I'm confused.
After my grandfather gave me the Barracuda he would always ask how the old Dodge is doing, he was a Dodge guy from day one, the 20's into the 80's.
Maybe it was regional, never heard anybody comment on it being a Barracuda and not a Cuda.
From the day the Barracuda name was adopted (and the Panda dropped) the factory was calling it a Cuda.
Alan