Plymouth Valiant V8 – Tire-Shredding Burnout

A Plymouth Valiant was never supposed to be a burnout car, but Chrysler’s compact-fit 273 V8 changed the compact sedan’s reputation the moment it arrived in 1964. From a modest 180-horsepower debut to the hotter 235-horsepower Commando 273, this small-block became the foundation of Chrysler’s entire LA-series V8 family. Watch what happens when that engine gets asked to do something Chrysler never intended.

This guy is crazy…

Nobody buys a Plymouth Valiant expecting a burnout machine, that’s precisely what makes this one so entertaining to watch. Chrysler built the Valiant as sensible, economical transportation, the kind of compact family car that was never supposed to need a V8 at all. But in 1964, Chrysler dropped its all-new 273 cubic-inch V8 into the Valiant lineup, and everything about the car’s reputation started to shift. What started as a way to give a small car a little more get-up-and-go eventually turned into something closer to what’s happening in this cloud of tire smoke. How much horsepower does it actually take to make a Valiant behave like this?

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A Small-Block Built for a Small Car

Chrysler’s 273 V8 arrived mid-1964, engineered specifically to fit the compact A-body engine bay, and it became the first member of the long-running Chrysler LA engine family that would remain in production in various forms until 2002. In its original form the 273 made a modest 180 horsepower, but for 1965 Chrysler introduced the Commando 273, a hotter version rated at 235 horsepower thanks to 10.5:1 compression, a four-barrel carburetor, a performance camshaft, and low-restriction exhaust.

From Grocery-Getter to Giant-Killer

Plymouth even backed a factory rally effort with Valiant two-door sedans in the SCCA Manufacturers Rally Championships during 1965 and 1966, proving the small car with a V8 could hang with more serious competition. Today, Valiants running the 273, especially in Commando trim, remain popular with enthusiasts precisely because the small-block’s light weight over the front wheels keeps the car nimble even as the rear tires are giving up completely, which is exactly the kind of imbalance that produces a burnout like this one.

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