Image: moparts.com

First, it was the Charger. Then came the Challenger and the all-new Dart. Now, it’s looking like Chrysler is gunning to bring back possibly it’s most famous muscle car from the HEMI heydays, the ‘Cuda. That is, according to Motor Trend. The chatter first started back when Chrysler attempted to quietly renew the ‘Cuda trademark. Now, as the 2012 North American International Auto Show has opened, talk of retiring the Challenger has started to swirl.

In light of the vehicle’s upcoming 50th anniversary (remember, the Barracuda started life in 1964 sharing the Valiant platform), the Chrysler Group is considering usurping the current Challenger with a much shorter, lighter and smaller overall car; equal to what is expected for the ’15 Chevrolet Camaro and the 50th anniversary Mustang – both of which are scheduled for complete redesigns for the 2015 model year.

Destined to be called “Barracuda” (the ‘Cuda name was a abbreviation coined for performance-bred models only) is estimated to be ready in time for the original’s 50th anniversary…which would be only a couple of months before the new ’15 Mustang debuts.

This would land the sports coupe perfectly in time with the closure of the Challenger’s five year run, ending as a ’13 model.

Based upon the larger Charger/300 LX platform, the current Challenger is the truest “retro” muscle car we have on the road.

Unfortunately, its shared DNA with the larger sedans made it not only considerably heftier than not only the 1970-74 Challengers it was based upon, but the current Mustang and Camaro with which it competed. Although the E-Body Challengers shared a platform with the 1970-74 Barracuda, the Plymouths were even shorter in length.

Motor Trend continued to speculate that any new Challenger – already overdue for a diet and redesign – wouldn’t be well-received by those to praised the ’08-’13 “throwback look,” and that a new lighter and more nimble platform would be a shorter rear-wheel-drive chassis something akin to a Hyundai Genesis coupe.

Image: Autoblog.com

Currently, there isn’t an existing platform from within Fiat’s arsenal of automakers, so it is further speculated that designing such a platform would be of benefit to Alfa Romeo as well, providing the brand a new moderately-priced RWD platform for a sports car and/or coupe from which to share.

Hope springs eternal that one of not all of Chrysler’s HEMI V8s would be made available, while the more limp-wristed look forward to the turbo-charged 4-cylinder found in the Fiats.

It’s not entirely clear whether Chrysler will go “retro” with the Barracuda’s sheetmetal skin, pulling from the Valiant-based fastback Barracuda, or the later-year and far more popular E-Body ’70-’74 design, or take a different route as they did with the current Dart.

It’s likely a convertible version will be made available to further bring the Barracuda into the same field as the Mustang and Camaro, a thing which the current Challenger has struggled to do over the years.

Still, we’re sad at the speculation that Dodge could lose its last remaining muscle car yet again. Chrysler has successfully stripped the Ram trucks, Viper and SRT trim group from Dodge, and now killing the Challenger and launching the Barracuda – which we estimate will fly under the Chrysler banner – will only work to bleed the Dodge brand to death.