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Posts Tagged: Plymouth Valiant

Dodge Dart 1967 images

by Ross Mills

The 1967 Dodge Dart looks like a simple facelift year buried in Mopar’s compact lineup, but underneath that new sheet metal Dodge quietly reengineered the chassis to accept engines the old Dart never could. Wider front track, respaced frame rails, and a redesigned K-member set the stage for the small-block street fighters that would make the Dart name legendary just a couple years later. Add curved side glass, a new dual-circuit brake system, and 154,500 units built, and this transitional year deserves way more credit than the glory-grabbing GTS versions usually get.

Chevrolet Chevy II-1964 images

by Ross Mills

1964 handed the humble Chevy II its first-ever V8 option, a 283 cubic inch small-block available in 195 or 220 horsepower tune, right as the brand-new Chevelle arrived to steal its thunder in the same showroom. Over 25,000 buyers chose the small-block Chevy II anyway, proving this overshadowed compact had more going for it than anyone chasing the flashier new mid-size ever gave it credit for.

Classic orange muscle car with black racing stripes and polished wheels.

Plymouth Valiant 1967 images

by Ross Mills

In 1967, Chrysler spent $61 million splitting one shared platform into three separate cars, the Valiant, Dodge Dart, and Plymouth Barracuda, letting each develop its own identity for the first time. While the Barracuda chased performance buyers, the humble Valiant quietly became one of the most trusted cars in America and helped keep Chrysler solvent for over a decade. Here’s the story behind the compact nobody remembers as exciting, but everybody remembers as reliable.

1965 Plymouth Valiant advertisement showcasing a classic black car with a family inside.

Cars We Remember: Daytona Beach reader remembers his ’65 Plymouth Valiant

by Kiril

A Daytona Beach reader’s memory of his 1965 Plymouth Valiant reveals a rare factory combination most Mopar fans never encountered: a small-block V8, a four-speed manual, and a Hurst shifter in a car built mainly for economy-minded families. Chrysler’s 273 Commando made this compact sedan into an early, overlooked entry in the muscle car story, years before the Duster made performance Valiants familiar. Read on to find out why this specific combination remains one of Mopar’s most undervalued early performance packages.

Black-and-white ad showcasing three Ford Falcon models from 1964.

VINTAGE: 1964 Plymouth Valiant vs Ford Falcon & Mercury Comet

by Wes

Long before Chrysler, Ford, and Mercury were trading horsepower figures in the muscle car wars, they were fighting over compact cars, and this rare Mopar training film pits the Valiant directly against the Ford Falcon and Mercury Comet. Made for dealership staff rather than the buying public, it’s a rawer look at how manufacturers actually sized up the competition. Watch to see the unglamorous platform war that quietly set up everything that came after it.

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