22 Facts About Plymouth Valiant

Plymouth Valiant is an automobile which was marketed by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation in the United States from the model years of 1960 through 1976.

Originally named the "Falcon" after Exner's 1955 Chrysler Falcon concept car, the vehicle was renamed the "Plymouth Valiant" honoring Henry Ford II's request to use the name for the Ford Falcon.

Plymouth Valiant was less radical in configuration than General Motors' compact Chevrolet Corvair, which had an air-cooled rear-mounted engine, but was considered more aesthetically daring than the -new Falcon and Studebaker Lark compacts, which had more conventional looks; the Plymouth Valiant boasted a radical design that continued Exner's "Forward Look" styling with "sleek, crisp lines which flow forward in a dart or wedge shape".

The Plymouth Valiant's styling was new, yet with specific design elements that tied it to other contemporary Chrysler products, such as the canted tailfins tipped with cat's-eye shaped tail lamps and the simulated Continental spare tire pressed into the trunk lid that were thematically similar to those on the Imperial and the 300F.

Plymouth Valiant debuted an all-new six-cylinder overhead-valve engine, the famous slant-six.

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Script "Plymouth Valiant" callouts were placed in the center of the deck lid's spare-tire stamping and on each front fender.

The Plymouth Valiant was offered as a two-door hardtop and convertible, a two- or four-door sedan, and a four-door station wagon.

The Plymouth Valiant was sold in Mexico as a "Chrysler Plymouth Valiant" starting with the 1963 model year.

Changes in the 1964 Plymouth Valiant included a restyled front end featuring a new grille with a horizontal bars.

Plymouth Valiant was extremely popular in the US, Canada, and numerous markets outside North America.

Plymouth Valiant was completely redesigned for 1967 model year and the station wagons, hardtops, and convertibles were dropped.

The Plymouth Valiant was virtually unchanged for 1971; small revisions included removal of the center grille emblem and a new kind of finish treatment on the grille surround.

The Seattle Police Department using the Plymouth Valiant A38 reported a 46 percent drop in the preventable accident rate among police officers, and according to a Motor Trend police survey, the A38 Plymouth Valiant had much better evasive capabilities, better overall visibility, and was generally easier to drive than the full-size squad cars.

However, the Plymouth Valiant was not physically durable enough; it lacked additional frame welds and rear cross-member reinforcements standard on all other Mopar A38 packages.

The Plymouth Valiant was a natural choice of basis for Chrysler's efforts in this direction.

In other markets such as Canada and South Africa, where Plymouth Valiant was a marque in its own right, the car remained known as the "Plymouth Valiant Barracuda" until the A-body Barracuda was discontinued after 1969.

Plymouth Valiant introduced a sporty new model for 1970: the two-door fastback Duster.

Canadian Barracuda, badged as the "Plymouth Valiant Barracuda", was built in Canada in 1964 and 1965 but was imported for 1966.

The Mexican Plymouth Valiant lineup included a unique two-door hardtop produced from 1963 to 1969 called the "Acapulco" named after the coastal resort city.

Australian VJ Plymouth Valiant was assembled in South Africa and sold as the Plymouth Valiant J series.

Australian VC, VE, and VF Valiant models were thereafter imported to the U K in saloon and estate form, with the VIP model added in 1969.

Plymouth Valiant is a collectable car today, particularly early models, as they are rarer.