The first Valiant V-200 wagons wore no Plymouth badge at all. For 1960, Chrysler sold its new compact simply as the Valiant, and it only became a Plymouth model afterward. Even so, that plain little car went on to carry Plymouth’s compact business for 17 model years.
The Valiant ran from 1960 through 1976. Along the way, it introduced the slant-six engine, picked up V8 power and moved from quirky to quietly conservative. Few people call it exciting, yet the best ones were clever, honest and built to last.
These are our nine picks, one Valiant from each key chapter, chosen as the photos show them. Together they show what Plymouth’s compact could really do when the company got the details right.
1. 1960 Valiant V-200 Suburban
Chrysler’s styling chief Virgil Exner shaped the first Valiant, and Hagerty’s profile of the 1960 Valiant V-200 calls him “clearly the father of the Valiant.” Under the skin, the car used unibody construction and torsion-bar front suspension. Its new slant six displaced 170.9 cubic inches and made 101 hp at 4,400 rpm.
Sedans came first, and wagons like this V-200 arrived later in the 1960 model year. The V-200 trim added nicer three-color upholstery, two-tone door panels and bright side moldings. At $2,546, the nine-passenger V-200 wagon was the priciest 1960 Valiant, and Hagerty counts only 4,675 built.
In our view, this is the purest Valiant of all. It is odd-looking, practical and completely its own thing, which is exactly why it opens our list.
2. 1961 Plymouth Valiant V200 2-door hardtop
For 1961, the Valiant officially joined the Plymouth family, and the lineup grew. Plymouth added a two-door sedan and a pillarless two-door hardtop like the one pictured. Meanwhile, the three-seat, nine-passenger wagon left the range.
The bigger news sat under the hood. According to the Valiant chronology at valiant.org, a 225-cubic-inch slant six became a mid-year option on the V200. The same club history records two 1961 test cars averaging more than 95 mph in a four-hour endurance run.
Plymouth sold 143,078 Valiants that year. Our take: the hardtop turned a sensible compact into something you would want to be seen in, and the 225 gave it the muscle to match. That combination set the template for every good Valiant that followed.
3. 1963 Plymouth Valiant V-200 Signet convertible
Plymouth gave the Valiant a complete reskin for 1963, with a wheelbase half an inch shorter than before. The odd Exner curves gave way to crisp, square lines. As a result, the car suddenly looked like the mainstream compact it had become.
That year, buyers could order hardtops and convertibles in both V200 and Signet trim. The new look worked, too, because sales jumped to 225,056. Early in 1963, Plymouth also dropped the die-cast aluminum-block 225 slant six, after building more than 50,000 since late 1961. We compared it with its closest rival in how the 1963 Falcon and Valiant aged.
In our view, the Signet convertible is the most fun body Plymouth ever put on the Valiant. It is light, simple and handsome with the top down. A Valiant V-200 Signet convertible is the one we’d pick for a summer weekend.
4. 1964 Plymouth Valiant Signet 200 coupe
Plymouth introduced the Signet name in 1962 on a two-door hardtop, and it brought bucket seats to the Valiant for the first time. By 1964, the Signet 200 sat at the top of the Valiant range. However, the year’s big step came under the hood.
In mid-1964, Plymouth made a 273-cubic-inch V8 optional, rated at 180 bhp. For the first time, a Valiant owner could have eight cylinders. We told that story in more detail in when Plymouth introduced the Valiant Signet 273.
Our take: a V8 Signet 200 coupe is the Valiant that finally matched its looks with real go. It kept the compact’s light feel, yet it no longer had to apologize at a stoplight. That’s why we’d hunt for one with the 273.
5. 1965 Plymouth Valiant 100
The Valiant 100 was the base model, with minimal trim and a plain cabin. For 1965, Plymouth made few styling changes. Instead, it put its effort into a hotter V8 for the range, the four-barrel Commando 273, rated at 235 bhp.
Meanwhile, the valiant.org records list 167,153 Valiants sold for 1965, plus 64,596 Barracudas. The fastback Barracuda drew the headlines, but the plain Valiant did most of the selling. Cars like this black 100 were the backbone of that total.
In our view, the Valiant 100 shows how much Plymouth packed into a modest price. It has the same tough unibody and slant six as the dressier cars, minus the chrome. We’d happily own one for its honesty alone.
6. 1967 Plymouth Valiant 200
Plymouth redesigned the Valiant from the ground up for 1967. The new car rode a 108-inch wheelbase and came only as a two-door or four-door sedan. Wagons, hardtops and convertibles all left the range, while the Barracuda became its own model.
The base slant six also got stronger, because the 170 rose from 101 to 115 bhp that year. Plymouth sold 108,969 Valiants for 1967. In short, the car had become a no-nonsense family sedan with a clean, boxy shape.
Our take: the 1967 Valiant 200 is where the car became the tough, simple compact many families remember. It rarely made headlines, yet it kept owners on the road year after year. That kind of honest work earns its place here.
7. 1968 Plymouth Valiant Signet 2-door sedan
For 1968, the Valiant got its biggest engine yet. Plymouth added the 318-cubic-inch V8 at 230 hp as an option for the first time. At the same time, the 273 gained hydraulic lifters and rose to 190 hp.
The two-door Signet sedan wrapped that power in the dressiest trim left in the lineup. The base engine was now a 115 hp slant six, with a 145 hp six as an option. Plymouth sold 110,825 Valiants that year.
In our view, a 318 Signet two-door is one of the smartest classic buys in the Mopar world. It is light, easy to fix and fast enough to surprise. We’d take one over many pricier muscle cars for daily fun.
8. 1971 Plymouth Valiant sedan
By 1971, the Valiant had a busy family around it. In 1970, the Duster coupe replaced the two-door Valiant sedan. Then, for 1971, Plymouth added the Scamp, a badge-engineered version of the Dodge Dart Swinger.
The four-door sedan pictured here was the plain Valiant of the bunch. The Valiant sold 42,660 copies that year, against 173,592 Dusters and 48,253 Scamps. Earlier, in 1970, a 198-cubic-inch slant six had replaced the 170 in most models.
Our take: this plain sedan is the unsung hero of the family. While the Duster stole the showroom, the four-door Valiant did the daily work. Owners rarely asked more of it than a cold start and a steady drive, and it delivered.
9. 1975 Plymouth Valiant Custom
For 1975, Plymouth slotted a new Custom sedan between the base Valiant and the plush Brougham. The car also got a new fine-mesh grille. A year earlier, the sedan had moved to the longer Dart and Scamp wheelbase, so the late Valiant had more room inside.
Buyers responded, because the Valiant sold 118,532 units for 1975. The Brougham had already proved the point in 1974, with 16,311 sold. Clearly, plenty of people wanted compact size with a bit of comfort.
In our view, the Custom is the best late Valiant to own, because it balances comfort with simplicity. It closed the story on a strong note. The Plymouth Volaré replaced the Valiant during 1976, its last U.S. model year, when it sold 32,901 copies.
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