1970 CHRYSLER VALIANT

1970 CHRYSLER VALIANT VF.
The Chrysler Valiant was a full-size car which was sold by Chrysler Australia between 1962 and 1981. Initially a rebadged locally assembled Plymouth Valiant from the United States, from the second generation launched in 1963, the Valiant was fully manufactured in Australia. It was sold locally but also in New Zealand and South Africa, with smaller numbers also exported to South-East Asia and the United Kingdom.

Parent company Chrysler made a substantial investment in Australian manufacturing facilities, by establishing operations in South Australia with an assembly plant at Tonsley Park in 1964 and an engine foundry at Lonsdale in 1968. The Valiant thus established its position as the third of the "Big 3" Australian-made vehicles behind the Holden Kingswood and Ford Falcon.

The Australian Valiant was built on the North American A-body platform but with many parts and components from Australian suppliers. In September 1969 the two-door Hardtop was released and in 1971 the Charger.

The VF Valiant was a facelifted version of the VE Valiant, featuring four new quarter panels, new lights and a new grille. Parking and indicator lights were now mounted above the headlights. Seating, safety features and soundproofing were improved, Pacer and Regal 770 models were new and a hardtop body style was offered for the first time.

The hardtop combined the VF Valiant front, from the A-pillar forward, with the rear of the US Dodge Dart. This included the Dart floorpan with its 112-inch wheelbase.

VF Series
The Chrysler VF Valiant was produced in Australia by Chrysler Australia from 1969 to 1970. It was released in March 1969, replacing the Chrysler VE Valiant. The new car shared its middle section with the previous VE Valiant, but there was new front and rear styling. The new front end featured a horizontally convex grille, replacing the VE's concave design. The front indicators were placed at the top leading edge of the front guards rather than in a more conventional location in the grille or front bumper. This allowed the VF's front bumper to be thinner and less prominent, which made the single round headlights look larger, and the front end appeared more aggressive as a result.

Valiant and Valiant Regal models were once again available, and the VF range also saw the introduction of the Valiant Regal 770 and an upgraded VIP model. The VF VIP was introduced two months after the Valiant range and was no longer a Valiant V.I.P. but was now marketed as a Chrysler VIP, in sedan form only. It offered a stretched (112 inches or 2,800 millimetres) wheelbase, with longer rear doors than the Valiant. As with previous model changes, the VF boasted even more safety features including a padded instrument panel and energy absorbing steering column.
A larger 5.2L (318 ci) version of the LA V8 replaced the 273, taking the V8's top speed to 109 mph (175 km/h). Transmission options remained the same: three-speed manual or three-speed TorqueFlite automatic.

The most significant introduction to the VF range was the all new two-door Valiant Hardtop — essentially, a North American Dodge Dart coupé with the Australian Valiant front sheetmetal and interior trim. At over 5,000 mm (200 in), it is the longest coupe ever built in Australia. Released six months after the other VF Valiants in September 1969, it was available in Valiant, Valiant Regal and Valiant Regal 770 models.

In mid 1969, Chrysler released a fast four-door named Valiant Pacer. A low-cost, high-power version of the bread-and-butter Valiant sedan, the Pacer featured a high-performance six-cylinder engine and three-speed manual gearbox with floor shifter. Despite a lack of exterior chrome, the VF Pacer stood out with its red and black grille, simulated-mag wheel hub caps, special body striping, 'Pacer 225' decals, and choice of "Wild Blue", "Wild Red", or "Wild Yellow" exterior colours. The sparsely trimmed interior featured high back bucket seats, and distinctive black on white instrument dials with a dash-top-mounted tachometer. Although lacking the V8 of its rivals, the Pacer could reach almost 180 km/h (112 mph) and, at $2798, was $400 cheaper than the base GTS Monaro. The Pacer was powered by a special version of the trusty 225 Slant-6. With two-barrel carburettor, high-flow exhaust system, and 9.3:1 compression ratio, it produced 175 bhp (130 kW). Standard brakes were finned, servo-assisted drum brakes all round, although most buyers opted for the optional front discs.

Underneath was Valiant's basic torsion bar suspension, lowered by 125 mm (5 in) to improve handling and with a front anti-sway bar fitted. A 'Sure-Grip' limited-slip differential with either 3.23:1 or 2.92:1 ratios was optional.

In 1969, Chrysler's market share reached 13.7%. In total, 52,944 VF Valiants were built.

CC rating: 5,899cc 360 ci (5.9L) V8

NZ First Registration: 20-Jul-1970