The new Barracuda was chiefly the work of John E. Herlitz and John Samsen, with Coke-bottle side contours and heavily revised front and rear ends. Design changes included wider wheel openings, curved side glass, and S-curved roof pillars on the hardtop.

The roofline on the fastback coupe was more streamlined, more steeply raked, and with a much smaller flush rear window in place of the distinctive massive wraparound in the original model. Also, the overall use of chrome trim was more restrained.