We just completed the second installment of the 4 Door Barracuda’s Tour at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals. The next event will be the SEMA Show in November. One topic that continues to come up is comments I have made regarding the construction of this Car. Many have argued that the vehicle was not built from “scratch” because we used existing components for its construction. First let me stress that we started with nothing but a conceptual idea when this Project began. We didn’t have a Car to alter, convert or modify. We built this Car piece by piece and it represents a New Car that never existed. Steve and I basically became the “Factory” in this build.
I would like to illustrate the rationale behind the comments I have made about the construction of this Car. Consider the Factory and how they build their vehicles. I doubt that anyone would debate that the Factory is the “Architect” in the construction of their Assembly Line vehicles. They are given credit for building and manufacturing their cars from the ground up or from “scratch”. With that said, let’s consider their involvement when building those Automobiles. Does the Factory manufacture the headlights that they use on their Cars? Do they manufacture the Carpeting they use in their Cars? Do they manufacture the glass that is used in their Cars? What about the Wiring Harnesses? What about the Tires and Wheels? What about the Paint used on the Bodies or the fabric used to cover the Seats?
The point is that almost ALL of the components used to build a Car are provided by Independent Suppliers that manufacture those parts for the Factory. The Factory uses those parts to build their vehicles. Those components are manufactured to meet their designs and specifications. So the Factory is basically a General Contractor in assembling and manufacturing Automobiles. Similar to a General Contractor that builds Homes, they don’t “make” the Wood that’s used to form the Roof, Walls or basic structure. They don’t make the Electrical Junction Boxes. They don’t make the Granite Counter Tops they install in the Kitchens. They don’t make the Toilets or Sinks. They do however, assemble the components necessary to build the Homes they have engineered and designed.
In this build, we collected and assembled the components necessary to facilitate this “One of a Kind” design. Some components had to be completely manufactured starting at square one, where others were cut apart and altered to match our design. The entire Body of the this Car was constructed using newly fabricated and/or modified components. Some parts had to be constructed from flat metal stock and others were altered from their “stock” configuration. The end result is a 4 Door Barracuda that does not share any exterior Body components with the 2 Door Model. The entire outer structure has been modified to function properly within the parameters of our 4 Door design.
One last point to make here. If a Cook ever tells you that they made Biscuits from “scratch”, it doesn’t mean that they milled the flour and milked the Cow that makes the Dough, etc……..