Jalopnik: Valiant

1969 Dodge Dart

Murilee Martin — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EDT

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Dodge Darts are very common on the Alameda street; we've seen a '64 coupe, a '64 wagon, a '69 convertible, another '69 convertible, a '70 sedan, and a '75 Swinger so far, and that's not even counting the Valiant siblings. By comparison, Falcons and Novas are quite rare. Clearly, that Slant Six is an engine to be reckoned with!

I found this car parked between the '69 Olds Cutlass convertible and the '56 Morris (all three cars are owned by the same person), and right across the street from the '54 Ford and '47 Plymouth. Yes, it's that kind of block.

Two doors, vinyl top, original black plates- great to see this car still going strong. While it most likely has a Slant Six, it was possible to buy this car new with a 383 or 440 big-block and experience the joys of zero header clearance.

First 300 DOTS Vehicles • DOTS FAQ

1961 Plymouth Valiant V-200

Murilee Martin — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:00:00 EDT

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Today we're returning to a block that's given us quite a few DOTS favorites, including the '46 Chevy truck, the Fieroborghini, and the '62 Corvair van. Just around the corner are a couple more: the '87 560SL and the '65 Thunderbird. I see this Valiant all over town, and it's obviously its owner's primary means of transportation. You can't say that about most 47-year-old cars!

We saw a red '61 V-200 4-door more than a year ago, and I'll bet another one or two live on the island.

The '61 V-200 4-door with base 170ci Slant Six engine listed at $2,110. That was 136 bucks more than the '61 Falcon, $142 more than the Corvair, and $216 more than the Rambler American. But you got one of the most reliable engines ever to come out of Detroit and a level of chrome and crazy lines not often seen on entry-level machines, before or since.

First 300 DOTS Vehicles • DOTS FAQ

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Murilee Martin — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:00:00 EDT

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. It's been a couple months since we last saw a Chrysler A body in this series, which means we're due. Instead of a Valiant or Dart, however, we're going with the third DOTS Plymouth Barracuda (after this '65 and this '67).

The A-body Barracuda (not to be confused with the 1970-74 E-body versions) started out as a Valiant with a huge fastback rear window. Most of the '65s were powered by the super-indestructo Slant Six, but you could also get a 273 V8 by handing a few extra bucks to your friendly Plymouth dealer.

This one is pretty nice, and it still gets used as transportation. I often see it parked next to the Corolla FX16, and I suspect both cars belong to the same household.

It wasn't quite as sporty-looking as the hot new Mustang, but the price was pretty good: $2,535 with the V8 versus $2,751 for the Mustang fastback with the 289 V8.

First 300 DOTS Vehicles • DOTS FAQ

1967: The Dawn Of A New Day For Plymouth

Murilee Martin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

"Dawn Of A New Day" sounds much better than "Plymouth: Only 34 Years To Go," though of course Chrysler's marketers at the time had no idea that the Plymouth brand would barely outlive the current century. What we have here is the '67 Belvedere (a "whale of a lot of car for the money"), the "rich-looking compact" '67 Valiant and the '67 Fury, whose "beauty and luxury make it hard to believe you're in the low-price field." Hmm, for a minute there we were thinking we were actually listening to Chrysler's most recent "new day" marketing campaign. Well, except without the animated kid, of course.

1975 Dodge Dart Swinger

Murilee Martin — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:00:00 EDT

The '65 Barracuda won our Favorite DOTS Chrysler A-Body Poll back in March, but since that time I've found this '75 Dart Swinger. Would the Swinger, with its name conjuring up images of Malaise Era key parties, have triumphed over the Barracuda? Perhaps I'll have another A-body poll, once we've seen a few more of them; until then, we can only speculate.

The Swinger was the name Chrysler put on the 2-door Dart with the Custom mid-level trim package. The Special Edition series was the priciest Dart, though the real hot ticket was the $254 "Hang Ten" package, which got you surfer-esque graphics and tape stripes.

The standard engine on the '75 Dart was the 96-horsepower Slant Six 225, though you could get the Dart 360 Sport with a V8 boasting 200 horses.

This Swinger is in decent condition, with all four hubcaps still present and accounted for and no visible rust. The vinyl top is bad (of course), but other than that it's weathered 33 years quite well.

Ethel Lusts For Slant Six Duster, Mom Worried

Murilee Martin — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT

A woman who feels great passion for a Chrysler A-body with Slant Six power and takes one on a test drive through a corn field? While we're pleased that Ethel has such an excellent sense of priorities, her mother seems hell-bent on getting her to stick a big icepick through her Mopar-loving frontal lobes, find a husband, and settle down for some serious breeding. But then why does Mom take A-body-addicted Ethel to the Duster pusherman?

1970 Dodge Dart, With Bonus A-Body Poll

Murilee Martin — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Is it really possible that it's been two months since our last Mopar A-body in this series? Like air-cooled VWs, Chrysler A-bodies are so plentiful in Alameda that I tend to lose track of when the last time I DOTS-ized one (also like air-cooled VWs, I've owned a few Slant Six A-bodies and feel much affection for them). So here comes a nice solid 4-door Dart, which lives on the same block as the Mercedes-Benz 280SEL that came in second in yesterdays DOTS Benz poll.

The Dart is one of the few vintage Detroit cars in which I prefer the six-cylinder engine to the V8, but then the Slant Six makes even the 318 seem flaky. Of course, a 340/4-speed Dart might convince me to give up the Leaning Tower of Power.
This Dart gets driven every day, and there's no telling how many times its 5-digit odometer has been turned over.
Check out those Buick hubcaps, which actually look pretty good on a Dodge. This car parks in front of a house in which a high-school girlfriend lived back in the day, and I have vivid memories of cutting the engine in my straight-pipe-equipped '58 Beetle about a block away and coasting up to this house in total silence, so I could drop my girlfriend off without tipping off her parents about how late we'd been out. Then, of course, I'd have to push the VW down the street a few doors before firing the 1835cc back up and driving away in as mellow a fashion as a 17-year-old with no mufflers could manage. This is the kind of flashback I get all the time, living in the town in which I grew up.
But enough of my old-time Alameda gibberish- it's poll time! We've had a bunch of A-bodies in this series, and it's time we found out which one is the crowd favorite. Sorry, haven't got a Demon on the list, but I'm keeping my eyes open for one.

First 200 DOTS

1965 Plymouth Barracuda

Murilee Martin — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:30:00 EST

It's about damn time that I found an A-body Barracuda for this series, since some of the baddest cars on the island back when I was in high school were '64-66 Barracudas. The Valiant-based early Barracuda didn't weigh much, so droppping a crazy 340 or 360 in one resulted in something that would hold its own against the Mustangs, Camaros, and Novas (not to mention the big-block GM A-bodies). This example is a little bit rough- well, actually, it's a total beater- but it's still good to see it parked on the street.

It's got an extremely funky paint job, which appears to be done in latex house paint in sort of a two-tone textured application. There's some body rust, but just the usual Bay Area variety caused by rainy winters.

Maybe it wasn't a great idea to paint the grille, but once you get started with a paint roller it's hard to stop. This car probably has a Slant Six (the 225 was standard on the '65 Barracuda), but maybe it has a 273 or better under the hood.

The car has been red-tagged by the APD, which means the neighbors are getting fed up with this car taking up parking space on their block (a woman driving by while I was shooting photos stopped and started reading me the riot act about "my" car and how it never moves). I'm guessing that it doesn't run, and I haven't seen it for a month or so, meaning either it got towed to The Crusher or it now parks somewhere else. I'm hoping it's the latter option.

Hey, three on the tree! A pushbutton automatic would be nice, too.

First 150 DOTS Cars

Chrysler A-Body With Truck Bed Poll: Valiantpage or Demonpage?

Murilee Martin — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:30:00 EST

We've seen all manner of Ford and GM cars with truck beds added, but it's not so easy to find Chrysler cars that have been so equipped. In fact, the last one we saw here was the Chargepage. But now our eagle-eyed readers have spotted not one but two truck-bed-havin' Chrysler A-bodies for sale on eBay, and we need to know which one you'd rather have! First up is this '71 Dodge Dart Demon, which the seller calls a Demonino. Sure, it has no tailgate, but it does keep the Dart taillights. The other choice is this genuine factory '69 Dodge Valiant Ute, direct from Australia. Make the jump to have your say! Thanks to Yuri and LTDScott for the tips.

1969 Dodge Dart GT Convertible, With Bonus DOTS Of The Week Poll

Murilee Martin — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 09:00:00 EST

I've been guilty of Chrysler A-Body neglect once again, despite having quite the backlog of Dart and Valiant photos in my DOTS collection. This isn't because they weren't great cars for their time- cheap, reliable transportation, and pretty quick when equipped with V8 power- but, because I see so many of them in Alameda, I tend to forget that they're quite rare once you leave the island. Today we're going to look at an A-Body you don't see every day, even in Alameda: a Dart GT convertible. After you look at the photos, be sure to vote on your favorite DOTS car this week- Friday is DOTS Poll Day!

The GT was the top trim level for the Dart in 1969, selling for more than the base Coronet 440.

This one is in pretty good shape- not a show car, but a driver in fairly original condition. Too bad it's not a 4-speed car, though it might have a Slant Six. Buyers who opted for the Dart GTS got the 275-horse 340.

The single exhaust suggests that this is indeed a Slant Six car, which would make it fairly rare- most Dart GTs had the V8.

The blacked-out grille was a GT feature, and it looks sharp indeed. All right, that's today's Mopar A-Body; remind me if I go too long without another one!

First 100 DOTS Cars

And, as promised, you get to pick the DOTS car you liked best this week.

1971 Plymouth Valiant

Murilee Martin — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:00:00 EST

A while back, I promised we'd see more Chrysler A-bodies... but it's been over a month since we saw our last one. Poor Darts and Valiants, the wallflowers of their era, slogging along tirelessly for decades with their super-indestructo slant sixes and 318s, yet constantly overlooked in favor of flashier iron. So today we're all going to admire one of Alameda's numerous surviving Valiants.

The coolest thing about the '71 Valiant is that it's the car Spielberg used in The Greatest Valiant Movie of All Time. The only problem with the '71 was that Chrysler had axed the pushbutton shifter by that time.

Sure, the Valiant was a low-priced car, but it still had style.

Generally, if you're willing to apply the Bondo, you're willing to sand it. Primer helps, too. Looks like this car's owner ran out of bodywork ambition early in the project.

You still get a hint of fins in this design, just enough to remind us of the crazy machinery Chrysler was building in the late 50s. Check out the mid-80s CSM parking permits. Vintage!

First 100 DOTS Cars

1973 Plymouth Scamp

Murilee Martin — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:00:00 EDT

Looking at the Alameda cars I've already photographed, I realize that I have shots of six Chrysler A-bodies stored up. This wouldn't be a big deal, but I've only shown a single A-body so far in the series (no, the '77 Volaré was not an A-body). I feel ashamed that I've neglected our Dart, Valiant, and early Barracuda friends, since they show us how Detroit used to get it right: simple and reliable, yet with enough style to keep you from blacking out from boredom. So, get ready for more Mopar A-bodies!

Like, say, this 1973 Plymouth Scamp that I found right off Alameda's main downtown drag.

These Chrysler turn signal indicators always seemed like a great feature; you were way less likely to drive 300 miles with your blinker going if you had these things.

The removal of the vent windows on the Scamp was considered quite the stylish move back then, although I've always thought the old vent windows were very useful. Yeah, they always produced some wind noise, but you just cranked up the AM a bit louder to compensate.

Check out that vinyl top! The strange shape of the back window gives the impression that the passenger compartment is a vacuum, sucking the glass inward.

In '73, you could get Plymouth's version of the A-body with three different nameplates. The Valiant was the sedan, the Duster was the coupe, and the Scamp was the hardtop coupe.

If I go more than a week or two without putting up another Chrysler A-body, remind me. Maybe I'll find one with a turbocharged Slant Six!

Jalopnik Poll: Which Dodge Dart Should Nardelli Build?

Mike Bumbeck — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:30:00 EDT

Of all the facts in a New York Times article focusing on incoming Chrysler fearless leader Robert Nardelli, there was one that caught our eye. Mr. Nardelli's first car out of high school was a 1966 Dodge Dart. As Mr. Nardelli's love for the company dates back to this car, it seems only fitting that he spearhead the campaign to resurrect the mighty Dodge Dart. Whether the new Dodge Dart will feature a hybrid fusion slant six drive that runs on orange peels and coffee grinds will only be told by the future. Vote on which Dart Dodge should build after the jump.

1962 Plymouth Valiant V-200

Murilee Martin — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:00:45 EDT

I keep my eyes open for DOTS cars when I'm out and about on the streets of Alameda, and often I get a flash of something old-looking out of the corner of my eye as I pass a side street. Was that worth going back for? I ask myself; sometimes retro-styled late-models can fool me. In the case of this Valiant, however, I was several blocks away when it caught- and held- my eye with its unmistakable vintage A-body-ness...

The great thing about the early Valiant is the absurd amount of decorative body lines and weird compound curves, something you usually didn't see in a low-priced car from its era.

The V-200 was the midlevel Valiant, between the V-100 and the Signet, and could be had for $2026. This was a bit less than the $2047 charged for the much more subdued 4-door Ford Falcon. And remember, you didn't get the super-indestructo Slant Six with the Falcon!

Damn! Look at that tailight/fin combo, no doubt inspired by a captured UFO from Area 51.

And, of course, the notorious "toilet seat" on the trunk lid. Chrysler needs to bring back the toilet seat! You heard it here first!

The grille is a bit less spacecraft-esque than the rear, but so what? It's sort of mullet-like that way.

If a bright red '62 Valiant didn't have a pushbutton shifter I'd be outraged. Fortunately, it's got one (actually, a floor-shifted 3-speed would have been acceptable as well). So, in addition to bringing back the toilet seat on the trunk lid, Chrysler needs to bring back the pushbutton automatic!

I can't help thinking that this car would look better if it had more rubber filling those big rear wheelwells. Some widened factory steel rims with dog-dish hupcaps and fat tires would be just about right. Oh yeah, and about 20 pounds of turbo boost on the engine- the Slant Six can take it.

Chrysler marketed the '60 Valiants as their own line (like Imperial), but by the time this car was built they had made it a Plymouth. Whatever you call it, I'm just glad you still see them on the road. – Murilee Martin

Year by year history of the Plymouth Valiant [allpar.com]

Duel: The Greatest Plymouth Valiant Movie Of All Time

Murilee Martin — Thu, 10 May 2007 12:30:15 EDT

Before Steven Spielberg went on to make a schmaltzified film version of a pretty good JG Ballard novel, plus some other movies that made a few bucks, he made Duel, a 1971 made-for-TV movie starring Dennis Weaver and a '68 Plymouth Valiant 4-door. Yeah, it's pure cheese, but it's Valiant cheese! Here's the incredibly early-70s-flavored trailer for yez. – Murilee Martin

Classic Ad Watch: Hey Charger!

Murilee Martin — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 09:12:22 EST

No, not that Charger- this is an ad for the Australian-built Chrysler Valiant Charger. Loosely based on the same A-body platform as the American Darts, Valiants, and early Barracudas, the early-to-mid-70s Valiant Charger could be purchased with the 318, 360, or the Hemi Slant Six. – Murilee Martin

More Wayfarer Goodness!

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 01:58:49 EDT

Thanks to reader David, we now know that the Camino was truly invented in Australia as a way for farmers' wives to have a ride they could feel good about when Aussie bankers weren't handing out two-car loans. And it was invented by Ford. But we're not gonna start appending 'Chero to anything that doesn't feature a Blue Oval. Sorry, Bill. We came up on the ElCo and that's where our allegiances lie. But if we had the cash, we would sell out and drive this all day, every day. It's a '71 Valiant Wayfarer from Oz (appropriately enough painted the shade of at least one of the Emerald City's facets) and it's got a 245-inch hemi six. We covet, covet, covet this car, er, truckcar. [Thanks to Bumbeck for the heads-up.]

Valiant Wayfarer Ute Hemi [eBay]

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