Chrysler Australia Valiant AP6
Chrysler Australia Ltd was established in June 1951, initially assembling North American Chrysler passenger cars and trucks, including the Plymouth Cranbrook, Dodge Kingsway and De Soto Diplomat. A coupe utility variant was also developed by Chrysler Australia and this was marketed in nine different versions. In 1957, the badge-engineered marques were consolidated into one car—the Chrysler Royal. This was a facelifted version of the 1954 Plymouth, and it was to continue in production until 1963.
After the Plymouth Valiant turned out to be a success in the United States, Chrysler released Australia's first locally assembled Valiant, the RV1 (R-series). Notable was the Valiant's performance with 145 brake horsepower from the 225 Slant-6 engine. This was far greater than competing Holdens (75 bhp) and Fords (90 bhp). Standard transmission was a floor-shifted three-speed manual with a non-synchro first gear. A pushbutton-operated three-speed TorqueFlite automatic was optional.
In March 1962 the 1961-model R Valiant was replaced by the American 1962 SV1 (S Series) Valiant. The SV1 used the same body shell as the RV1, the most obvious change being the deletion of the simulated spare wheel on the bootlid, and the relocation of the manual transmission shifter to the steering column.
In May 1963 Chrysler Australia produced the first fully Australian manufactured Valiant, the AP5. The AP5 was an entirely new design with only the four doors, windscreen, and front guards shared with its North American counterpart. A new upmarket Regal version was included in the range, and in November 1963 an AP5 Safari station wagon was released.
In March 1965 the AP6 was introduced. The body shell was the same, but there was a new grille and there was new trim inside and out. The automatic transmission was no longer controlled by pushbuttons, but instead by a conventional shift lever. The AP6 model range included the Valiant Wayfarer, the first Valiant-based coupe utility to be built by Chrysler Australia. The AP6 was the first Australian-built Valiant to be offered with a V8 engine, which was only available as a model in its own right, the V8 Valiant. It came with a vinyl-covered roof, individual bucket seats, floor console mounted automatic shift lever and two-tone steering wheel.
The VC Valiant was introduced in March 1966 and, although underneath it was the same as the preceding AP6 Series, the body was extensively restyled giving the illusion of being longer and lower. The range consisted of the Valiant standard or Regal sedan, standard or Safari Regal wagon and Wayfarer utility. All cars had higher standard equipment levels as well as new safety features, such as optional disc brakes on V8 models, which were named 'Valiant V8/Safari V8'.
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