If you want to watch (or have already watched) Corky‘s movie, it’s probably not least because you want (or wanted) to see the main character’s car in action – a very remarkable peach-pinkish Plymouth Barracuda. So, this article is for you! Well, and for all other fans of American power, of course. We will all be pleased to know that Comrade Korki’s Plymouth is quite alive and well to this day, steadily changing owners, but at the same time remaining in more than decent condition for a car fifty years ago. Besides, the Internet is full of modern, high-quality photos. Let me show them to you, introduce you to the most important details, and also tell you a little about the people who created this car. As mentioned in the article about the film, this Barracuda was created by George Barris and Richard “Korky” Korkes, whose nickname served as the title for the film. However, in addition to the builders, it is worth mentioning the person who came up with this custom and drew the first sketches of the future movie star, Harry Bentley Bradley.
Harry Bentley Bradley
Harry is not as famous as Barris or Korkes, but he also knew how to work on the body and stuffing. Although, for the most part, Comrade Bradley made a name for himself in the field of design. For example, the famous Dodge Deora of the Alexander brothers is the idea of Harry Bradley embodied in steel. And first of all, Bradley became famous for standing at the origins of what is now called Hot Wheels: Harry was the chief designer of all the sixteen first models of this brand back in 1968. It is impossible not to mention a very cool urban legend: it is said that for the sake of the Custom Corvette model, Bradley went to Detroit and snuck into the offices of General Motors after closing. Since Harry was a GM employee a few years earlier, he easily found and distributed the drawings of the C3 Corvette, which had not yet been released at that time, on the basis of which a 1/64 scale model was created. Many claim that the Hot Wheels version appeared in stores even before dealers received the first C3 which horrified the managers of General Motors. Rock and roll!
About the Plymouth Barracuda Custom Style 1967
Of course, the car, which was created by the likes of Barris, Corky and Bradley, is interesting primarily for its design. And, I must say, for a car that bears the stamp of the George Barris garage, this Barracuda is very modest. Yes, from our modern point of view, it may seem flashy, but in 1972, such a car was, in fact, a typical street freak. Painting with lines, seemingly simple, but in fact full of gradients, pinstripes and other very complex and popular elements at that time. But for now, without murals, it’s still a little early for them. The large rear wing is an unusual modification, but compared to the Plymouth Superbird and Dodge Charger Daytona models, and even in the film about the racing driver, it seems quite logical: not radical, but quite emphasizing the spirit of that time.
The modification is unusual, but still met. Here, for example, is a Corvette straight out of 1969 with an aero-war wing. Although due to the initially tricky aerodynamic design, I must say that on a Corvette such a wing looks almost like a factory one. This car is known for the fact that Larry Watson himself covered it with a seemingly simple layer of paint - his name sometimes slips by in our articles, but in fact Larry deserves his own, because he is a legend in the field of car painting and one of the three people who stood at the origins of pinstriping. However, this is a completely different story.
The Barris style in Corky’s Barracuda is recognizable in two ways. First of all, painting: few people used pastel colors in the 70s. But here, the light main tone with a darker and richer background subtly resembles many of George’s works – for example, the famous Hirohata Merc. Secondly, rectangular headlights. Comrade Barris was very fond of putting such headlights on many of his cars in those years, which, it seems to me, was ahead of the decade. In the 80s, round headlights finally gave way to rectangular ones, but in 1972, the only oil car with a similar feature was the Australian Valiant Charger, and even then only on the 71st and 72nd models, after which they were replaced by the round ones familiar to the people.
Just a few examples of George Barris' work from those years, demonstrating his love of rectangular headlights at that time. The AMC AMX-400, built for the TV series Banachek, as well as twin Mustangs, created for the pop-rock duo Sonny and Cher Bono.
Under the hood of Corky’s car is a relatively small engine, with a volume of only 4.5 liters. The powertrain has been changed only slightly, and the most significant detail is the four-chamber Edelbrock carburetor. Nevertheless, despite the practically untouched engine, it must be remembered that even the factory power plant with a four-chamber carburetor (called the Commando) produced 235 horsepower. All this power is connected to a four-speed manual transmission. In the 70s, a similar car could complete a quarter-mile race at the beginning of the 16th second. This, of course, is not the Hemi, which drove the same distance two and a half seconds faster, but it is also far from the slowest unit.
Apart from cosmetic changes and the carburetor, the engine is almost standard.
In the cabin, George Barris obviously couldn’t resist and hung something fluffy on the torpedo. In addition, the tachometer of Don Garlits, the famous drag racer in those years, immediately catches the eye. There are plenty of tachometers on the market for custom parts, but the version of Comrade Garlits in a patriotically painted case is remembered by many, and from time to time there are still those who want to install just such a unit in their cabin.
Patriotic tachometers have sunk into my head so much that even advertising pages from magazines sometimes appear for sale. Without a doubt, one of the most iconic devices of the early 70s.
Corky’s Plymouth has, of course, an original tachometer from half a century ago. In general, a lot of things have come down to our times in the car. The salon is full of autographs: Barris, Korky, and Richard Petty himself have signed. The painting of the car, as stated at a relatively recent auction that took place only three months ago – in May 2025 – is also still original. In places, this is becoming very noticeable, and in the next decade the car will clearly have to be repainted, if not restored, but for now it is a real time machine.
The changes in the interior are, in fact, minimal: everything is stretched into beautiful and combining two tones, and the steering wheel has been replaced with a more sporty one. Plus a tachometer and something fluffy above the dashboard - this has already been noted above. And, in fact, all the customization only emphasizes the original factory design, which shines with style. Willy-nilly, but I can't help but say once again: they don't do that anymore.
By the way, in addition to the Corky movie, fans of the Knight of the Roads series may be able to recognize the Barracuda: it was this car that appeared in the 17th episode of the 3rd season (The Nineteenth Hole). The car generally quite often attended various auto shows, was at least once on the cover of the Mopar Collectors Guide magazine – and anyway, over the past fifty-odd years, this Plymouth did not seem to be particularly often in the shadows. Nevertheless, this particular work of Barris did not become a special celebrity. The fame of this car is very specific: in certain circles it is easily recognized, and it is clearly more famous than, say, the Corvette Gasser from the movie 52 Miles of Fear. But for people who are neither fans of the 70s, nor moviegoers, nor fans of custom, Plymouth Crust will be unknown with a probability of 99.99%.
The large rear wing on the oil truck without the front fairing definitely looks interesting. From some angles, it seems to create an overly noticeable visual advantage over the rear half of the car, but from some angles it looks damn impressive.
In terms of design, it is also worth emphasizing the extremely well-executed side air intakes. You can inadvertently forget that the Barracuda arrived from the factory without them - they fit so well into the features of the car.
Richard “Korky” Corkes
In conclusion, it is impossible not to say a few words about Richard Corkes, because he is also a very, very famous figure on the custom scene. Fame and recognition came to Richard relatively late, at the age of 28, when Korky rebuilt the Jaguar XK-E in 1963, turning the car into a futuristic bubble top with a Corvette engine. The Jaguar turned out to be so successful that George Barris, already well-known at that time, began to persuade Richard to leave his own garage and move to California to work under Barris. Which George eventually succeeded in doing. Under Barris, Comrade Korkes worked on many famous cars that are now inextricably linked with George’s last name. In particular, Richard Korkes had a hand in the well-knownThe Batmobile, and a car called the Munster Koach, and custom designs for Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and so on. In short, a large part of Barris’ most famous works are, to some extent, the works of Korkes, too.
The Jaguar built by Richard Korkes must have horrified many fans of European cars. And most likely his photos still have a similar effect. Especially if you mention that the car had a Chevrolet engine.
However, Korky eventually left George and reopened his own garage. The reason for this was probably Barris’ well-known desire to take on literally everything in a row that could bring gain and fame. For example, one of the very controversial projects was Bob Hope’s golf cart, which was given to Korkes to build. Yes, the car became very famous, and was often seen on TV, participating in parades and the like, but, damn it, a golf car? Without a doubt, Comrade Barris was extremely pleased with the result, but he is still a very rare exception. After all, any other custom lover who is used to dealing with V-shaped engines and hot rods will surely perform a hand-face pirouette at the very thought of a golf cart. And many agree that Richard eventually got bored with such projects.
Despite the fact that Corkes was born ten years later than Barris, Richard passed away only a year later: Jesus built a hot rod for Korky in 2016, and Plymouth Barracuda from the film of the same name successfully outlived all its creators. Rather, become cyborgs, people. Steel is clearly more durable if it is monitored and cared for, and repaired on time. As a postscript, it’s worth mentioning that there is a slight difference between Corkes’ nickname and the film’s title: in English, the movie is called Corky, while Richard’s last name is Korkes, and the nickname is Korky, respectively. Thank you for reading to the end, and if you haven’t seen the movie yet, then enjoy watching it!
