I was at Blue Point Motors, Lakemba when the first AP6 V8 came off the transporter. I was 13yo but still remember it vividly. Dad and Frank Illich were amazed that a V8 fitted in such a small car. So glad to see people finally appreciating these small MOPAR’s. Dad always said they were much better than Holdens and Falcons. But only the Greeks in Marrickville seemed to appreciate them back then. The Marrickville Mercedes”.
Senior Bob, we as kids and later teens in the eighties called the valiants all sorts of names. The Greeks and valiants were just a perfect pair. I joined in making fun of the cars but always secretly liked them. Fantastic variance on body shapes. Makes you cry his cheap u could have picked up a really good one even as early as the late 90s, or 2000s.
@@edgarsmythe9875 , yes they were a good thing. I recently picked up a beautiful Black with Red trim 62 S-Series with only 109,000 miles on it. I'll be creating a feature on it in the future.
Thanks for the great video, and especially the drive. I was fortunate to have 1969 US V8 Valiant, and though it was in very bad shape when I bought it for $300 as a teenager, by the time I sold it 7 years later, it was running the quarter in 12.8 seconds with a 3.91 diff and slicks. Thanks again for the video!
I had a soft spot for most of, if not all of these early model Valiants. The AP5 Regal was delightful, all the running gear was a little better than some of the local material. Thanks for the story.
My love affair with Valiants started when I was 8 years old. Previously we had Holdens, the last being a 65 HD Wagon which soon had rust appearing in the roof around the rain channels. Dad traded that in on a 1968 VE Valiant regal sedan. He was a self employed TV Technician and traveled all over Melbourne with it for years servicing TV's. He traded the car around 1980 but by that time it was on it's second motor. The first motor eventually succumbing to blowby so bad it was ejecting the dipstick and using/losing quite a bit of oil. That was 420,000 odd miles on mainly city driving. The second motor he sourced from a mob called RACV recovery which I think sold parts from accident damaged vehicles. That engine did at least another 100,000 miles on top of what it originally had. Amazingly reliable cars.
My cross-country coach let me take his 67 Dodge Dart GT, to a meet, with his daughter in tow. I think he was trying to make a match, but she was'nt into it. Over her objections, I took the long way home. That little car was a delight. The little 273 and torque-flite had a lot of pep !
My father owned an AP6 V8 when I was growing up. He bought it when it was nearly new in 1967. 11 years later in 1978 it was written off by me while being a dumb arse on my P's. Always loved that car, it was something special and unique and rare, head and shoulders above anything else that was made here at the time. A beautiful car. Thanks for the episode, brings back some great memories.
AP5 stands for Australian Production. The first Chrysler Royal AP1 a redesigned Plymouth then Ap2 and AP3. The 273 V8 had steel crank and solid adjustable lifters. The torsion bar suspension handles very well. Alan Moffet took the XY GT to New Zealand to win the New Zealand touring car championship but returned before the end of the season as he could not compete against the better handling Chargers on tighter circuits. The first Australian muscle cars were Studebakers. From 1956 through to 1966 you could buy off the showroom floor the Hawk, Grand Turimso , pillarless 2 door Daytona, or a standard 4 door family shopping car with 259 and 289 v8 4 speed manual with Supercharger standard.
I remember the old stude`s , i had a mate with a bunch of them ranging from a 47 bomb front to 62 models , the 47 had an over over drive , ahead of their times in some ways the stude`s . they where heavy old buggers , we removed the engine out one 62`s , wow , it was omg heavy :) , everything was heavy in those old buggers :) .
American here, Mopar man like my dad and his dad. I own a Dodge Dart with the Hyper Pak slant 6. I picked up an aluminum 225 block, a ported head with bigger valves, and a hyper Pak intake. My fiancé uses it to run errands and loves how easy the car is to drive. I’d love to get a few Hemi 6 engines shipped to the US….Mopar or no car!
Canadian here. My first car was a 1964 Valiant 2-door hardtop. I bought it from a Chrysler mechanic who had removed the seized 273 and dropped in a 1972 340 and hooked it up to the original 4-speed manual. For me, the weakest things about the car were the tiny 9-inch drum brakes, the single-chamber master cylinder and the 7¼" rear axle. But eventually, once I knew what to look for, I bought a freshly-redone set of 10¾" discs, with the steering knuckles and the upper A-arms. I grabbed the master cylinder too. They were from a wrecked '74 Dart Sport. Then I found an 8¾ rear axle with 3.23 gears and it already had 11" drum brakes on it. Looking back, that brake upgrade was the best thing I ever did on that car. I got a lot of speeding tickets, and I lost my license for a while when I got a street racing ticket. 😊 Great memories, tons of fun!
My late father had an AP5 back in the mid 60’s. My godfather, no pun intended had an EH Premier. My dad left him for dead in a drag/race coming back from Lake Eppalock in Central Victoria!😈 Dad always said it was his favourite car he’d owned. He had BMW’s & Mercedes most of his life. A fantastic vid guys😎👍🏼
The Aussie Chrysler Valiants were very elegant in their day, even more so than the offerings from Holden and Ford Australia. Chrysler Australia didn't appear to push these beauties to the consumer very much, and they had a certain amount of snob appeal, similar to a Mercedes Benz of the time.
Well remember my father coming home with his AP6 V8 , after 3 chevy sixes , dad changed , and wow what a revelation . Low slung , cream with black roof and those bucket seats in dark blue , floor shifter , this was the future right now in 1965 . Kept it till 69 and got a VF with a 318 , bah column shift , still it was a nice car in metalic brown , far better than my first car a Holden EJ with hydramatic , a bloody slug , first and last Holden in my life . Fond memories of all the Valiants from a young kid in the early days of the Keswick factory , which was not far from our home , we drooled over the S and R .
Golfmother , thanks so much for sharing your memories, love it. My Dad also dreamed about the R & S as a youngster, peering through the dealership window. I wish he was still here to see my beautiful low mileage factory Black with red trim S Series I picked up last year.
Fantastic love them.I see a tiny few thumbs down , oh well maybe some folks prefer a 149 six or a 200 pursuit, I'll take the 225 or 273 out of this early stuff .Well the AP5 & AP6 in this story are stunning, inspiring classic cars .What a lucky man, but no such thing as luck this man has made his dream come true . Lucky cars to find the right passionate loving owner .
We had the original 1964 1/2 Barracuda in gold with the 273 V-8. We drove cross-country to Southern California and everyone looked at it like it came from outer space.
My second car was an AP6 Stationwagon with the 225 slant six. Looking back over forty years it's still the one I'm most fond of. You couldn't kill that motor, I drove it for a year without checking the oil and when I finally did the dip stick was dry. So I drove it to BigW and bought 4 litres and filled it up in the car park. When I started it up it let out a sigh of relief, but it never missed a beat.
I offered a guy $10,000 for one 3 weeks ago,He laughed and said,Mate I get an offer every week,you can start at double that. He then said I will never sell this,it was my dads!
I got an AP5 Wagon about three mnths back and it's the best decision I've made. She's a bit beat up and still heaps of work to do.. but there's just an indescribable magic when it comes to cruising in one of these time machines
Beautifully presented Glenn, showing your passion as always. In my opinion Valiant had superior engines to the other 'big two' here in Australia, especially when it came to 6 cylinders. The slant 6 trumped any 6 cylinder offerings by Holden and Ford from similar years, and the Hemi 6...what can you say? Smashed all competition. I reckon the E49 was better, cubic inch for cubic inch, than a 351 Cleveland (or Windsor) and a 308. Maybe a big call, but it's my opinion. Also in my opinion the 265 Hemi was the best Australian made 6 cylinder until the turbo Barra.
Thanks so much Brett, I'm 100% with you on all counts, one great piece of artillery Chrysler had was brilliant and very innovative engineers in the drivetrain department, particularly in engine design. You might be interested to know that I've recently picked up a 109,000 genuine miles S-Series in factory Black. I just love the slant, and the SV-1 truly was far superior than anything it competed against in the era. Even today, the way the S drives is amazing for a car of 1962 vintage.
I have seen your S-Series mate, what an unbelievable score! I wasn't very jealous...Keep the videos coming mate, your passion and knowledge is awesome.
My dad drove Valiants for years an AP5 & a VC, they lasted for ever. My brothers & I had Chargers, I had a triple black E55 340. I’d love to still have it now. Cheers😊
I've got it bad. 33 Vals later.... I've always wanted to know what happened to stuff like sketches, prototypes, factory dyes signs etc... Someone told that when Mitsubishi took over, everything Chrysler was dumped, destroyed or stolen. I'd be interested to hear your recollections from those days, what went down. Ive had some very odd or Twilight zone Val experiences during my 33 cars which I've collected on my own Valiant FB page ( Australian Valiant Stories). I'd be wrapped to add some of your memories for prosperity. Cheers...
Doktr NoTek the Chrysler engines still at the Lonsdale plant had holes torched in them and then dumped into the sea. Whatever stuff was in factory ie the tonsley plant was destroyed . The ran over stuff with fork lifts
Beautiful car. My aunt had an Ap5 slant six. I remember taking a drive in it and i pushed Drive and the Drive button went through the dash and thats were it stayed. I had just got my first car a 1976 falcon 500 hardtop. They were such good looking cars back then.
Nice one Ruben. I love me Valiants, in fact Australian cars, Valiants, Fords and Holden. Auzzy is still making great cars. But Valiants mate!!. I use to own a AP5, brother owned a VC. Powerful motors. Enjoy the cruise (Valiants for ever) Ruben.
My best mate still has an original VC V8, had it since new. His Dad bought it for the family and Sam was given it as a wedding present. The wog chariot is famous in Aussie cycling.
Certainly that is a lovely AP6 V8. And the AP5 slant 6 earlier is so nice. My VC slant 6 is original and not restored; having seen these cars I am so tempted to take it to the next level. Thanks for the video.
Marty I learned to drive in my mother’s VC. Slant six and TorqueFlite auto column shift. White with blue interior, it was bought nearly new in 1966 (a demonstrator) and it had no seat belts. It was a great car. Mum used to brag about hosing off the local hoons in their hotted up early Holdens at the traffic lights!
@@tedburnard841 That is a cool story. The AP5 - VC were so solid of a car, simple in design and I am sure if loved will go forever. The slant 6 is legendary; it had much more power than contemporary Holden cars at the time. Similarly, I recall sitting on my father’s lap and steering his 273 ci VE Valiant; I think that is where my passions started.
Got a bit of a soft spot for the good old Val! Learned to drive in my mother’s VC (slant 6 with Torque Flite) in 1971. Toured the Chrysler factory at Tonsley Park here in Adelaide with my grade 7 class in 1965 watching them make AP6s and the Dodge Phoenix.
My daily driver is a 1965 Chrysler Valiant AP6 it’s a slant 6 as I think they only made a bit over 100 V8’s. Chargers didn’t have V8’s. I think sorry just going by memory. I love my AP6 and every time I drive it I’m smiling from ear to ear plus everyone loves to see it on the road. A set of jellybean mags make the AP6 look like a hotrod it’s so cool.
Wow, thanks Glenn for this, I have just discovered this channel and am mightily impressed. Absolutely no bias, telling it exactly as it is (and was). You are lucky to get to drive these amazing restored cars, those two old Vals are just incredible in the detail of restoration. The owners must really trust you to take them "for a burn" (as we used to say in the 70s), by yourself. As a Mopar person for most of my life it is so refreshing to see someone who actually knows what he is talking about with them. As it seems there are lots of experts and empty vessels making lots of sound when it comes to Australian Chryslers, which unfortunately tarnishes the marque's esteem to some degree. The general motor mechanic was one such example.
Glad you like the channel! I'm into all makes and models, and have owned many, but I am little partial to the Mopar product. I recently picked up a genuine 109,000 mile Factory Black Red Trim 62 S Series. Absolutely love the Slant six.
Spewing i sold me ap6 about 9 years ago. Miss her heaps. Was only the slant 225 but a beautiful car. Had it for 12 years and only had her on the road for a year.
Valiants were underrated, having only been produced in a timeline 2 years after the Ford Falcon from an American design in 1960. I know there were many more Falcons, but when the superior suspension (torsion bar), alternator charging system, engine and transmission were realised, many people put their names down on a waiting list to purchase them, despite several hundred dollars more expensive. The beauty of the 273 cu. in. V8 was that most of its weight was located central to the vehicle, giving superior road holding and handling characteristics.. Unmatched by the 'other two'...
Can’t get my hands on enough Valiant videos! Soooo happy to see more of the Aussie ones! I’m restoring my second one, 1964 slant 6 Signet 200 here in Southern California 😀 I have a masterful friend helping & things are coming together! Pls post more of those 2 cars - any videos of their restoration journeys?! Thanks for sharing them!
My dream Valiant is a VC V8......in gold. The only modification I'd make is the fitment of a good sound system with four speakers to play all those great 60's tunes from the same era as the car! Good luck with yours!🚗
Glad you like our Aussie Valiant's. They are truly amazing cars. When the first Valiant appeared in 1962 Holden (GM) and Ford shat themselves LOL. Good luck with your Plymouth. Cheers.
Mopars Rule!!! from the 225 Slant six to the 426 Hemi and 440 the cars were awesome and the 727 Torqueflite automatic transmission or the A833 4 speed they were bullet proof
The main thing that let Chysler down was the social tag they were given ?? People would always refer to them as Wog Chariots. That might have been true but at least someone seen the benefit in owning a Chysler Valiant. My Uncle who recently passed away LOVED Chyslers, especially Valiants. Owned every model at least once. Maybe twice in some cases i,m sure. I was a fairly young back then, but remember him getting out all the photo,s of all different models he owned, he was crazy for them.
What a beauty mate! My favorite model the AP6, especially with a V8. We never saw those in NZ, only the slant 6 225. Love to own one today.. Primo example and color too!
I had an AP6 in NZ back in the 70's, a 64 Barracuda (amongst others) in Oz in the 80's & now in the US (amongst others) a barn find 65 Barracuda V8 auto with A/C.
Nice Val's mate I'm a Mopar man and one of my favorite Val's is the AP6 v8 wow what an Aussie icon love the body style can't get a AP6 just have to stick with my vc Ute small block v8 has the rounded back end like the ap just not the front clip
The 1960 AP3 Chrysler Royal 313 Poly head V8 was Australia's first muscle car. 220hp with gobs of torque, the same weight as a Valiant and made in OZ with Yank bits and pieces. 0 to 100k in 9 seconds, the fastest saloon in Oz.
My father was a Chrysler dealer mechanic - so we had the AP6, then VC, VJ and finally CM, followed by GH Scorpion, GJ Scorpion, HH Galant, NM Pajero and i personally had a GJ Scorpion and when kids came along a TW and TJ Magna. How is that for brand loyalty.
I know what was said in another language Glen 🤣 my dad came to Australia from ITALY a motor mechanic for Alfa Romeo & I’ll never forget the things he used to do in them 😳 he had plenty of them one of them I can remember was a VIP going in reverse at about 20 ks an hour putting into drive and fry the tyres I was that young I couldn’t see out the windows but I’ll never forget the beautiful black interior with the auto that looked like an eight ball with the button on the top 😘 and black Vinyl roof 318 all stock the only cars that he had that he never repaired 😈 Holdens & Fords after that he had to repair 😎
The AP6 was released in March, 1965. It would have competed with the HD Holden released the same month, and the XP Falcon released a month later. The AP5 started in May '63 competing with the 75 HP EJ Holden transitioning to the red motor 100 or 115HP EH Holden as well as the XL Falcon with 90HP (144 c.i.) and 101HP (170 c.i.) options.
I can’t understand how they sold any HD holdens or XP fords with these as their competitors HDs had rust problems in the showrooms and the most under done (asthmatic) under powered 179 And the Ford wasn’t much better with the Super persuit 200 ugggh!
The AP6 V8 was not a 'Regal'. It was a level above, like the VIP in the VE series. You'll notice there was no Regal badges & the interior trim was different.
Yeh i was a valiant nut, because when the green light dropped, the bullshit stopped. Had a mint rare original 66 VC factory 273 V8 safari wagon. Slotted a fresh fireball 318 then a hot 360. Fantastic car, nobody even Valiant nuts did not believe the safari wagon came in a factory V8, the car proved it. Also a VJ E55 340 Chrysler by Chrysler. 2 door VH 265 Regal. Sleeper Hi-po 265 re-powered VJ wagon. E38 a block 265 VH ute. Cheap HP back then.
Great cars the old Valiant. The old rumours of these things could not handling is total bullshit. You drive a good well sorted one, and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
AP5 225 in two tone blue family car from 9 untill 15 for me. Its the lovely smell of vinal and steering wheel composite. The AP6 V8 was a modern day Chrysler Royal 313 Polyspheric. Mopar make the best engines. Ford the most powerfull.GM and GM-Holden the best back-up supplies.
The back of that AP6 looks suspiciously like a Mercedes.. even more attractive than the U.S. version 😀 I've owned quite a few Dodge Darts , virtually identical to the Valiant. Dead reliable, rode very comfortably, but even with radial tires they didn't handle on the highway as well as my Corvair, with its 4 wheel independent suspension
I find the Chrysler AP6 Valiant way more attractive than the AP5 or the VC Valiant. The front end of the AP6 looks to me like that of our Plymouth Valiant.
Good old cars the vals , and did seem to not suffer car cancer as much as the holdens and falcons , but i would have to disagree on the merits of torsion bar , they where imo a bit of a failure in noise vehicle harshness , ok on nice smooth highways , not so good on our goat tracks , the thumping under and through the floor where the torsion bar is anchored gets to be a real drag on rough roads , and it did not change from the early vals tight up to the last model valiant made . The holdens and falcons had it all over the Vals in this area imo . I had a AP5 , VC , and a CM.
My favourite Val's are the AP5 thru to VC models.......they were peak Valiant in my opinion. I never liked the 70's Valiants with their insipid styling and woeful looking interiors, but the Charger was ok. My dad had a VC Valiant wagon that he bought brand new........and traded on an Alfa in 1970, when it was only about four years old! Why? I'll never know! The Alfa was good, but bush roads didn't suit it. I may get a VC Valiant V8 when I retire.....if I can find a good one.
Over heated an AP6 going from Adelaide to Whyalla. Drove it till it ground to a halt,hitch hiked the rest of the way, Went back the next day with a car trailer,thought I would give it a crank and it started,Filled up the radiator and drove it home. No idea why it got so hot,drove just the same after that. A mate had one and decided he was going to buy another car.Dont know why,it was perfectly good. He started it in Neutral and put a cement block on the throttle and we went inside to get pissed watching the footy. Must have been all of 15 minutes and I said,Go and turn that car Off mate,its bloody annoying. The first Val I got was a VC Safari wagon,that was 30 years ago and yes,I still regret selling it for $350 dollars. That body had NO rust and was so straight it was beautifull. My mates use to say it was the best they had ever seen,it looked Awesome,painted PIANO black with the chrome. It doesnt get darker than Piano black,the slightest imperfection sticks out like dogs nuts. I gotta stop now,,,Im gonna cry if I say any more>
Yep my dad had one loved the red vinyl seats and the push button to get it moving ,slant six 245 i believe and also great car as well, white with red leather ,till one day it did a rod and then could not be picked up and i believe its in colac as we speak or maybe its still rusting in someon es paddock?
Glenn I remember those days well - I'm now 63 - and the Valiants even when first manufactured in Australia, had the 145bhp 225CID slant 6 and that was way, way ahead of a puny 75hp in the old 138CID Holden or the 90bhp of the 144CID Falcon. They were well ahead of the pack in those days. I think that during the 70's, the Valiant just got too big and cumbersome for its own good, though they may have given you a bit more legroom and headroom!
Mark I have one of those early Valiants in my personal collection, a 109,000 genuine mile Factory Black 62 S-Series, and I love it. Even today they still drive so well compared to many other cars. They really were a game changer back in the day like you say. :-)
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines Nice! Interesting that they have only recently started to become collectable despite being a great piece of engineering in their day.
I know this is slightly off topic, but did Chrysler Australia sell a car which was equivalent to the North American Chrysler Imperial, Chrysler Newport, or even a Plymouth Satellite? You know, big rear wheel drive luxury barges with a big V8?
Does anyone know if any of the Australian Police forces of the time ordered a "police special" ??? Since these were the first Australian made V8 sedans and would have walked all over the 6 cylinder Holdens and Fords, and would have made great pursuit vehicles.
I was at Blue Point Motors, Lakemba when the first AP6 V8 came off the transporter. I was 13yo but still remember it vividly. Dad and Frank Illich were amazed that a V8 fitted in such a small car. So glad to see people finally appreciating these small MOPAR’s. Dad always said they were much better than Holdens and Falcons. But only the Greeks in Marrickville seemed to appreciate them back then. The Marrickville Mercedes”.
Senior Bob , thanks for sharing that experience in history for you. It would have been an awesome time back in those days.
Senior Bob, we as kids and later teens in the eighties called the valiants all sorts of names. The Greeks and valiants were just a perfect pair. I joined in making fun of the cars but always secretly liked them. Fantastic variance on body shapes. Makes you cry his cheap u could have picked up a really good one even as early as the late 90s, or 2000s.
@@edgarsmythe9875 , yes they were a good thing. I recently picked up a beautiful Black with Red trim 62 S-Series with only 109,000 miles on it. I'll be creating a feature on it in the future.
Thanks for the great video, and especially the drive. I was fortunate to have 1969 US V8 Valiant, and though it was in very bad shape when I bought it for $300 as a teenager, by the time I sold it 7 years later, it was running the quarter in 12.8 seconds with a 3.91 diff and slicks. Thanks again for the video!
Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I had a soft spot for most of, if not all of these early model Valiants. The AP5 Regal was delightful, all the running gear was a little better than some of the local material. Thanks for the story.
My love affair with Valiants started when I was 8 years old. Previously we had Holdens, the last being a 65 HD Wagon which soon had rust appearing in the roof around the rain channels. Dad traded that in on a 1968 VE Valiant regal sedan. He was a self employed TV Technician and traveled all over Melbourne with it for years servicing TV's. He traded the car around 1980 but by that time it was on it's second motor. The first motor eventually succumbing to blowby so bad it was ejecting the dipstick and using/losing quite a bit of oil. That was 420,000 odd miles on mainly city driving. The second motor he sourced from a mob called RACV recovery which I think sold parts from accident damaged vehicles. That engine did at least another 100,000 miles on top of what it originally had. Amazingly reliable cars.
My cross-country coach let me take his 67 Dodge Dart GT, to a meet, with his daughter in tow. I think he was trying to make a match, but she was'nt into it. Over her objections, I took the long way home. That little car was a delight. The little 273 and torque-flite had a lot of pep !
My father owned an AP6 V8 when I was growing up. He bought it when it was nearly new in 1967. 11 years later in 1978 it was written off by me while being a dumb arse on my P's. Always loved that car, it was something special and unique and rare, head and shoulders above anything else that was made here at the time. A beautiful car. Thanks for the episode, brings back some great memories.
AP5 stands for Australian Production. The first Chrysler Royal AP1 a redesigned Plymouth then Ap2 and AP3. The 273 V8 had steel crank and solid adjustable lifters. The torsion bar suspension handles very well. Alan Moffet took the XY GT to New Zealand to win the New Zealand touring car championship but returned before the end of the season as he could not compete against the better handling Chargers on tighter circuits. The first Australian muscle cars were Studebakers. From 1956 through to 1966 you could buy off the showroom floor the Hawk, Grand Turimso , pillarless 2 door Daytona, or a standard 4 door family shopping car with 259 and 289 v8 4 speed manual with Supercharger standard.
I remember the old stude`s , i had a mate with a bunch of them ranging from a 47 bomb front to 62 models , the 47 had an over over drive , ahead of their times in some ways the stude`s .
they where heavy old buggers , we removed the engine out one 62`s , wow , it was omg heavy :) , everything was heavy in those old buggers :) .
American here, Mopar man like my dad and his dad. I own a Dodge Dart with the Hyper Pak slant 6. I picked up an aluminum 225 block, a ported head with bigger valves, and a hyper Pak intake. My fiancé uses it to run errands and loves how easy the car is to drive. I’d love to get a few Hemi 6 engines shipped to the US….Mopar or no car!
Canadian here. My first car was a 1964 Valiant 2-door hardtop. I bought it from a Chrysler mechanic who had removed the seized 273 and dropped in a 1972 340 and hooked it up to the original 4-speed manual. For me, the weakest things about the car were the tiny 9-inch drum brakes, the single-chamber master cylinder and the 7¼" rear axle. But eventually, once I knew what to look for, I bought a freshly-redone set of 10¾" discs, with the steering knuckles and the upper A-arms. I grabbed the master cylinder too. They were from a wrecked '74 Dart Sport. Then I found an 8¾ rear axle with 3.23 gears and it already had 11" drum brakes on it. Looking back, that brake upgrade was the best thing I ever did on that car. I got a lot of speeding tickets, and I lost my license for a while when I got a street racing ticket. 😊 Great memories, tons of fun!
My late father had an AP5 back in the mid 60’s. My godfather, no pun intended had an EH Premier. My dad left him for dead in a drag/race coming back from Lake Eppalock in Central Victoria!😈 Dad always said it was his favourite car he’d owned. He had BMW’s & Mercedes most of his life. A fantastic vid guys😎👍🏼
The Aussie Chrysler Valiants were very elegant in their day, even more so than the offerings from Holden and Ford Australia. Chrysler Australia didn't appear to push these beauties to the consumer very much, and they had a certain amount of snob appeal, similar to a Mercedes Benz of the time.
Well remember my father coming home with his AP6 V8 , after 3 chevy sixes , dad changed , and wow what a revelation .
Low slung , cream with black roof and those bucket seats in dark blue , floor shifter , this was the future right now in 1965 .
Kept it till 69 and got a VF with a 318 , bah column shift , still it was a nice car in metalic brown , far better than my first car a Holden EJ with hydramatic , a bloody slug , first and last Holden in my life .
Fond memories of all the Valiants from a young kid in the early days of the Keswick factory , which was not far from our home , we drooled over the S and R .
Golfmother , thanks so much for sharing your memories, love it. My Dad also dreamed about the R & S as a youngster, peering through the dealership window. I wish he was still here to see my beautiful low mileage factory Black with red trim S Series I picked up last year.
Fantastic love them.I see a tiny few thumbs down , oh well maybe some folks prefer a 149 six or a 200 pursuit, I'll take the 225 or 273 out of this early stuff .Well the AP5 & AP6 in this story are stunning, inspiring classic cars .What a lucky man, but no such thing as luck this man has made his dream come true . Lucky cars to find the right passionate loving owner .
We had the original 1964 1/2 Barracuda in gold with the 273 V-8. We drove cross-country to Southern California and everyone looked at it like it came from outer space.
My second car was an AP6 Stationwagon with the 225 slant six. Looking back over forty years it's still the one I'm most fond of. You couldn't kill that motor, I drove it for a year without checking the oil and when I finally did the dip stick was dry. So I drove it to BigW and bought 4 litres and filled it up in the car park. When I started it up it let out a sigh of relief, but it never missed a beat.
They certainly are hard to kill! Thanks for sharing that with us Graeme, love it. :-)
I offered a guy $10,000 for one 3 weeks ago,He laughed and said,Mate I get an offer
every week,you can start at double that.
He then said I will never sell this,it was my dads!
I got an AP5 Wagon about three mnths back and it's the best decision I've made. She's a bit beat up and still heaps of work to do.. but there's just an indescribable magic when it comes to cruising in one of these time machines
Beautiful AP6..... just bought myself one..... cant wait to drive it...... great video too
Beautifully presented Glenn, showing your passion as always. In my opinion Valiant had superior engines to the other 'big two' here in Australia, especially when it came to 6 cylinders. The slant 6 trumped any 6 cylinder offerings by Holden and Ford from similar years, and the Hemi 6...what can you say? Smashed all competition. I reckon the E49 was better, cubic inch for cubic inch, than a 351 Cleveland (or Windsor) and a 308. Maybe a big call, but it's my opinion. Also in my opinion the 265 Hemi was the best Australian made 6 cylinder until the turbo Barra.
Thanks so much Brett, I'm 100% with you on all counts, one great piece of artillery Chrysler had was brilliant and very innovative engineers in the drivetrain department, particularly in engine design. You might be interested to know that I've recently picked up a 109,000 genuine miles S-Series in factory Black. I just love the slant, and the SV-1 truly was far superior than anything it competed against in the era. Even today, the way the S drives is amazing for a car of 1962 vintage.
I have seen your S-Series mate, what an unbelievable score! I wasn't very jealous...Keep the videos coming mate, your passion and knowledge is awesome.
@@brett174 , good stuff mate, yes the S was a find I just had to grab, she's a keeper. :-)
Absolutely fact
I’m a ford guy thru and thru
But the 265 6 pack would do the phase 3 in the quarter mile FACT
There were tons of these around when I was a kid. Awesome, guys!
My dad drove Valiants for years an AP5 & a VC, they lasted for ever. My brothers & I had Chargers, I had a triple black E55 340. I’d love to still have it now.
Cheers😊
I worked for MMAL and the stories I could tell you when Mitsubishi took over Chrysler would make you cry.
Like throwing out NOS gear? Let's not forget all the tooling that was chucked out as well.
I've got it bad. 33 Vals later....
I've always wanted to know what happened to stuff like sketches, prototypes, factory dyes signs etc...
Someone told that when Mitsubishi took over, everything Chrysler was dumped, destroyed or stolen.
I'd be interested to hear your recollections from those days, what went down.
Ive had some very odd or Twilight zone Val experiences during my 33 cars which I've collected on my own Valiant FB page ( Australian Valiant Stories).
I'd be wrapped to add some of your memories for prosperity.
Cheers...
Doktr NoTek the Chrysler engines still at the Lonsdale plant had holes torched in them and then dumped into the sea. Whatever stuff was in factory ie the tonsley plant was destroyed . The ran over stuff with fork lifts
Beautiful car. My aunt had an Ap5 slant six. I remember taking a drive in it and i pushed Drive and the Drive button went through the dash and thats were it stayed. I had just got my first car a 1976 falcon 500 hardtop. They were such good looking cars back then.
Cool glimpse into the Mopar products in Australia! :) Jack
Nice one Ruben. I love me Valiants, in fact Australian cars, Valiants, Fords and Holden. Auzzy is still making great cars. But Valiants mate!!. I use to own a AP5, brother owned a VC. Powerful motors. Enjoy the cruise (Valiants for ever) Ruben.
My best mate still has an original VC V8, had it since new. His Dad bought it for the family and Sam was given it as a wedding present. The wog chariot is famous in Aussie cycling.
A black VC with a black vinal roof is a sweet looking car,,
We must not forget Chrysler Australia developed the Chrysler Royal V8 lead sled... much loved by the South Australia Highway Parol. 🖖😎
Had one of these cars. One of the best cars I"ve ever owned. Powerful azz slant 6 motor, reliable car, cheap to run.
Certainly that is a lovely AP6 V8. And the AP5 slant 6 earlier is so nice. My VC slant 6 is original and not restored; having seen these cars I am so tempted to take it to the next level. Thanks for the video.
Marty I learned to drive in my mother’s VC. Slant six and TorqueFlite auto column shift. White with blue interior, it was bought nearly new in 1966 (a demonstrator) and it had no seat belts. It was a great car. Mum used to brag about hosing off the local hoons in their hotted up early Holdens at the traffic lights!
@@tedburnard841 That is a cool story. The AP5 - VC were so solid of a car, simple in design and I am sure if loved will go forever. The slant 6 is legendary; it had much more power than contemporary Holden cars at the time. Similarly, I recall sitting on my father’s lap and steering his 273 ci VE Valiant; I think that is where my passions started.
Got a bit of a soft spot for the good old Val! Learned to drive in my mother’s VC (slant 6 with Torque Flite) in 1971. Toured the Chrysler factory at Tonsley Park here in Adelaide with my grade 7 class in 1965 watching them make AP6s and the Dodge Phoenix.
My daily driver is a 1965 Chrysler Valiant AP6 it’s a slant 6 as I think they only made a bit over 100 V8’s. Chargers didn’t have V8’s. I think sorry just going by memory. I love my AP6 and every time I drive it I’m smiling from ear to ear plus everyone loves to see it on the road. A set of jellybean mags make the AP6 look like a hotrod it’s so cool.
Best of era by far
Wow, thanks Glenn for this, I have just discovered this channel and am mightily impressed. Absolutely no bias, telling it exactly as it is (and was). You are lucky to get to drive these amazing restored cars, those two old Vals are just incredible in the detail of restoration. The owners must really trust you to take them "for a burn" (as we used to say in the 70s), by yourself. As a Mopar person for most of my life it is so refreshing to see someone who actually knows what he is talking about with them. As it seems there are lots of experts and empty vessels making lots of sound when it comes to Australian Chryslers, which unfortunately tarnishes the marque's esteem to some degree. The general motor mechanic was one such example.
Glad you like the channel! I'm into all makes and models, and have owned many, but I am little partial to the Mopar product. I recently picked up a genuine 109,000 mile Factory Black Red Trim 62 S Series. Absolutely love the Slant six.
Spewing i sold me ap6 about 9 years ago. Miss her heaps. Was only the slant 225 but a beautiful car. Had it for 12 years and only had her on the road for a year.
Valiants were underrated, having only been produced in a timeline 2 years after the Ford Falcon from an American design in 1960. I know there were many more Falcons, but when the superior suspension (torsion bar), alternator charging system, engine and transmission were realised, many people put their names down on a waiting list to purchase them, despite several hundred dollars more expensive. The beauty of the 273 cu. in. V8 was that most of its weight was located central to the vehicle, giving superior road holding and handling characteristics.. Unmatched by the 'other two'...
Loved valiants such beautiful cars
Can’t get my hands on enough Valiant videos! Soooo happy to see more of the Aussie ones! I’m restoring my second one, 1964 slant 6 Signet 200 here in Southern California 😀 I have a masterful friend helping & things are coming together! Pls post more of those 2 cars - any videos of their restoration journeys?! Thanks for sharing them!
My dream Valiant is a VC V8......in gold.
The only modification I'd make is the fitment of a good sound system with four speakers to play all those great 60's tunes from the same era as the car!
Good luck with yours!🚗
John Gibson Thank you! 🙂
@@kareygregerson3423
You're welcome 😃👍🌞
@Karey Gregerson, Glad you liked it, I have the same obsession! Big fan of the Slant 6 and own an early 62 Aussie Valiant.
Glad you like our Aussie Valiant's. They are truly amazing cars. When the first Valiant appeared in 1962 Holden (GM) and Ford shat themselves LOL. Good luck with your Plymouth. Cheers.
I had the VC 273 V8, beautiful car.
The AP6 is new to me. I have never seen before, it was the Australian equivalent to the Plymouth Barracuda!
Mopars Rule!!! from the 225 Slant six to the 426 Hemi and 440 the cars were awesome and the 727 Torqueflite automatic transmission or the A833 4 speed they were bullet proof
The main thing that let Chysler down was the social tag they were given ??
People would always refer to them as Wog Chariots.
That might have been true but at least someone seen the benefit in owning a Chysler Valiant.
My Uncle who recently passed away LOVED Chyslers, especially Valiants.
Owned every model at least once.
Maybe twice in some cases i,m sure.
I was a fairly young back then, but remember him getting out all the photo,s of all different models he owned, he was crazy for them.
What a beauty mate! My favorite model the AP6, especially with a V8. We never saw those in NZ, only the slant 6 225. Love to own one today.. Primo example and color too!
back in mid 70s I had an EH wagon (with an HR 161) and my gf had a slant six AP5. Wish I had both now. :)
I had an AP6 in NZ back in the 70's, a 64 Barracuda (amongst others) in Oz in the 80's & now in the US (amongst others) a barn find 65 Barracuda V8 auto with A/C.
Nice Val's mate I'm a Mopar man and one of my favorite Val's is the AP6 v8 wow what an Aussie icon love the body style can't get a AP6 just have to stick with my vc Ute small block v8 has the rounded back end like the ap just not the front clip
The 1960 AP3 Chrysler Royal 313 Poly head V8 was Australia's first muscle car. 220hp with gobs of torque, the same weight as a Valiant and made in OZ with Yank bits and pieces. 0 to 100k in 9 seconds, the fastest saloon in Oz.
My father was a Chrysler dealer mechanic - so we had the AP6, then VC, VJ and finally CM, followed by GH Scorpion, GJ Scorpion, HH Galant, NM Pajero and i personally had a GJ Scorpion and when kids came along a TW and TJ Magna. How is that for brand loyalty.
Awesome looking car. This has always been my favourite of the Valiant. I would buy one if I could get it with a 3.7 litre slant six engine.
AP6 V8, legend
beautiful. and i saw one of those barracudas pop up on gumtree just the other day
Beautiful 👍🏽
I know what was said in another language Glen 🤣 my dad came to Australia from ITALY a motor mechanic for Alfa Romeo & I’ll never forget the things he used to do in them 😳 he had plenty of them one of them I can remember was a VIP going in reverse at about 20 ks an hour putting into drive and fry the tyres I was that young I couldn’t see out the windows but I’ll never forget the beautiful black interior with the auto that looked like an eight ball with the button on the top 😘 and black Vinyl roof 318 all stock the only cars that he had that he never repaired 😈 Holdens & Fords after that he had to repair 😎
The AP6 was released in March, 1965. It would have competed with the HD Holden released the same month, and the XP Falcon released a month later. The AP5 started in May '63 competing with the 75 HP EJ Holden transitioning to the red motor 100 or 115HP EH Holden as well as the XL Falcon with 90HP (144 c.i.) and 101HP (170 c.i.) options.
I can’t understand how they sold any HD holdens or XP fords with these as their competitors
HDs had rust problems in the showrooms and the most under done (asthmatic) under powered 179
And the Ford wasn’t much better with the Super persuit 200 ugggh!
I had a VF 225 slant with 3 on the tree.
I still think of it as the 253 killer.
Love the slant! Leaning tower of Power! I even own one myself. :-)
This Australian model of the Valiant is better looking than the American version.
Magic car this AP6 Regal.
The AP6 V8 was not a 'Regal'. It was a level above, like the VIP in the VE series. You'll notice there was no Regal badges & the interior trim was different.
Mint AP6. I'm Jealous mate.
Yeh i was a valiant nut, because when the green light dropped, the bullshit stopped.
Had a mint rare original 66 VC factory 273 V8 safari wagon. Slotted a fresh fireball 318 then a hot 360. Fantastic car, nobody even Valiant nuts did not believe the safari wagon came in a factory V8, the car proved it.
Also a VJ E55 340 Chrysler by Chrysler.
2 door VH 265 Regal.
Sleeper Hi-po 265 re-powered VJ wagon.
E38 a block 265 VH ute.
Cheap HP back then.
Great cars the old Valiant. The old rumours of these things could not handling is total bullshit. You drive a good well sorted one, and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
100% A few tweaks transformed them.
Awesome
Oh for the 80s n 90s!.
Cheap, free Vals for everybody......
My is exactly the same, except white.
AP5 225 in two tone blue family car from 9 untill 15 for me. Its the lovely smell of vinal and steering wheel composite. The AP6 V8 was a modern day Chrysler Royal 313 Polyspheric. Mopar make the best engines. Ford the most powerfull.GM and GM-Holden the best back-up supplies.
Quite the record, first 4 door v8 built in Australia and last 4 door v8 available in Australia
The back of that AP6 looks suspiciously like a Mercedes.. even more attractive than the U.S. version 😀
I've owned quite a few Dodge Darts , virtually identical to the Valiant. Dead reliable, rode very comfortably, but even with radial tires they didn't handle on the highway as well as my Corvair, with its 4 wheel independent suspension
Front end looks like the ones here but the tail lights look more like a old Benz. interesting!
I find the Chrysler AP6 Valiant way more attractive than the AP5 or the VC Valiant. The front end of the AP6 looks to me like that of our Plymouth Valiant.
Good old cars the vals , and did seem to not suffer car cancer as much as the holdens and falcons , but i would have to disagree on the merits of torsion bar , they where imo a bit of a failure in noise vehicle harshness , ok on nice smooth highways , not so good on our goat tracks , the thumping under and through the floor where the torsion bar is anchored gets to be a real drag on rough roads , and it did not change from the early vals tight up to the last model valiant made .
The holdens and falcons had it all over the Vals in this area imo .
I had a AP5 , VC , and a CM.
My favourite Val's are the AP5 thru to VC models.......they were peak Valiant in my opinion. I never liked the 70's Valiants with their insipid styling and woeful looking interiors, but the Charger was ok.
My dad had a VC Valiant wagon that he bought brand new........and traded on an Alfa in 1970, when it was only about four years old! Why? I'll never know! The Alfa was good, but bush roads didn't suit it.
I may get a VC Valiant V8 when I retire.....if I can find a good one.
Forgets the 273 also came in the VE series
Valiants Rule
#this 🤤❤️🙏🙌
I transplanted a 273/4-speed from a '65 Barracuda into my '63 Valiant. The car could blow away 350 Chevy Novas.
Over heated an AP6 going from Adelaide to Whyalla.
Drove it till it ground to a halt,hitch hiked the rest of the way,
Went back the next day with a car trailer,thought I would give it a crank
and it started,Filled up the radiator and drove it home.
No idea why it got so hot,drove just the same after that.
A mate had one and decided he was going to buy another car.Dont
know why,it was perfectly good.
He started it in Neutral and put a cement block on the throttle
and we went inside to get pissed watching the footy.
Must have been all of 15 minutes and I said,Go and turn that car
Off mate,its bloody annoying.
The first Val I got was a VC Safari wagon,that was 30 years ago
and yes,I still regret selling it for $350 dollars.
That body had NO rust and was so straight it was beautifull.
My mates use to say it was the best they had ever seen,it looked
Awesome,painted PIANO black with the chrome.
It doesnt get darker than Piano black,the slightest imperfection
sticks out like dogs nuts.
I gotta stop now,,,Im gonna cry if I say any more>
Yep my dad had one loved the red vinyl seats and the push button to get it moving ,slant six 245 i believe and also great car as well, white with red leather ,till one day it did a rod and then could not be picked up and i believe its in colac as we speak or maybe its still rusting in someon es paddock?
The brakes were all drum, torsion bar front end, no springs, no power steering, the tow bar was a weird v shape. The front discs came in with the VC.
Lucky it's wasn't a purple valiant like the one in the kingswood country
Glenn
I remember those days well - I'm now 63 - and the Valiants even when first manufactured in Australia, had the 145bhp 225CID slant 6 and that was way, way ahead of a puny 75hp in the old 138CID Holden or the 90bhp of the 144CID Falcon. They were well ahead of the pack in those days.
I think that during the 70's, the Valiant just got too big and cumbersome for its own good, though they may have given you a bit more legroom and headroom!
Mark I have one of those early Valiants in my personal collection, a 109,000 genuine mile Factory Black 62 S-Series, and I love it. Even today they still drive so well compared to many other cars. They really were a game changer back in the day like you say. :-)
@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines
Nice!
Interesting that they have only recently started to become collectable despite being a great piece of engineering in their day.
hi your ap6 restored by yourself or someone else? Are you in Melbourne because i have an ap6 car and im looking to get it restored. Thank you
I know this is slightly off topic, but did Chrysler Australia sell a car which was equivalent to the North American Chrysler Imperial, Chrysler Newport, or even a Plymouth Satellite? You know, big rear wheel drive luxury barges with a big V8?
I'm pretty sure they sold the Phoenix here back in the day, but in limited numbers.
Crikey. Number 225 for likes. Had one, great.
Does anyone know if any of the Australian Police forces of the time ordered a "police special" ??? Since these were the first Australian made V8 sedans and would have walked all over the 6 cylinder Holdens and Fords, and would have made great pursuit vehicles.
That's a great question!
What about the 5 liter HK.
How much this guy want for his black ap5
Had a slant 6 like that, great drive train, but they handle like shit.4.5 inch rims,
The owner has a boring unbearable monotone voice - had to mute and watch in subtitles he was so irritating -ends every sentence in "mate" cringing
Cool AP6...never seen a V8 AP6...had AP5''s ,AP6 ,VE 318 , VG 318 2 door VH 318 2 door.. love the Valiant's
A Very nice looking car //////////////////////////////////
I had the 273 V8 Valiant barracuda in just that colour (1964 1/2) ... wish I still had it.