1964 Valiant

 The 1964 Valiant Signet hardtop was as elegant as it was economical. Weighing in at 2,640 pounds, it cost $2,690.

Valiant was the little star that twinkled brightly in Chrysler Canada’s five-star corporate lineup. The smart Euro-styled compact replaced the deleted mid-priced DeSoto brand for the 1960 selling season. Valiant shone most brightly for the Windsor, Ontario-based automaker, bringing in customers who walked out with a fine set of compact wheels. Sales of the Valiant brand rose dramatically from 16^th place in its introduction year to 10^th place in 1962. Nobody was more pleased than Windsor’s top brass when Valiant racked up 29,007 sales in 1963, propelling it from 10^th place to fourth in calendar year sales, knocking out none other than West Germany's Volkswagen Beetle.

Valiant was a marque in Canada, sold by both Plymouth and Dodge dealers. This is a first generation Valiant.

            From St. John’s to Victoria, folks praised their Valiants to high heavens. A Mr. Skilnik of Moncton, New Brunswick was so enamoured with his 1962 Signet he penned a letter to the company. This soldier in Her Majesty’s Royal Canadian Armed Forces had racked up an astonishing 32,000 miles (ancient Canadian units of measure) on his Valiant, accumulating much of that distance across the Dominion, with a Shasta trailer tagging along behind. He didn’t think twice about heading up over the Rockies with his trusty Chryco steed.

The rugged Slant-Six was the mill of choice for the 1964 Valiant. It could be had with 101 or 225 horses. Late in the model year, a V-8 would be added.

The narrow gravel road twisted and turned all the way to the 5,300-foot summit. Silnik wrote, “…the Shell 4000 Rally took the same Cascade route and five of the cars did not make it, but there was I coming through with flying colours hauling a 1,000-pound trailer by a Valiant equipped with the small 101 motor.” Skilnik pointed out that his car was quality built; that total expenses for his Valiant had thus far been only $30 for items other than regularly scheduled maintenance.

Shasta travel trailers appeared in 1941, designed for the US Army.  They were popular with personnel in Her Majesty's Royal Canadian Armed Forces, too.

            With testimonials like that, the boys in marketing couldn’t help but be gleeful. A freshly designed, second generation Valiant was ready to hit the market. This beauty would be a real contender against any and all domestic and foreign small car competitors. They would trumpet the news in every corner of the Dominion. “Valiant swings into ’64 with three great series, nine beautiful models…thrilling new styling, sparkling performance, brilliant engineering…everything to make it the value leader of the year,” was the message.

Clean and uncluttered was the instrument panel of the 1964 Valiant. Round, blackface dials were highly functional and the ignition switch was illuminated.

             “Here, front and centre, is a great new Canadian automobile.”  Described as scenically low, lively and strictly modern, the top-of-the-line Signet 200 convertible was targeted to freedom-loving, fun-loving, worldly (!) young motorists who were short on money to burn. The price tag for the open car was a hefty $3,047 f.o.b. Windsor, making it the most expensive Valiant on the showroom floor.

            Sharing honours with the convertible in the posh Signet 200 series was a rakish hardtop coupe that could be had with an optional vinyl roof. The smartest distance between two points was a beeline in a Valiant, and getting there never looked so good as when driving a Signet hardtop. This Valiant variant listed for $3,047. Signets could be ordered with the optional 225-cubic inch Slant Six engine that generated 144 horses. That was more than sufficient power for the pair, weighing in at 2,730 and 2,640 pounds, respectively.

 Touring the countryside was never so much fun as with the Valiant V-200 station wagon. Listing for $2,912 and weighing in at 2,730 pounds, the wagon rode on a 106-inch wheelbase. 

            Carrying less trim and fewer niceties-but no less Valiant-was the V-200 series. Made up of a convertible, a hardtop, a wagon and a four-door sedan, this was the price range that fit the purses of most consumers. Salesmen bragged about the level stretches of roof and deck, the stunning streamlining and horizontally textured grille design before moving on to practical features like massive bumpers that counteracted over-riding and that the old-fashioned generator had given way to a modern alternator.

Valiant claimed to go one better than archrival Rambler, by not only submerging its unit-built bodies in huge tanks of rustproofing, but spraying each Valiant with anti-rust spray, to boot.  They went on to flog the colourful vinyl fabric upholstery that promised to keep its good looks for life and if that wasn’t enough, there was the glamour of new interior trim styles that accented the new instrument panel.

Least expensive in the 1964 Valiant lineup was the V-100 Club Coupe. The plain Jane model rode a 111-inch wheelbase and sold for $2,323. Seven out of ten vehicles leaving the Chrysler factory in Windsor wore white that year.

            The base V-100 series was comprised of a modestly trimmed two- and four-door sedan, along with a no-nonsense station wagon. The design was so sharp, according to the salesman, that chrome moulding and ornamentation was used only for the most sophisticated of accents. Advertising swore that everything “cliché” about styling was jettisoned in favour of a budget price—and then one would need to see the sales bill to prove it cost so little. Sitting on attractive jacquard and nylon warp upholstery, the V-100 owner was assured that he could ride in leisurely beauty knowing that his economical Valiant had cost a good $200 less than a V-200.

            Not just a pretty face, the V-100s made head-turning fleet cars. Italia Bar-B-Q Pizzeria and Restaurant was the largest pizza maker in Windsor, Ontario. The enterprise expanded its home delivery service considerably with the purchase of four new 1964 Valiants. The good- looking compacts may not have made pizza taste better but they certainly added prestige to the company’s image. Many value-minded business owners across the nation followed suit.

Canadians got their first glimpse of the mid-year 1964 Valiant Barracuda at the National Home Show in Toronto. 

            Arriving in April, a mid-year offering was a sporty Valiant model, christened Barracuda. The honours for the very first one built anywhere throughout the entire Chrysler corporation, went to the workers in Windsor. Rolling out of the doors of Plant Three, there were enough in stock for a Canada-wide May debut. With its arrival, an extra-cost, small-block V-8 engine was made available throughout the Valiant line.

  Chrysler Canada’s 100,000^th vehicle to roll out the doors in 1964 was this Valiant Signet hardtop.

            The 100,000^th car to roll out of the factory doors in Windsor during calendar 1964 just happened to be a Valiant Signet hardtop. The proud owner, one John Lewis, posed for the press behind the wheel as the folks at Midtown Motors in St. Thomas, Ontario looked on.

Chrysler bought 30% of Britain's Rootes Group in 1964 and offered the  Hillman Imp to Canadians.  

            Chrysler Canada marked its 40^th year as an automaker during 1964. The company did very well during its Ruby Anniversary, selling 83,429 units of North American type cars and iced the celebration cake with additional sales of 707 Hilmans and 143 Simcas sourced from Chrysler France, to boot. Valiant held onto fourth place in the national sales pie for the calendar year with 34,468 units delivered.

The 1964 Simca 1000 featured a rear-mounted engine.

             

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Copyright James C. Mays 2005

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1975 Plymouth Gran Fury

The 1975 Plymouth Gran Fury Brougham two-door hardtop listed for $5,959 f.o.b. Windsor, Ontario. The posh pillarless Plymouth model was imported from the US.

The Plymouth Division of Chrysler Canada traditionally took a large part of the domestic market, because Plymouth represented real value to consumers. As imports and domestic compacts crowded the highways in the 1970s, Plymouth added a captive import, an intermediate and a domestic compact to compliment its full-sized lineup of cars.

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As a result of the additions to the lineup, the Plymouth nameplate continued to hold its place in the market. Despite its advanced age, the reliable Plymouth Valiant was the second most popular selling car in Canada in 1974; the intermediate Plymouth Satellite ranked Number 18 in sales with 18,619 units delivered and the Plymouth Fury held the Number 23 slot in sales with 16,375 units delivered.

For the 1975 season Plymouth’s full-sized models were all named Gran Fury. There was a Gran Fury Special, A Gran Fury, a Gran Fury Custom and a Gran Fury Brougham. In the station wagon sector there was a Gran Fury Suburban, a Custom Suburban and a Sport Suburban.

 The 1975 Plymouth Gran Fury four-door sedan carried a sticker price of $5,434. It weighed in at 1932 kilos and rode on a 3 098-millimetre wheelbase.

Ad copy made emphasized  that the Gran Fury was built for families. “Besides being a proud-looking automobile, the practical aspects of Gran fury’s beauty offers as much appeal as its styling. Its size has a purpose; to accommodate six healthy adults front and rear in the kind of comfort they expect in their home, without cramped knees or strained necks.” It went on to say, “If big size, plus comfort, convenience, handling or security is what you are looking for then count on Plymouth’s new Gran Fury to completely satisfy your personal motoring needs.”

No finer Plymouth could be had than the ones in Brougham dress. The two-door hardtop, the two-door pillared hardtop and the four-door hardtop was deliverable in any one of 19 body colours and seven vinyl roof colours. The elegant Brougham carried its own distinctive grille and rear. It sparkled more than other Gran Furys because of its special wheel covers and the jewel-like medallion that stood proud and tall on this flagship of the Plymouth fleet.

 The 1975 Plymouth six-passenger Gran Fury Custom Suburban wagon (left) sold for $6,015 and the nine-passenger Gran Fury Sport Suburban wagon cost $6,445, making it the most expensive Plymouth in the lineup.

Included in the base price of the upscale Brougham were such goodies as the 360-cubic inch V-8 mill, the Torqueflite automatic transmission, power steering, power front disc brakes and the steel-belted radial tires. Inside the posh and cavernous cabin one could expect a tailor-padded steering wheel, deeply cushioned seating upholstered in splendid cloth and vinyl combination fabrics and a centre armrest. Interior colours were Blue Green, Burgundy, Gold, Black or Parchment. On four-door models, the front passenger’s seat reclined.

The Gran Fury Custom promised to be the big car with the price found on many smaller cars. Available as a two-door hardtop, four-door sedan or four-door hardtop, the Custom added “dramatic value” to what was already a spacious and luxurious interior. The standard cloth-and-vinyl bench seat could be upgraded to optional all-vinyl buckets replete with a centre armrest. It boasted features like a padded steering wheel, electric windshield wipers and washers and a coin holder. Attention was drawn to the flush-fit door handles--like those of AMC’s Ambassador--a safety feature that prevented doors from flying open in the event of a rollover. Another feature of note was the many different types of noise deadeners placed between passengers and the road.

Available on Gran Fury models only was a “manual vent window” that aided in interior airflow. The extra-cost item was popular with smokers.

“You’re going to appreciate the remarkable degree of comfort, luxury and convenience provided in Gran Fury’s artfully coordinated interiors. It has to do with a brand new work in automotive designs: ergonomics. Which simply means all components are meticulously planned for maximum use as well as being pleasant to live with. We want people to feel ‘right’ inside these most luxurious Plymouths.”

Passengers appreciated the gently contoured seats, the tailor-padded steering wheel and the modular concept instrument panel with individually removable segments for minor service—“if ever necessary.” All operating controls were placed to the left of the driver while all comfort controls were positioned to the driver’s right.

The cloth-and-vinyl bench seat interior for the Gran Fury Custom was attractive and comfy, too.

There were more options for the senior Plymouth than there were moose in the forest. Gran Fury could even be ordered with a manual vent window to aid in air circulation. A fuel pacing system flashed a light on the dash when the driver’s foot got a little two heavy on the gas pedal. There were enough radios to fill a shelf at a Zeller’s, including an AM model, an Am/FM radio, an AM with an 8-track player and an AM/FM stereo an AM/FM with a stereo 8-track player. 

Offering no mere electric clock, the Gran Fury boasted an extra-cost digital Chronometer that promised to keep accurate time within a minute a month. An integrated centre bucket seat console, speed control with memory, Air Temp II air conditioning and tinted glass, trailer towing packages, numerous wheel covers, chromed styled road wheels and tires were on the list. There was the tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, a sunroof, an electric rear-window defroster, electric windows, an inside hood release, power seats, power steering, a tachometer for two-door model, undercoating and more.

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Exterior colours for the Gran Fury were Spinnaker White, Formal Black, Spanish gold metallic Frosty Green Metallic, Deep Sherwood Metallic, Silver Cloud Metallic, Vintage Cloud metallic, Bittersweet Metallic, Avocado Gold Metallic, Sahara Beige, Cinnamon Metallic, Aztec Gold Metallic, Lucerne Blue Metallic, Golden Fawn, Inca Gold metallic, Powder Blue and Sienna Metallic. Colours exclusive to the flagship Gran Fury family were Platinum Metallic, Astral Blue Metallic, Dark Chestnut Metallic and Starlight Blue Metallic.

A close-up view of the 1975 Plymouth Gran Fury instrument panel shows the faux wood appliqué and the extra cost digital Chronometer.

Chrysler Canada was good at crowing about its engineering features. The Plymouth made use of more than 4000 welds in Unibody construction and then dipped the bodies seven times to inhibit rust. The Torsion-bar Suspension System gave a unique ride on road surfaces. The company reminded prospective customers Chrysler was the first domestic manufacturer to offer disc brakes. The Electronic Ignition System eliminated points and condenser, too.

When the dust had settled on the sales year, Plymouth’s Valiant had dropped to the Number Three spot behind the full-sized Ford with 33,842 units delivered. The now intermediate-sized Fury racked up 20,302 sales to move it from the 20^th spot to the 18^th position. The Gran Fury had 14,333 sales to its credit for 19^th place. That placed the full-sized Plymouth three notches higher than last year, though 16,804 units had been delivered in 1974.

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Copyright James C. Mays 2006 All rights reserved.