Single headlights
One headlight on each side; the 1971 has two.3one source
Class of '72 · Plymouth Barracuda · 1972 body · third generation
1972Plymouth Barracuda
Two hardtops, the Barracuda and the 'Cuda, single headlights again, four round taillights, and no big-block, convertible or Gran Coupe.
The year in brief
A new grille with single headlights, much like the 1970's, and four round taillights. The look stayed almost unchanged through 1974.23
The big blocks, the convertible, the Dana 60 axle and the 15-inch wheels were gone. Plymouth's catalog shows two models: «Number one is Barracuda» and «Number two is 'Cuda».23
Engines were rated in net horsepower: the 225 six, the 318 at 150 hp and the 340 at 240 hp. Plymouth's catalog makes the 340 standard on the 'Cuda; plymouthbarracuda.net counts 1,946 'Cudas with the 318.235sources disagree
The story of the year
Convertibles for television
A few late 1971 convertibles were finished with 1972 grilles and tail panels and went to Paramount for film and television work, Mannix and The Brady Bunch among them, by Wikipedia's account. No other source we have mentions them.3one source
How to spot a 1972
What tells it apart from a 1971.
Production157
18,450 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Hardtop | Barracuda | 10,622 |
| 'Cuda | 7,828 | |
| All hardtops | 18,450 | |
| Total | 18,450 | |
Consumer Guide's rows. plymouthbarracuda.net has the same 7,828 'Cudas but 10,662 Barracudas, for 18,490, which is also Wikipedia's total. See the ruling.
Engines238
3 engines. The letter is the engine code in the VIN.
Net horsepower, Wikipedia's figures; Plymouth's 1972 catalog gives none. Which engine was standard on the 'Cuda is disputed; see the ruling.
Price when new4one source
Base retail prices in 1972 dollars, before options.
J.D. Power's price guide, the only source we have for the 1972 prices. It does not say what its prices are based on, or which engine the Barracuda price assumes.
Colors2one source
16 factory colors. The color names come from one source2one source; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Winchester Gray Metallic—
Blue Sky—
Basin Street Blue—
True Blue Metallic—
Rallye Red—
Amber Sherwood Metallic—
Sherwood Green Metallic—
Mojave Tan Metallic—
Chestnut Metallic—
Tor-Red—
Spinnaker White—
Lemon Twist—
Honeydew—
Gold Leaf Metallic—
Tawny Gold Metallic—
Formal Black—
No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are left empty. The 16 colors are the chart in Plymouth's catalog, which is shared with the Duster and Valiant and prints no codes; the names were read off the page image. Tor-Red and Lemon Twist cost extra.
Reading the VIN8one source
A 1972 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
BH23G2B1000018one source · An example built from the code tables on this page, not a real car's VIN: a 318 V8 hardtop, 1972, Hamtramck, unit 100001; the price-class H is one of the classes in tpocr's table, used only to fill the position. None of our sources prints a real Barracuda VIN.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| B | Car line: Plymouth Barracuda |
| G · H · L · M · P · S | Price class: Grand · High · Low · Medium · Premium · Special (tpocr's list for all Plymouths; which the Barracuda used is not in our sources) |
| 23 | Body: 2-door hardtop |
| C · G · H | Engine (see the engine table) |
| 2 | Model year (1972) |
| A · B · C · D · 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.89
Questions about the 1972
How many 1972 Plymouth Barracudas were made?
18,450 by the count we use: 18,450 hardtops. The sources disagree on the total; the ruling on this page explains which figure we show and why.157sources disagree
How can you tell a 1972 Barracuda from a 1971?
Three signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: single headlights; four round taillights; hardtop only.236
What engines did the 1972 Plymouth Barracuda have?
Three engines, from the 225 cu in slant six (Barracuda only) to the 340 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.238
How much did a 1972 Plymouth Barracuda cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: Barracuda hardtop $2,822; 'Cuda hardtop $3,029.4one source
What colors did the 1972 Plymouth Barracuda come in?
Chrysler-Plymouth Division, Chrysler Corporation lists 16 factory colors.2one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1972, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1972 Barracuda production
Our ruling: Unresolved. The two sources agree on the 'Cudas and differ by 40 on the Barracudas; nothing says which figure is a misprint. plymouthbarracuda.net's own engine split for the 'Cuda adds to 7,810 (our sum), not 7,828.
What each source says (2)
- 10,622 Barracudas and 7,828 'Cudas: 18,450 (our sum)1one source
- 10,662 Barracudas and 7,828 'Cudas: 18,49057one source
Open
The 1972 'Cuda's standard engine
Our ruling: Unresolved. Plymouth's 1972 catalog makes the 340 standard on the 'Cuda in two places; Wikipedia says the 318 was, and plymouthbarracuda.net counts 1,946 'Cudas with the 318, but its split, 1,946 with the 318 and 5,864 with the 340, adds to 7,810 (our sum), 18 fewer than its own 'Cuda total of 7,828. From 1973 Plymouth's own catalogs make the 318 standard on both.
What each source says (3)
- the 340 four-barrel2one source
- the 318, base engine for both models3one source
- 1,946 'Cudas with the 318 and 5,864 with the 3405one source
Settled
A 1972 Gran Coupe
Our ruling: No separate 1972 Gran Coupe. Plymouth's 1972 catalog speaks of «two re-styled Barracuda models for '72», the Barracuda and the 'Cuda, and neither Consumer Guide's own table nor plymouthbarracuda.net counts a 1972 Gran Coupe; Consumer Guide's «1970-1972» in its text is not borne out by its figures.
What each source says (3)
- the Gran Coupe was offered for 1970–19721one source
- «two re-styled Barracuda models for '72»: «Number one is Barracuda», «Number two is 'Cuda»2one source
- 1972 production for the Barracuda and 'Cuda only15
Sources
- 1970-1974 Plymouth Barracuda Coupes HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1972 Plymouth Duster, Valiant and Barracuda catalog Chrysler-Plymouth Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda 1970–1974: original MSRP (38 pages) J.D. Power (NADA Guides) · read 2026-10-11
- 1972 Barracuda production totals PlymouthBarracuda.net · read 2026-10-11
- 1970-1971 Plymouth Barracuda Convertibles HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- Plymouth Barracuda: the production table Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1972 Plymouth Vehicle Identification Numbers The Plymouth Owners Club Registry (tpocr.com) · 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)1971Plymouth BarracudaThe 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.18,690 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.