1974 Plymouth Barracuda

This Tooling Proof Body was the first assembled steel body for  the 1974 model year. It was used as a gauge to take measurements from checking  the alignment of body panels for production cars.

It's in original factory primer and is scribed by Chrysler  engineers every 5" on both axis at various intersections. There are factory  notations written with a black marker. The original owner worked for Chrysler  during these years and bought the car from SPEHARS PERFORMANCE of Royal Oaks MI.  

To those who know what this car is know that this is a prime piece of  Chrysler history for any collector. This car is a real SURVIVOR and it is the  only one known to exist. NO other "Tooling Proof Body" cars are known to exist  at all. none escaped the factory and they were all destroyed! 

Everything  has been collected and put in a folder that has all of the documents and  history. I have left it the way I got it as you can see. It's really amazing to  look at up close with all the grids and markings. It's very different with all  the lines and markings and it's a real eye catcher for sure. It would be the  center piece for any hardcore mopar lover. It's been in two magazines and most  people don't even know about it. but they are shocked when they hear about it! 

This is a very rare piece of muscle car history and the only one like  it. The very first one made in 1974 to set up the production line. The word Rare  doesn't do it justice as it shouldn't even exist! A piece of mopar history  that's beaten the odds from the day it was constructed by mother mopar herself!

This is a true survivor that has escaped destruction on more than one  occasion. This One of None has quite a unique story and amazing history behind  it. So interesting in fact it's in the December 2006 issue of Mopar Muscle  Magazine. and in the October 2011 issue of Mopar Action Magazine.  

Brief  History: 

A Tooling Proof Body (or Buck as it was called by factory  workers) is the first car assembled and is used to set up the assembly line. It  was used as a reference during early production. The Tooling Proof is bolted to  a 6"-8" steel plate that has tooling lines scribed every 5 inches. Once bolted  to the plate the car is laid out with a corresponding 5"x5" grid. And each  square is assigned a letter and number for reference.  

(1st near miss) 

After the line is up and running the production of these bodies are either  crushed or deconstructed with air chisels to test integrity. Letting one of  these out of the factory would reveal trade secrets. Bodies in white were made  available to racers through the Chryslers Stock Car program via Spehars  Performance. (Ted Spehar of Ram-chargers fame) Acting as a liaison between  Chrysler Corp and the racers. These were complete Bodies that were left in the  factory E-Coat. (Dipped in factory sealer) and came with nothing but the bare  shell.  

(2nd near miss) 

In 1974 famous drag racer Dick Landy was  looking for a Dodge Dart body in white to compete in the 74 season with no  success. Spehars did some serious work searching for a Dart. but could only come  up with this body on such short notice and quickly sent it to Val Chem Corp in  Ohio to be acid dipped. (A common process to lighten the cars for completion)  Figuring this would remove all the tooling marks and the sensitine trade secrets  they held. Landy had however secured a Dart and no longer needed this body. Val  Chem was not yet paid for the acid dipping so they refused to do it for fear of  not getting paid. So they pushed it into a corner of the shop.  

(3rd near  miss) 

A year later a Chrysler employee was in search of a body to build his  dream car. He had a donor car that had been wrecked and was put in touch with  Mike Koran the sales manager for Spehars Performance who still needed to sell  the body sitting at Val Chem. A deal was struck and he purchased the body sight  unseen and set off from Indiana to Ohio to pick up his dream car. He spent the  next few years piecing it together. but never got it finished and luckily never  painted the body. Life got in the way including a divorce. chronic health  problems. the loss of his eye sight and repeatedly loss of storage spaces for  the body. He made a hard choice to sell it to a friend and it was pushed into  his shop and left untouched until it was purchased late last year.  

(4th  near miss) 

The next owner decided the car should be returned to as close as  possible to the way it was when it left the factory in 74' so he thought that it  was a good idea to removed all of the parts from the donor car. Only leaving the  glass. door handles. suspension. wheels and steering to make it easier to move  and display.  

Originally an engineering tooling test fit body. to verify  production fit and methods. Fender tag states "1974 TOOLING PROOF BODY. " Never  fitted with suspension or interior. but now has gloss black front suspension. nbsp; rear axle with leaf springs. and steering assembly (to facilitate moving other  than by forklift. ) Retains complete grid reference and tooling location  markings.

This body is in amazing shape for its age and history and this  is as close as you can get to a NOS body! 

Here's your chance to own a very  rare one of none 1974 Tooling Proof Body that has never been on the road.

Also published at eBay.com

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