Chrysler · 1962–1981

Chrysler Valiant

The Chrysler Valiant is a full-size car which was sold by Chrysler Australia between 1962 and 1981. Initially a rebadged locally assembled Plymouth Valiant from the United States, from the second generation launched in 1963, the Valiant was fully manufactured in Australia. It was sold locally but also in New Zealand and South Africa, with smaller numbers also exported to South-East Asia and the United Kingdom. Parent company Chrysler made a substantial investment in Australian manufacturing facilities by establishing operations in South Australia with an assembly plant at Tonsley Park in 1964 and an engine foundry at Lonsdale in 1968. The Valiant thus established its position as the third of the "Big 3" Australian-made vehicles behind the Holden Kingswood and Ford Falcon. The Australian Valiant was built on the North American A-body platform but with many parts and components from Australian suppliers. Apart from a sedan and wagon body style, 1965 saw the introduction of a commercial utility that was badged the Wayfarer and later exported to South Africa as the Rustler. Greater differentiation from the donor car crept in over time, particularly since the VE series, which was embraced by the Australian motoring press and won the 1967 Wheels magazine Car of the Year award. The VF series of 1969 and the VG of 1970 departed even further from its North American donor both in terms of styling and performance—with the latter series introducing the Hemi-6 engine that replaced the Slant-6. Moreover, Australia continued to produce a station wagon model, called the Safari, even after this body style was discontinued for North America. Beginning in 1971, the VH series saw Chrysler Australia develop the entire lineup locally including the Charger. Local design and production continued until the CM series of 1979, which marked the end of local production in 1981, after the takeover of operations by Mitsubishi Motors Australia.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Chrysler Royal

All Chrysler Valiant data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

First generation

=== RV1 (R Series) === After the Plymouth Valiant turned out to be a success in the United States (starting with its 1959 introduction), Chrysler released Australia's first locally assembled Valiant, the RV1 (R-series). It was officially unveiled by South Australia's Premier, Sir Thomas Playford, in January 1962 and was assembled at Chrysler's Mile End facility. The RV1 (or R Series) Valiant became successful quickly. Not all considered the styling good, but the general consensus was that the car had a modern quality reminiscent of the space age to it. Also notable was the Valiant's performance with 145 brake horsepower (108 kW) from the 225 Slant-6 engine. This was a lot of power compared to the competing Holdens and Fords, which offered only 75 bhp (56 kW) and 90 bhp (67 kW) SAE respectively. Standard transmission in the RV1 was a floor-shifted three-speed manual with a non-synchro first gear. A button-operated three-speed TorqueFlite automatic was optional. Other options included a heater-demister unit, as well as a "Moparmatic" deluxe pushbutton transistor radio. The RV1 Valiant was the first Australian car to come with an alternator instead of a generator, and instead of coil springs, the Valiant came with torsion bar suspension. Brakes were hydraulic 9" drums front and rear. The RV1 had a simulated spare wheel outline on the bootlid, but the spare wheel was actually under the floor of the boot. The base model was sold for £1299. SV1 (S Series). In March 1962, Chrysler replaced the American 1961-model R Valiant with the American 1962 SV1 (S Series) Valiant. The SV1 used the same body shell as the RV1, with cosmetic changes including the deletion of the simulated spare wheel on the bootlid, and round tail lamps replacing the R-model's cat-eye shaped ones. There was

Second generation

=== AP5 Series === On 30 May 1963, Chrysler Australia produced the first fully Australian manufactured Valiant, the AP5. In February of that year, Chrysler Australia had begun work on its new $36 million Tonsley Park facility in South Australia, where it could boost annual production to 50 thousand cars. The new plant produced its first Valiants on 31 March 1964. The AP5 ("AP" for Australian Production) was an entirely new design with only the four doors, windscreen, and front guards shared with its North American counterpart. Initial cars retained the left-hand-drive wiper pattern but this was soon changed to a RHD layout. The Slant-6 driveline was retained, but the AP5 was considerably more straightforward in styling than its R- and S-model antecedents. With high local content and specifications optimised for local conditions, this new Valiant strengthened the brand's position in the marketplace. A new upmarket Regal version was included in the range. In November 1963 an AP5 Safari station wagon was released. Total production of the AP5 range amounted to 49,440 vehicles. AP6 Series. In March 1965, the AP5 was supplanted by the AP6. The body shell was the same, but there was a new grille on the theme of the 1964 North American Plymouth Barracuda, and there was new trim inside and out. The automatic transmission was no longer controlled by pushbuttons, but instead by a conventional shift lever. The AP6 also included other new features such as self-adjusting brakes and acrylic enamel paint, at the time the most advanced auto finish available. The AP6 model range included the Valiant Wayfarer, the first Valiant-based coupe utility to be built by Chrysler Australia. The AP6 was the first Australian-built Valiant to be offered with a V8 engine – the 273 cu in (4.47 L) LA

Third generation

=== VE Series === This Valiant was an all-new design introduced in October 1967, based on the North American platform, which had a 108 in (2,700 mm) wheelbase. The bonnet and guards were shared with the also-new 1967 North American Dodge Dart, with other styling cues otherwise inherited from the North American Valiant. The car featured slightly larger body dimensions and greater interior space than the preceding VC Series. The roofline was also flattened out and the rear window was given a concave profile. Higher levels of standard equipment were featured and two engine options became available. The basic Slant-6 was retained with its 145 bhp (108 kW) rating, but a new 2-barrel carbureted version was released with output of 160 bhp (120 kW). The 273 V8 was also improved and made available across the entire Valiant range. Other upgrades included the introduction of a larger 64-litre (14 imp gal; 17 US gal) fuel tank, shorter gear lever throw on the manual gearbox, relocation of the dipswitch from under the brake pedal to the high left of the firewall, and the windscreen wiper motor was relocated to the engine side of the firewall – greatly reducing wiper noise. All models benefited from additional safety features (some compulsory under new Australian Design Rules, or ADRs) such as dual circuit brakes with a tandem master cylinder, double sided safety rims, front seat belts and front power disc brakes on V8 models. The VE range consisted of Valiant & Valiant Regal sedans, Valiant Safari & Valiant Regal Safari station wagons and Valiant, Valiant Wayfarer & Dodge utilities, the latter being a lower-priced version of the Valiant utility. The flagship model followed on from the AP6 and VC V8 theme, being similarly equipped with bucket seats, floor shift automatic, and vinyl

Fourth generation

=== VH Series === Chrysler released the VH Valiant range in June 1971. The VH was designed by Chrysler in the United States with input from Australian engineers to be an Australia-only model range. It was a major change from the preceding VG range – these were larger cars, styled to look even larger than they were. The grille treatment on the new VH range was a direct design descendant from the US Mopars with the central recessed area for grille and headlamps, surrounded by uninterrupted trim on the outer leading edge of the whole assembly. The rectangular headlamps were carried over from the VG model. The model range of the VH Valiant was quite extensive, starting with the new entry-level Valiant Ranger, and progressing to Valiant Ranger XL, Valiant Pacer, Valiant Regal, and Valiant Regal 770. Carried over from the VG range, the basic Hemi-6 245ci engine was standard equipment for Ranger XL and Regal, but a new 265 cu in (4.3 L) version offered 203 bhp (151 kW) and was standard equipment for the Regal 770. The Fireball 318 V8 engine was still an option, but only available on the Regal 770 sedan. The basic Ranger sedan featured a new low compression Hemi-6 215ci engine that operated on Standard grade petrol. This engine was not available on the other sedan cars in the VH range. Unlike the VG range, Valiant Pacer was now only available in 4-door sedan form. Apart from vivid paint colours, optional bonnet blackouts and striping, the new Pacer featured a higher performance version of the 265ci engine, with 218 bhp (163 kW) at 4,800 rpm and 273 lbf⋅ft (370 N⋅m) at 3,000 rpm. The Pacer could run the quarter-mile in 15.9 seconds, get to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 185 km/h. In fact, at its release, the VH Valiant Pacer set the record for being the faste

Motorsport

Although the Charger is arguably the best remembered Valiant in Australian motorsport, earlier models achieved class wins at the annual "Bathurst 500" production car race, something that the Charger never did. A Valiant AP5 won Class D at the 1963 Armstrong 500, a VC Valiant V8 won Class D at the 1966 Gallaher 500 and a VG Valiant Pacer won Class D at the 1970 Hardie-Ferodo 500. Chargers were raced in the Hardie-Ferodo 500 at Bathurst in 1971 and 1972 with factory support. They gained a best placing of third outright and second in class in 1972. Chrysler's policy was to race "Australian made" product, which meant the race cars ran 4.3 L (265 cu in) six-cylinder engines equipped with triple Weber carburettors and 3-speed gearboxes. Even skilled driving and good engineering could not defeat Ford's legendary Falcon GTHO Phase III with its 351 cu in (5.75 L) V8. In New Zealand, however, the Chryslers proved to be virtually unbeatable from 1971 to 1979 at the famous B&H 500-mile (later 1000 km) series at Pukekohe Park Raceway. The most successful drivers were Leo Leonard and Jim Little, who still races his Valiants (mostly pre-65 class).

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Chrysler Valiant
aka: Chrysler Charger (1975–1978), Chrysler Regal (1976–1981), Dodge Utility
Manufacturer: Chrysler Australia (1962–1980), Mitsubishi Australia (1980–1981)
Class: Full-size
Production: 1962–1981
Assembly: Australia: Mile End, South Australia (1962–1964), Australia: Tonsley Park, South Australia (1964–1981), New Zealand: Petone (Todd Motors Group: 1963–1979)
Predecessor: Chrysler Royal
Successor: Mitsubishi Magna
Body style: 4-door sedan, 5-door station wagon , 2-door hardtop, 2-door coupe, 2-door coupe utility , 2-door sedan delivery (panel van)
Related: Chrysler VIP, Chrysler by Chrysler