Striking Green

CAMPBELL AUTO RESTORATION COMBINES CLASSIC E-BODY STYLE WITH THE CAPABILITIES OF A 1970S GRAND TOURING COUPE. JASON JOHNSON’S 1972 BARRACUDA WAS BUILT TO GO HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH THE FINEST EXOTICS OF ITS ERA.

- Richard Truesdell

When you are a contributor to a magazine like Mopar Muscle, events like the Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) are where you go prospecting for feature-worthy cars. The 2019 edition of the GNRS was no exception. While there were probably a dozen or more great feature possibilities, two stood out.

One was a 1966 Dodge Polara station wagon built by the crew at Hot Rods and Custom Stuff in Escondido, California. The other was this 1972 Plymouth Barracuda built by the artisans at Campbell Auto Restoration (CAR) in Campbell, California. Our colleagues at Hot Rod magazine beat us on the Dodge grocery-getter, but that was a blessing in disguise because less than 50 feet away was the bold green Barracuda featured here. Having traveled down from the Bay Area to Pomona, we knew that we had come across a very special car, one that speaks directly to the readers of Mopar Muscle.

The first thing that struck us as we approached the car was that something looked a bit different. With no classic E-body nearby for reference, it was hard to put our finger on it. We soon struck up a conversation with Kevin Long, one member of the team that built the car. We took some snapshots of the car, all the while thinking that there was a lot going on with it, from bumper to bumper. The snapshots were used in our 2019 GNRS coverage the week after the show and in our July issue. It didn’t take too long for Mopar Muscle Editor Bob Mehlhoff to give me the green light for a full feature.