fixed rear side glass) · 2-door hardtop · convertible |
| B · C · G · H · L · N · R · V | Engine (see the engine table) |
| 1 | Model year (1971) |
| A · B · C · D · E · F · G · R | Assembly plant (tpocr's table of Plymouth codes) |
| 100001 → | Sequential unit number |
Where to find it: On a plate on the left of the dash, visible through the windshield.412
Questions about the 1971
How many 1971 Plymouth Barracudas were made?
18,690 by the count we use: 9,459 coupe and hardtops, 7,843 hardtops, 1,388 convertibles. The sources disagree on the total; the ruling on this page explains which figure we show and why.12389sources disagree
How can you tell a 1971 Barracuda from a 1970?
Two signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: dual headlights; 'Cuda: fender gills.67
What engines did the 1971 Plymouth Barracuda have?
Eight engines, from the 198 cu in slant six to the 426 cu in Hemi V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.4567
How much did a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: Coupe, six-cylinder $2,654; Coupe, V8 $2,780; Hardtop, six-cylinder $2,766; Hardtop, V8 $2,867; Convertible, six-cylinder $3,023; Convertible, V8 $3,124; Gran Coupe hardtop $3,029; 'Cuda hardtop $3,156; 'Cuda convertible $3,412.311one source
What colors did the 1971 Plymouth Barracuda come in?
Over-Drive Magazine lists 19 factory colors.5one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1971, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1971 Barracuda production
Our ruling: Unresolved. Consumer Guide's rows add to 18,690 (our sum). Over-Drive's table repeats them row for row, so it is a copy, not a confirmation, and its 30,778 again adds its subtotals to the rows (our arithmetic). plymouthbarracuda.net gives 16,492 with no breakdown for the plain Barracuda; its Gran Coupe and 'Cuda figures (1,331 and 5,675, our sum) are lower than Consumer Guide's.
What each source says (3)
- 18,690 in five rows (our sum)12one source
- the same rows, with a «Production TOTAL» of 30,7783one source
- 16,49289one source
Open
How many 1971 Hemi 'Cudas
Our ruling: Unresolved. Only plymouthbarracuda.net counts the hardtops (107, our sum). For the convertibles we have three figures, 7, 11 and 13; Wikipedia's «seven sold domestically» may be where the 7 comes from, but no source says so. Hagerty and plymouthbarracuda.net agree that two convertibles had four-speeds, which supports none of the totals.
What each source says (3)
- 59 and 48 hardtops, 2 and 5 convertibles (4-speed and automatic): 114, 7 of them convertibles (our sums)8one source
- 11 convertibles10one source
- 13 convertibles, seven of them sold in the United States6one source
Open
When the cheap coupe was sold
Our ruling: Unresolved. Plymouth's own 1971 catalog suggests the coupe existed in 1970, as Wikipedia says, but Over-Drive's 1970 table has no coupe, and neither Consumer Guide nor any other source we have counts one for 1970. Over-Drive's 1970 text repeats Wikipedia and is not counted.
What each source says (3)
- for 1971 only1one source
- from the middle of 1970 to the end of 19716one source
- it «was the lowest-priced sporty car in America» «last year», in the 1971 catalog7one source
Sources
- 1970-1974 Plymouth Barracuda Coupes HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1970-1971 Plymouth Barracuda Convertibles HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda Production, 1970 and 1971 (two tables) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1971 Plymouth Vehicle Identification Numbers The Plymouth Owners Club Registry (tpocr.com) · read 2026-10-11
- 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1971 Plymouth Barracuda sales catalog Chrysler-Plymouth Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- 1971 Barracuda production totals PlymouthBarracuda.net · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda: the production table Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- The 7 rarest Hemi muscle cars Hagerty · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda 1970–1974: original MSRP (38 pages) J.D. Power (NADA Guides) · read 2026-10-11
- Mopar VIN Decoding StockMopar · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1970Plymouth BarracudaThe all-new E-body Barracuda: hardtop or convertible, as a Barracuda, a Gran Coupe or a 'Cuda, with engines from a 198 six to the 426 Hemi, and 55,499 built by Consumer Guide's count.55,499 built (disputed)
1972Plymouth BarracudaTwo hardtops, the Barracuda and the 'Cuda, single headlights again, four round taillights, and no big-block, convertible or Gran Coupe.18,450 built (disputed)
1973Plymouth BarracudaSafety bumpers front and rear, no six-cylinder engine, the 318 and 340 V8s, and production up on 1972.22,213 built (disputed)See the whole third generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1970–1974.