Every now and then, we find a classic for sale that we think might pique the curiosity of our readers, spend a few hours researching the wider history of the car, source photographs from our own libraries as well as look for old brochures or adverts online, put the pieces together to create what we hope will be an interesting article and schedule it, only to find that the car is so attractive to at least one buyer that it’s sold before publication. This is one such instance, so if you were really interested in perhaps buying our featured car this week, apologies…it’s already gone to a new home…
Our Prime Find “Convertible Season” continues during what is of course perversely the very opposite of the actual convertible season in the Northern Hemisphere – we’ve even had some snow here in the South East corner of England for the first time this winter, enough to see snowmen being built and children young and old sledging down any suitable incline. Nevertheless, we shall persist in dreaming of the summer….
The Plymouth Valiant (wait for it) started life in the US in 1959 as the company’s attempt to gain a foothold in what was still a small but growing compact car market. The VW Beetle was already well established in the US, and by the early 1960’s American entrants into the sector included the Chevrolet Corvair, Ford Falcon and Studebaker Lark, and all these were quite a bit bigger than any Beetle – indeed, the Valiant had a footprint measuring 15 feet 4inches (4.67m) inches in length and 5 feet 10 inches (1.79m) in width meant that though compact by full-size US standards, it was still pretty large in European and Japanese terms.
Some contemporary alternatives to our Prime Find
At first, the Valiant was called just that – the Valiant – as a stand-alone brand, but the Plymouth name was put in front of it by 1961, only for it to be removed for the 1962 model year and finally re-introduced in 1964, where it stayed – in the US, at least.
Body styles initially included 2-and-4 door saloons, and four door estates, with power coming from either a 2.8-litre or 3.7-litre six-cylinder unit, with their six cylinders slanted at 30 degrees to the right to enable a lower bonnet line. The smaller engine produced a humdrum 101bhp, rising to a more respectable145bhp for the larger unit. Power output was increased still further with the option of a 180bhp V8 powerplant offered from 1964. Styling carried strong hints of the US manufacturer’s 1950’s obsession with fins, though in the Valiant’s case, they were relatively modest, and there was quite a lot of detail such as the spare wheel compartment designed into the boot lid and distinctive swage lines at each end of the car.
As usual with American cars, there were annual model changes, too many to go into here, but the first re-skinning of the Valiant took place for 1963, and this brings us a step closer to our Prime Find. The new body was cleaner, more subtle but not bland, with a forward-pointing ”V” line running most of the length of the car. A 2-door convertible was added to the range, and the new model sold better than the first generation.
The Valiant wasn’t just a car for the USA, however; indeed, it could be said it was an early “World Car”, built as it was in Argentina, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand and Canada. In all of these markets, the Plymouth name was replaced by Chrysler, although the cars were to all intents and purposes badge-engineered Plymouth Valiants, and also shared many parts with contemporary Dodge Dart models.
Some of the cars built in Canada were exported as knock-down kits in RHD form, so it’s probable that our car is one of these, rather than an Australian import, despite the fact that Valiants built in Australia were RHD anyway, since it seems that no convertibles were built Down Under – odd, when you consider their climate.
Just to confuse matters further, while the number plate on our Prime Find shows the Canadian province of Ontario – where the Windsor plant that built these cars was located – at the top, it says Jaywick Sands at the bottom, which is not in Ontario but is in fact a small coastal town in the UK, in Essex, which would match with the dealer’s statement that the car was supplied new in the UK. So, Doctor Watson, what we appear to have here is a Chrysler Valiant built in Windsor, Ontario, assembled from a knock-down kit in RHD form, and first registered in Essex…I think.
So while it’s hard to be absolutely sure of our Prime Find’s origin based on the info available, what is certain is that we have here a very unusual sight on UK roads and I would venture, roads anywhere (?). There are just seven Valiants of all types on the road in this country, with another six SORN’d, so whoever buys this car can be assured they won’t run into many others at classic events – indeed, the only Valiant of any kind that I’ve seen in the UK was a 1974 V8 Charger derivative, of Australian origin.
Our Prime Find is badged as a Valiant Signet, the Signet brand being reserved for the top of the range Valiants – I can’t see a Chrysler badge in the photos, although the DVLA has it listed as one – and is very different to our last three convertible PF’s in pretty much every respect other than it is a soft-top.
It’s much bigger, of course, and has no sporting pretensions whatsoever, despite coming with a significantly larger engine than the other three. It’s not only bigger, but obviously heavier, so despite the relatively big 6-cylinder engines, performance is mediocre, with a theoretical top speed of 160kmh (99mph) and the 0-100kmh saunter in 12.7 seconds, pretty unexciting for a 3.7 litre car, but then, this is a car for top-down cruising in the sun with your family or friends, not leaving tyre marks at traffic lights.
Finished in a very summery pale blue, with pale grey upholstery, it’s a full five-seater, and comes with a power-operated hood, a level of sophistication well beyond our previous convertible Prime Finds. According to the Essex-based dealer, this Valiant is “in excellent order throughout”, having been in the care of the same owner for the past 37 years, and it comes with an extensive history file which should be able to confirm if the indicated 82,000 miles is genuine.
The asking price was £10,950 or near offer, and the quick sale of a car only listed last week would indicate that someone somewhere spotted what they considered a bargain – we hope they enjoy many miles of Valiant motoring!
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us be inspired by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk w