Hot Wheels Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Hot Wheels Wiki


Description[]

The Custom Barracuda is a Hot Wheels casting designed by Harry Bradley which debuted in 1968 as part of the first sixteen Hot Wheels ever, sometimes known as the 'Sweet Sixteen'. It is based off the real-life 1967 Plymouth Barracuda.

It was manufactured in 1968 and 1969 at both the USA and Hong Kong factories, with some casting differences between the two countries of origin.

USA manufactured cars have clear glass and Hong Kong (HK) cars have blue tinted glass. USA Barracudas have a detailed interior which includes a dashboard and with a molded in steering wheel while HK cars have a flat piece of plastic representing the dashboard with a separate black steering wheel. USA cars could be found with a white or dark brown interior, while Hong Kong cars could be found with a white, brown-ish/gray, dark brown, silver or purple interior. Purple interiors are usually found in matching purple exterior cars, but have been known to appear (rarely) in Copper and Aqua cars.

The Custom Barracuda features an opening hood which reveals a detailed engine. USA cars have shorter 'power bulges' (hood scoops) and a thinner cowl than their Hong Kong counterparts. Some early HK manufactured cars could also be found with deeper power bulges than usual, these have only been found on Aqua and Purple cars.

Hong Kong cars have a detailed base including four square holes to view the Bent Axle Suspension, these holes are absent from USA built vehicles. There are also several minor base variations involving the size and addition of ™ and © symbols.

Some Custom Barracudas use a mix of parts from both USA and Hong Kong are are referred to as 'Hybrids'. Most 'Hybrid' Custom Barracudas use the USA body, glass and interior with a Hong Kong base. These are much harder to find than standard cars. This oddity was most likely due to material shortages or problems, which required parts to be shipped between factories. 

The Custom Barracuda was painted in a variety of Spectraflame colors, some of which are very rare. Unlike most early 'Redline Era' cars, the Custom Barracuda was never manufactured with a black roof. All Custom Barracudas came with delrin 'Bearing' Redline wheels, with some early produced vehicles from Hong Kong sporting 'Deep Dish' wheels on the front. All came packaged with a metal 'Collector's Button'.

In 1970, the Custom Barracuda was significantly modified and renamed King Kuda, and was released in the Spoilers series. Most notably, the King Kuda featured an exposed blown engine, replacing the one under the opening hood. It also came with the addition of prominent front and rear spoilers. 

In 2011, the Custom Barracuda was re-tooled for the HotWheelsCollectors.com RLC Membership. This casting appears to be based on the original USA casting. The re-tooled version has been used several times since.

Custom Barracuda USA vs Kong

Hood Differences of US vs Hong Kong

Custom Barracuda USA vs Kong (2)

Base Differences of US vs Hong Kong





USA Versions[]

The Custom Barracuda has come out in the following 1/64 scale versions:

Year Series Color Stickers Base Color
/
Type
Window Color Interior Color Wheel Type Toy # Country Notes
/
Variations
Photo
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Light Blue None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Hard To Find CustomBarracudaUSALightBlue
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Blue None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Cuda Blue US 1968
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Aqua None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Cuda aqua US 1968
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Green None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA CustomBarracudaUSAGreen
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Olive Green None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Very Rare Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Antifreeze None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Hard To Find 1968 US anticuda1 Flyin Colors
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Gold None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Hard To Find CstmCudaGldW
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Copper None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Hard To Find Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Red None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Hard To Find CustomBarracudaUSARed
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Rose None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Very Rare Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Creamy 'Lavender' Pink None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Hard To Find CustomBarracudaUSACreamyPink
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Purple None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 USA Cuda purple US 1968

Hong Kong Versions[]

The Custom Barracuda has come out in the following 1/64 scale versions:

Year Series Color Stickers Base Color
/
Type
Window Color Interior Color Wheel Type Toy # Country Notes
/
Variations
Photo
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Light Blue None ZAMAC Tinted (Blue) Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Hard To Find 100 5366-0
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Blue None ZAMAC Tinted (Blue) Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Aqua None ZAMAC Tinted (Blue) Several RL 6211 Hong Kong 100 5367
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Green None ZAMAC Tinted (Blue) Several RL 6211 Hong Kong 1968 Custom Barracuda Spectraflame Green Hong Kong White Int.
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Olive Green None ZAMAC Tinted (Blue) Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Very Rare Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Copper None ZAMAC Tinted (Blue) Several RL 6211 Hong Kong CstmCudaCprWCustomBarracudaHKCopperPurpInt
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Orange None ZAMAC Tinted (Blue) Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Rare CustomBarracudaHKOrange1
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Red None ZAMAC Tinted (Blue) Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Hard To Find Barracuda red
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Creamy 'Lavender' Pink None ZAMAC Tinted (Blue) Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Hard To Find Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Purple None ZAMAC Tinted (Blue) Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Cuda Purple on PurpleCustomBarraHKPurp

'Hybrid' Versions[]

The Custom Barracuda has come out in the following 1/64 scale versions:

Year Series Color Stickers Base Color
/
Type
Window Color Interior Color Wheel Type Toy # Country Notes
/
Variations
Photo
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Blue None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Very Rare Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Aqua None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Rare Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Green None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Very Rare Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Antifreeze None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Hard To Find Shopping (2)
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Gold None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Rare Cuda gold HK 1968
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Orange None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Very Rare Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Rose None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Hard To Find Image Not Available
1968 Sweet Sixteen Spectraflame Purple None ZAMAC Clear Several RL 6211 Hong Kong Hard To Find Custom Barracuda Hybrid Purple

Retooled Versions[]

The Custom Barracuda has come out in the following 1/64 scale versions:

Year Series Color Tampo Base Color
/
Type
Window Color Interior Color Wheel Type Toy # Country Notes
/
Variations
Photo
2011 RLC Membership Chrome Red, black, & silver stripe, "Barracuda", & RLC logo on sides; small "PLYMOUTH" on hood; painted headlights & taillight bar Chrome
/
Metal
Clear Black NCRL V0472 Thailand 3,000 produced
Base code(s): D01
CustomBarracuda RLC Chrome
2011 RLC Membership Spectraflame Red Red, black, & silver stripe, "Barracuda", & RLC logo on sides; small "PLYMOUTH" on hood; painted headlights & taillight bar Chrome
/
Metal
Clear Black NCRL V0473 Thailand 3,500 produced
Base code(s): D01
CustomBarracuda RLC Red
2011 RLC Membership Spectraflame Blue Red, black, & silver stripe, "Barracuda", & RLC logo on sides; small "PLYMOUTH" on hood; painted headlights & taillight bar Chrome
/
Metal
Clear Black NCRL V0474 Thailand 4,000 produced
Base code(s): D02
CustomBarracuda RLC Blue
2011 RLC Membership Spectraflame Purple Red, black, & silver stripe, "Barracuda", & RLC logo on sides; small "PLYMOUTH" on hood; painted headlights & taillight bar Chrome
/
Metal
Clear Black NCRL V0475 Thailand 4,500 produced
Base code(s): D02
CustomBarracuda RLC Purple
2014 14th Annual Hot Wheels Nationals Convention4/4 Metallic Burgundy Checkered Flag and Blue Stripes on Side, Black Hood, Convention Logo on Roof ZAMAC Clear Black RR5SP / Mini RR5SP BLR35 Thailand 1,200 produced
Finale car
Base code(s):
14th Nationals Custom Barracuda
2016 HWC.com Series 14 - Real Riders4/4 Spectraflame Antifreeze Black Stripe on Side, Black Hood, Bagdes & Details Chrome
/
Metal
Clear Green Redline RR5SP / Redline Mini RR5SP DTH32 China 5,000 produced HWC Series 14 Real Riders Custom Barracuda
2018 Original 16 Spectraflame Blue Black Grille, Tail Lights Chrome
/
Metal
Tinted (Pale Blue) Black NCRL FPN47 China 6,000 produced HWC Original 16 Custom Barracuda
2018 HWC.com Original 16 Display Spectraflame Antifreeze Black Grille, Tail Lights Chrome
/
Metal
Tinted (Pale Blue) Cream NCRL FNC23 China 1,500 produced
Production date(s): 1228 EAA
HWC Original 16 Display Set Custom Barracuda

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  • Some releases of the re-tooled King Kuda have been named 'Custom Plymouth Barracuda'. This is a completely different casting.

Similar Castings[]

Advertisement