Meet the 1961 Valiant, now a member of the Plymough lineup, as we tour the scenic streets of old San Francisco.
The setting for this 1961 Chrysler Corporation spot is the photogenic city of San Francisco. We cruise in from the North over the Golden Gate Bridge, then take in all the famous Frisco sights: Fisherman’s Wharf, Coit Tower, Chinatown, and Lombard Street, before we ultimately arrive at the posh Fairmont Hotel. “With its rugged Unibody, Valiant will stand up to San Francisco driving for years to come,” declares the announcer, actor Peter Hansen of General Hospital.
Introduced in 1960 as a stand-alone brand at Chrysler, in 1961 the Valiant joined the Plymouth division (see our feature here). A pillarless two-door Hardtop Coupe joined the lineup that year, and it’s featured promininently here along with the four-door Sedan and Station Wagon. Also new for ’61 was optional air conditioning, and at mid-year the larger 225 cubic-inch Slant 6 was offered alongside the standard 170 CID engine. With these nifty features, the Valiant “looks and drives like twice the price,” Chrysler boasted. Video below.
I slightly prefer the Valiant over the Ford Falcon and the Corvair, although it is maybe a little bit weird in appearance, compared to the other two.
A high school classmate had a 1962 Dodge Lancer 2dr HT – a car that, to me, doesn’t seem all that much different than the Valiant. I enjoyed driving that car – peppy, responsive, pretty easy to maneuver and park.
These early Mopar compacts had no cool factor when compared to the Mustangs and early Chevelles dotting the high school parking lots and drive-ins – but, I would be proud to own one in today’s world – weird looking or not.
Watching the video it’s interesting to note how black the center of the lanes on the roads are. I forgot how much, soot, basically, came out of those tailpipes. Roads look different now.
Not soot, but drips from leaky oil seals, and discharge from the road draft tube (pre- positive crankcase ventilation).
My grandfather had one before going back to Fords. I thought then, and still do, that it was one of the ugliest cars Detroit ever produced