Chrysler Valiant
 
 
Australia’s first Valiant, the R series was basically a copy of Chrysler America’s Plymouth of 1961. The standard transmission was a 3- speed manual. The auto was optional and was controlled by buttons on the RH corner of the dash. The “R” was overtaken by the “S” series in the same year. The S series had minor cosmetic changes with the introduction of round tail lights and the removal of the fake tyre cover, also the manual shifter was relocated to column shift.

 

The AP5 was the next model and was released in 1963. The abbreviated AP stands for “Australian Production” because Chrysler was now building their cars in Australia, not just assembling them. This model only shared 6 body panels with its American counter part and was still running the same running gear as the S series.

 

The AP6 was released in March 1965, which introduced self adjusting brakes and the arrival of the American 273 V8. This model removed the push button auto and replaced it with a lever mounted on the column.

 

The VC was released in 1966, with its squarish look. It had a grille which consisted of 6 full length chrome bars. Its boot was squared off and the indicators were located within the bumper bar. The tail lights were also stacked vertically.

 

The VE was released in 1967 and it looked similar to the American Dodge Dart. Valiant received the Wheels Car of the Year award in 1967 for the VE which also introduced new safety features such as dual speed wipers and dual circuit braking.

 

The VF was introduced in 1969, with a new grille, lights, dash and air conditioning. A larger V8 (318) was also available with this model but only came with the automatic transmission.

 

The VG range was released in 1970 with the introduction of the 4 litre HEMI engine.

 

In 1971 the VH was launched with the arrival of the short wheelbase, fast back charger. This model won the Wheels Car of the Year award for 1971 and was labeled the most attractive Australian car ever produced.

 

The VJ in 1973 overtook the VH and the Charger range was reduced to just 3 models. The Std, XL and the 770. The VJ unveiled higher equipment levels, round headlights, a new grille and new tail lights.

 

The VK range was introduced in 1975 with only 2 models, the XL or the 770. The VK came with new switchgear, brake proportioning and all new 2 barrel carbies.

 

The last 2 Australian Valiant models were the CL and the CM respectively. They both came with dual headlights and a new grille with the engine options reduced to a 245, 265 and 318.

 

At the end of this, the E49 Charger still retains its position as the quickest accelerating car ever made in Australia by a major company.

 

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