FIRST FISH
I MAGINE MARCHING INTO A DEALERSHIP in the late 1960s and ordering your favorite muscle car with the options you desire and in just the right color. Joe Amenta, a self-employed graphic artist from Windsor, Connecticut, is one of those rare individuals who did exactly that, and he still has his Plymouth pony car to prove it. In late September 1968, 26-year-old Joe and his wife, Sue, purchased this Black Velvet Barracuda Formula S 383 at Chorches Auto Sales Inc., in nearby Windsor Locks.
They had been driving a Slant-Six 1963 Dart GT convertible daily but wanted a car that was more practical than a drop-top for Connecticut winters and that could carry more stuff for their growing family, as son Kevin was two years old at the time. After thorough research, they decided on a big-block Barracuda sports fastback with the optional TorqueFlite.
Its $2,813 base price soon ballooned to $3,848 due to
