When it comes to classic muscle cars, only a handful can reach the legendary status of the 1969 Plymouth Barracuda.

To this very day this model of muscle car is spoken of in hushed whispers and boisterous admiration as being an icon of the days when powering down the highways and streets letting people know you had power under your butt.

People would flock around these cars when they first came out and even today when one is cruising down the streets or parked outside, people will literally gather around taking pictures and posing and reminiscing about the good old days of classic muscle cars!

Plymouth originally decided to upgrade the 'Cuda as it's affectionately called and added more power to this automatic transmission driven vehicle and only the strong survived it. It's manual steering and heavy front end meant there was no room for fooling around.

It's aesthetics and power and long lasting durability has brought this classic muscle car to such status that when one finds one, one had better start reaching for the wallet and fast! Collectors are hard pressed to depart from this vehicle and for good reason. If you find one for auction, go for it. These cars will probably never go out of high collector status and that means they're a solid investment for the wary muscle car hunter.

Let's take a brief look at the specs on this classic and you'll see what people were up against in the good ol' days of muscle cars!

The two versions start off with a V-8/B Block Wedge at 383 and horsepower starts at 280/300/330 at respective 4200/4400/5000 rpm ( last two in the '68 and '69 ). Torque rolls in at 400 at 2400 pounds per foot to 435 at 3200 lbs/ft in the '69 version. Compression ratio at 10.0:1, Bore in inches at 4.25, stroke in inches 3.37. Valve lifters are hydraulic.

Speed started off at 0-60 in 6.6 seconds just a second longer roughly compared to today's muscle cars! 0-100 in 18.7 seconds. and top speed at 114 mph.

When these cars hit the high speed back in those days things got out of the way!

Since the first 'Cudas hit the market in 1964, the brand has continued to be one of the most revered. They weren't the fastest but fast enough, not the most powerful, but heavily respected, when it comes to looks and feel, you're talking the legend aborning.

Finally, once you sit inside one of these classic muscle cars you'll realize another reason they're so popular and the center of any major classic car show.

If you find one, get it. It's not going to go out of style in the legendary limelight.