1961 Plymouth Valiant 2 Door Coupe (RHD)

Description

Valiant is a nameplate familiar to Australians as the mainstay of Chrysler’s local production here, but in fact the nomenclature first appeared in the USA, in 1960. Although it was originally a stand-alone model as Chrysler’s first entry into the ‘compact’ market, by 1961 it was branded a Plymouth and was in fact the very car that Australia’s original Valiant was derived from. Legendary designer Virgil Exner penned a four-door sedan with distinctive styling that included a raked rear window which continued his ‘Forward Look’ styling. The Valiant A-body platform utilised “unibody” rather than “body-on-frame” construction, with a welded-in front understructure and stressed front sheet metal. The fenders, quarter panels, floor and roof all contributed to the stiffness of the body shell. The Valiant debuted with an all-new six-cylinder overhead-valve engine, the famous Slant-Six in either 170cui or 225cui capacity. Its inline cylinders were uniquely canted 30 degrees to the right, permitting a lower bonnet, and the water pump was shifted from front to alongside, shortening engine length. The front suspension was unequal length control arms with torsion bars, while the rear suspension used a live axle supported by asymmetric leaf springs. For 1961, new two-door sedan and hardtop models were launched, sharing the same mechanicals as the four-door. Interior and exterior trim were revised across the range, as was the paint treatment to the grille, while mechanically there were new carburettors, the alternator was relocated, and dealer-installed air conditioning was available for the first time. The Plymouth Valiant model was ultimately produced from 1960 to 1976.