Autos: Fastback Coming Back Fast

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The fast back, a roofline that continues down an auto's back in one un broken convex curve, was abandoned by Detroit in the late 1940s in favor of the greenhouse roof, the sloping L-shape that was later refined by Ford into the much-copied T-Bird roof, a trim, knife-edged affair with angular lines. But for two years auto stylists have slowly been reviving the fastback on some sports models, and this year and next the curve will continue its comeback in at least three Detroit offerings. Last week Chrysler introduced the first of the new fastbacks, the Barracuda, whose startlingly different appearance is caused by a huge (14.4 sq. ft.), sloping rear window—"backlight," in Detroit jargon.

The Barracuda is really a redesigned Valiant, and Chrysler rushed it out in time to run against Ford's new and handsome Mustang sports car, soon to be introduced. The Barracuda, which cost only $5,000,000 to $8,000,000 to develop v. $50-$60 million for the Mustang, will not be marketed as a "new" car, will be priced from about $2,400. It represents perhaps the ultimate development of the pizazz phenomenon that has gripped Detroit since 1962. Its radically different roof not only offers a sportier look than the Valiant, but the car has as standard equipment many of the optional features, such as bucket seats, that buyers have been clamoring to pay extra money for. Another necessary dividend: the Barracuda's huge window is tinted to prevent its back-seat passengers from frying in the sun.