Model History; Chrysler/ Plymouth Valiant

[Music] [Music] Chrysler introduced the Valiant as a new compact division in 1959 as a 1960 model the name suggesting courage intended for international markets it was styled to look like a small Chrysler or imperial it used Chrysler's new unibody a-body platform with front torsion bars and rear leaf springs on 106 and a half inch wheelbase it was 184 inches long and was 2 800 pounds offered as a four-door sedan or wagon the engine was Chrysler's new bulletproof slant 6 a straight six designed at a 30 degree angle to allow for a lower Hood initially just offered in 2.8 liter 170 cubic inch form in base 101 horsepower 155 pound-foot of torque one barrel or with the hyper pack that included higher compression dual exhaust and a four barrel raising output to 148 horsepower it was better handling and more economical than its domestic counterpart and with a top speed over 100 miles an hour a 0 to 60 time in just over 11 seconds and a sub 19 second quarter mile it was considered quite the budget performance car at the time although The Styling didn't go over so well Transmissions included a three-speed manual on the column or a push button three-speed automatic prices started just over two thousand dollars and first year production exceeded a hundred and eighty thousand for 1961 there were minor trim changes and US models would be marketed as Plymouth while in most outside markets they would become Chryslers such as Australia where they started at around thirteen hundred pounds although there were other exceptions such as the short-lived De Soto Rebel version of South Africa and Dodge would get its own version that year called the Lancer two-door sedan and hard top models were added to the line as was the bigger 3.7 liter 225 cubic inch version of the Slant 6. with 100 145 horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque it wasn't as fast as the hyper pack but was more than a second quicker styling was subdued for 1962 front and rear including the removal of the fake spare tire hump Electronics steering and suspension were all upgraded and axle ratios were changed to improve mileage the hyper pack was no longer offered but a better equipped Signet package was U.S sales were over a hundred and fifty thousand while ten thousand sold in Australia with the 1963 restyle the Valiant got a half inch shorter wheelbase while getting two inches longer overall and about 200 pounds lighter the Dodge version got much larger now on 111 inch wheelbase and was renamed dark a convertible was added to the line and U.S sales Rose to over 225 000 while globally it had become Chrysler's highest selling model ever leading to a facelift for 1964. with the addition of a Fastback version called the Barracuda it also gained a four-speed manual and a 4.5 liter 273 cubic inch V8 with 180 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque at roughly 400 over the now sub 2 000 starting price it was the lowest priced v8 car in the world and the Barracuda beat the Mustang to Market by a couple of months arguably making it the first Pony car top speed was about 115 60 took less than 9 seconds and the quarter mile less than 17. Australia had begun full production of their own version of the Valiant by this point which were slightly different from their American counterparts and included a luxury Regal package that they had introduced there the year before but Australia Valiant production couldn't meet demand leading to a four-month waiting list 1965 models saw the push button automatic be replaced by a conventional column shifter and there was now a Commando 27 73 with a four barrel higher compression and performance exhaust for 235 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque improving 0-60 to under 7 Seconds the quarter mile to the mid-15s and the top speed to over 125. the Barracuda was now considered a separate model and gained an S package with attack upgraded wheels and tires and optional disc brakes oddly Valiants had more racing successes than the Barracuda possibly simply because there were more of them 1966 models got a mild refresh and a Sure Grip limited slip differential became available the cars got a complete restyle for 1967 wheelbase was up two inches to 108 in length to 188 body styles were now reduced to two and four-door sedan while the hardtop Coupe and convertible versions join the Fastback is part of the Barracuda line which now had more distinct styling inside and out and were near nearly five inches longer than the Valiant the Barracuda could also be ordered with a 6.3 liter 383 with 280 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque it wasn't really any faster but it was much quicker with 60 now just over 6 seconds and the quarter mile in under 15. but the Barracuda variants were also not offered in most other markets although in many a wagon still was which was no longer offered in the U.S but it was in Australia where the Valiant shared some of its styling with the American Dodge Dart and the only two-door version was a ute for 1968 the 273 was replaced by a 5.2 liter 318 with 230 horsepower and 340 pound-feet of torque although some markets wouldn't see the change until a year later the Barracuda gained a 5.6 liter 340 cubic inch V8 with 275 horsepower and 340 pound-feet torque doing the quarter mile in the low 15s and the the super Commando 383 was upgraded to produce 300 horsepower there were also a limited number of stripped-down racing versions with racing seats a fiberglass front end and an available 426 Hemi or 440 wedge a package known as the A-bomb which was also available on the dart 1969 Valiant saw several refinements to things such as air intake brakes and the limited slip but the most noticeable change was a new Grille without the horizontal split the 383 Barracuda was now up to 330 horsepower and 410 pound Pita torque but if that wasn't enough you could order a 7.2 liter 440 It produced 375 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque for a 14 second quarter mile the Valiant of Australia saw several changes that included more distinct front and rear styling the addition of a two-door hardtop and a new Pacer 225 performance sedan there was a lamp six with dual carbs high compression and performance exhaust pumping out 175 horsepower and 230 pound-feet of torque it could hit 60 in around 10 seconds do the quarter mile in just over 17 and reach near 110 miles an hour although the fireball 318 V8 version was easily a second quicker and more than 10 miles an hour faster for 1970 in the U.S and most markets where it was offered the 170 slant 6 increased in size to 198 cubic inches the 3.2 liter engine produced 125 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque gross there was a new hardtop Coupe version called the Valiant duster unlike other Valiants it could be had with the 340 which got special trim including the interior of the previous Barracuda there was also a special edition gold duster with gold trim I say the previous Barracuda because there was a new one on the new e-body platform it was still on 108 inch wheelbase but was much wider and 187 inches long essentially a two inch shorter version of the new Dodge Challenger engines carried over but now there was a street version of the 426 Hemi with 425 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque a Hemi Cuda could hit 60 in about four and a half seconds and do the quarter mile in about 13. presuming you could get enough grip on the optional poly glass equivalent of a 235-15 and both the 340 and the 440 were offered with three two barrel carburetor versions referred to as the six pack the All-American racer or AAR Cuda had the 346 pack with 290 horsepower and just over 2 700 were made while the 446 pack had 390 horsepower and a base Slant six Barracuda could still be had for as little as twenty eight hundred dollars about seven hundred dollars more than a base value an annual Barracuda sales climbed from about 30 000 to about fifty thousand while U.S Valiant sales were near two hundred and fifty thousand not including the twenty five thousand dusters the Australian Valiant moved to the longer 111 inch wheelbase of the Dodge Dart got Square headlights and a new hemi-6 initially a four liter 245 cubic inch version with 165 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque soon to be available in performance versions for the Pacer in 185 195 and 235 horsepower tunes for 1971 the duster was no longer badged as a valiant but there was a twister package that made the 318 version look like the 340 version and Plymouth got a version of the bigger Dodge Dart two-door hardtop on Dodge's 111 inch wheelbase as the Valiant Scamp while Dodge got a version of the duster on Plymouth 108 inch wheelbase called the demon the case of doing little more than swapping the front end styling and trim the Barracuda got a facelift being the only year with quad headlights but the six-pack versions would go away after the beginning of the year and the Chrysler Valiants of Australia were restyled completely independently from the U.S models and gained a long 115-inch wheelbase luxury version sometimes simply referred to as the Chrysler replacing the luxury Valiant VIP joining the 245 was a bigger version of the hemi-6 at 4.3 liters or 265 cubic inches offered in a 203 horsepower standard version and a 218 horsepower 273 pound-feet of torque performance version for the Valiant Pacer it would become a performance icon hitting 60 in about eight and a half seconds and the quarter mile in the mid-16s but it would be overshadowed by the introduction of the Valiant charger a short 100 180 inch long fastback coupe version of the Valiant on 105 inch wheelbase which raised the ante with 280 and 302 horsepower versions of the hemi-6 making it quicker than the V8 318 and 340 versions particularly on the track where the nose heavy V8 cars were no match when it came to handling hardly making them worth the price premium there was also a new economy version of the hemi-6 at three and a half liters and 215 cubic inches with 139 horsepower the U.S transitioned to net ratings in 1972 and the big block barracudas went away as did several performance options meaning the top engine was now the 340 rated at 240 horsepower same as the lighter and cheaper 340 Duster that was nearly a half a second quicker while more mundane Valiants remained a sales leader in both domestic and foreign markets having their Peak year in 1973 with U.S production exceeding 375 000 when the Australian version would get a facelift and the long wheelbase version would be sold in Japan the Valiant badging was gone from the charger making it just a Chrysler charger but still unrelated to the American Dodge Charger and the RT package was also gone but there was a limited production Sportsman Edition for 1974 American four-door Valiants moved to the bigger Dart wheelbase and the cars got bigger five mile an hour bumpers making them much bigger and heavier and there would also be a new but rare luxury brome package the 340 was replaced by a bigger 5.9 liter 360 rated at 245 horsepower and 375 pound-feet of torque meaning it was still a low 15 second car it would be the last year of the Barracuda while the duster name was getting enough recognition for Plymouth to spread it around with their version of The Ram Charger SUV being named the a trail duster from 1974 to 1981 Australian Valiants were refreshed again for 1975 and the three on the floor was replaced by a four on the floor although the three on the tree was still available in 1976 the 360 was no longer a package on the duster but simply an engine option but there were several special packages from the lightweight feather duster to the space duster with its fold down rear seat to the classier silver duster Chrysler also replaced the a-body platform with the f-body platform that year replacing the Valiant and dart with the valarian Aspen they were similar but with revised front suspension for a softer quieter ride and more glass area and better visibility and they were also better equipped drivetrains carried over with the 360 version taking on the Roadrunner name in the U.S the cars overlapped for a year but in some markets the Volare was the new Valiant or even the Valiant Volare but not Australia where their existing model once again got updated styling packages were reduced the long wheelbase version was gone and the Top Line Regal was no longer badged as a valiant the 3.5 liter 215 Hemi 6 and the 5.9 liter 360 V8 were dropped just leaving the 4 liter 245 6 and the 5.2 liter 318 V8 cars that would get a number of special packages near the end of their run in 1978 that included a formal Regal LeBaron The Drifter appearance package and the RTS or radial tuned suspension version the cars would see their final revision shortly thereafter the charger and the two-door models were gone but there was a new GLX sedan that got charger tram and the new lean burn version of the hemi-6 was said to get 30 miles per gallon but Chrysler was in a financial crisis at this point and it been selling off assets and that included selling their Australian assets to Mitsubishi a questionable decision as the Valiant remained highly profitable and Mitsubishi would keep it in production through 1981. in the U.S the Volare only lasted until 1980 and the 79 to 80 Coupes revived the duster name and although the f-body cars would be replaced by the infamous k-car Reliant and Aries the following year it was not the last time the duster name would reappear on a Plymouth first it would return in 1985 as the Turismo duster Plymouth version of the charger 2.2 Shelby not to be mistaken with the turbocharged glh and glhs models and then it returned again in 1992 as the Sundance duster a sporty V6 version of the Sundance neither version lasting more than a few years Plymouth itself was discontinued after 2000 but there has husband talk of the duster name appearing on a Dodge although not even remotely as often as the talk of a Revival of the Barracuda name but until that happens as always thanks for watching don't forget to comment below and like And subscribe foreign

Channel: The Hopeless Car Guy

Views: 56,137

Keywords: Signet, Regal, Hyperpack, Slant six, Hemi 6, Commando, Dart, Lancer, Barracuda, Pony Car, Muscle Car, A-Bomb, six pack, AAR, Twister, Scamp, Brougham, Pacer, Charger, 225, 340, 360, 440-6, Hemi, Volare, Aspen, Demon, Sundance, Turismo, Australia, Sportsman, Drifter

Id: 61D03UFmrvo

Length: 16min 42sec (1002 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 09 2023