I owned a '61 Lancer 4-door for almost 2 years in about 1967, and I loved it. It had the 3-speed on the floor which made me feel like a sophisticate. I used it at school my sophomore year and it got me and two fraternity brothers from Cincinnati to West Palm Beach and back. I still think the styling is great. Much nicer than the '62 Dart, which I owned next -- those offset headlights and taillights were just weird. Thanks for the memories!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,. My angelic voice in response to the Lancer GT. I lived "in" the moment back in the day when theses were on the road. Is this one of the last ones on earth?....VOTES...Lancer and Tempest (Corvair unproven / Falcon looked like a toy) and the Coppertone girl....my crush back in '62
My dad bought one new when I was a little kid. Beige 4-door, aluminum 225 slant six, push button Torqueflite. It was an unremarkable car except that the 225 was proportioned like a tractor engine with that 4” stroke. Surprising torque. My dad embarrassed a few Mustangs leaving red lights-until the Mustangs began to breathe. I’ve always thought it an ugly car, though not the ugliest of the “Exner gone berserk” years. It was ugly when I was a child and still is. The aluminum slant six overheated one summer. It blew steam like a locomotive, the pressure cap vibrated, sounding like a train horn, and it limped into a tiny country town. Towed it home, then they swapped a cast iron 225 into it, cranked up the front torsion bars, and kept driving it.
Yeah, the 200 six in the Mustang 0nly had around 120 horsepower versus the 225 slant six had around 145 horsepower. Only good thing was the Mustang had the 289 which really woke the fiilrst pony car unless you count the Barracuda which came out two weeks before the Mustang. 1962 Fairlanes had 221 and 260 V8's which were pretty quick for the day.
This was my car in high school! Solid, good power, great viability. Used to drive it with my buddies some 500 miles to Lake Tahoe for spring breaks. Very reliable but had to add a little oil at each fill up.......
I am not sure why, but this car is a great example of how we change our thoughts about things over time. Come back with me to 1962……this was considered junk in styling, performance, and longevity. The mish-mosh lines and curves were too much, even then! Today, taken out of the 1962 contemporary context it looks interesting. But back then, it wasn’t.
Great insight.. it would be awesome to see this in the Wild driving down the road amongst all the appliances today it would look like a spaceship because it’s just so different. I wonder what the reaction of the public would be in a car like this
Yeah, no. Compared to the laughable Comet for instance, it looks like a Ghia concept. And the Falcon was a soap cake on wheels. As for "curves", the styling is mostly straight lines as far as I can tell....
I had one of these, 1962 GT white w. red trim, 3 speed on the column ( the 61s could have a 4 speed, I think, on the floor). My Dad bought the car new while in the USAF had it shipped to England where we were stationed. Aluminum 225 cu had quite a bit of power for the day, would easily smoke the tires. Unfortunately the aluminum engine was only good for about 60k miles and when we moved it to upstate NY it rusted out in about 2 winters. We replaced the engine with a cast iron unit from a 65 Dodge Dart, also a 225 with about 145 hp, and I Bondo'd up the rust, and drove it for 2-3 years. It was actually a great car, fun to drive, as mentioned a very nice size and very comfortable, and much more advanced than the competition from Ford and GM. Torsion bar suspension up front, no power steering but it was a light car and it didn't really need it. After 100k the tranny gave up, and I switched it for one from a junk yard, and took it to college with me. I have lots of fond memories of this car.
Thank you so much for sharing all that information and memories =) I’ve heard the aluminum blocks were problematic because the cylinder sleeves like to separate from the block casting which would be a catastrophic problem
I always liked these cars even when they were new, I was 11 years old when this car was built! Of all the compact cars in that time period the Lancer and its brother the Valiant were the best engineered and best overall. Of course when I grew up I spent most of my 45 years in the repair business working at Chrysler product dealers. My first new car was a 1970 Plymouth Valiant Duster. Powered by the famous 225 slant six. Basically the same car as this 62 A body under the skin.
I know a guy who picked one of these up about 4 years ago. It's a GT and a California car (zero rust) I think it's a 225 slant but I'm not totally sure. It's his driver right now, but he plans on converting it to a 340 with a mild cam and 360 heads. I've seen that motor and will wake his Lancer up big time. Just a rad looking car that really needs to be seen in person. You found a nice example!
I kind of sort of wanna find one with a 225 and build it into the ultimate sleeper wagon would be better I’ve heard those slant sixes can be made to put out some impressive horsepower figures
@@What.its.like. with a blower and a ton of money...I always wanted to do that too, but reality has prevented it. But that car, with a 340 and say a 3.55:1 rear end would be a hoot at the strip. Uh, yes, as a matter of fact I did own a 340 Dart at one time. Sold it, and it is now almost totally restored. He has put about $35K into a $20K car, as it should be...
@@What.its.like. not really. They're an over square engine with a few less main bearings than a normal straight 6 also the crank is a basically way to loaded with counter weights to really spin very fast. You could do it but you'd probably have 20k in a slant 6
I remember seeing these cars as a kid while out on errands with my parents and remarking to myself, "They look like washing machines!" To my six-year-old POV, that's what they looked like! I don't recall any other make of car in 1963 making such a lasting impression, but this one did.
What a great car to feature, Jay. I've always appreciated the uniqueness of the styling. Such attention to detail everywhere you look. And this is a pristine example -- suddenly, it's 1962! Thank you for featuring it. And I'll take the Falcon and the Tempest.
Glad you dig this one Great choices the plan is the cover as many cars as possible and as many different body styles as possible we will get to them all eventually =)
Great job presenting this beautiful car...as an elder statesman and retired engineer, I had the pleasure of working on these cars when I was in high school...never encountered one that I didn't like...I found them very easy to work on...absolutely love the styling, interior and the 2 tone color...if taken care of properly, they were always reliable...one thing I remember was that if they were left out in damp weather (after being driven), condensation would form under the distributor cap and prevent the car from starting...I remember having to make service calls to customer's homes and get them on their way by loosening the cap and wiping the moisture from the contact points...I always made a nice tip for "diagnosing" the problem so quickly...great memories...thank you!
Great car! The footage is improved, but it was fine before. As always, the content is concise and detailed. Your passion for cars is evident and your effort is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Thank you so much for all the positive vibes greatly appreciate it you’ve been with the channel or you’ve been one of the ones I’ve been with the channel from just about the beginning and it really means a lot =)
62 Monza Spyder 62 AMC I have to admit there are some Virgil Exner designs with a forward look that I just don't appreciate. This car is one of them. It's like the front end looks good and the side looks good and the back end looks good but not together. I don't know how else to describe it except for that the total package just doesn't do it for me. It's like three separate cars stuck together to make one. IMO the forward look with this particular car means you want to slow down and let it move *forward* past you so you don't have to *look* at it anymore. I remember when these came out a friend of mine's father had one. It had the 225 and it was a very peppy automobile and very roomy inside but it was fugly. Would I actually buy one and own one if I could afford it sure you bet. Any vintage automobile is worth owning. Camera footage is awesome.
I think I shot 14 cars yesterday most of them were with the new set up there was two I had some technical difficulties there’s two that are with the GoPro.. but still good =)
I loved these, but apparently not many other folks did. They used that same trunk limner all the way through to the 80's... makes it easy to find! Nothing looks like, except the Valiant with the toilet seat on the trunk, was an option on this one too. and it is fugly, that's why I like it! 62 Monza Spyder (not even close) 62 Dodge, they all had challenging styling! Camera footage is a lot sharper.GoPros good for going down the road, sports, that sort of thing. (they are what I use on my bike). Use phone or real camera for static shots!
Sweet choices totally agree the GoPro everything is in focus which is good but it doesn’t have good low light capabilities it gets washed out if you try to improve the image.. The other cool thing is this is always add an aperture of F2 so the background has that dreamy bokeh look.. can also choose what you want and focus kind of like the big camera I can click on a different part in the screen and it will automatically focus on that and then if I want to drive focus to the foreground I can do that too which you can’t do on the GoPro.. It’s a gimbal camera so I just gotta get that down because it likes to move around a lot
These were wonderful cars that ran for a very long time. They were "small" cars in their day, and they were economical to buy and operate. I would love to have one like this car. The camera catches the colors and details very nicely. Nice video.
One thing you missed was Park on the transmission. It's not on a push button, it's on a lever near the handbrake release. I think the styling on the Valiant was great, and this one much less so. Cheers.
The Lancers were great cars. With the 225 they ran great, were rock solid reliable, performed well and got great gas milage. The torsion bar suspension gave them great handling. I think 1962 was the first year for the alternator. Your comments regarding rust are correct, they rusted out long before they wore out. Also agree regarding the styling, they were love it or hate it cars.
14:26 In the glove box, we can see the owner did not get the "glove box light" option, since the hoop (top left) where the plunger which turned the glove box light off is absent.
I had a '61 Lancer Wagon back in '82-84! Black w/red accents and interior. It had a factory 2 One bbbl carb intake on it and 3 spd auto. Excellent little car and went to a Nice family that restored and Pampered it.
I consider this one of my Underdog Cars. It’s cool because it’s different and cuts across the grain of what was available back then styling wise. I agree with you, I was always confused whether this car was fugly or beautiful- that’s why it’s so cool!
My mother had a 1961 Valiant, same interior even the color. Black body, with the slant six. You could not kill that motor. One of my older brothers took it over and drove it for years. The front seat (split bench) wore out and he replaced with Covair green buckets. Strangest look ever with the lipstick red interior. I loved that car, would love to have this GT.
I think in 1960 Valiant was a standalone brand and sold through both Dodge and Plymouth dealerships, but when they made it a Plymouth they needed to badge engineer something for Dodge dealers.
Yeah, Valiant was a stand-alone brand for 1960 and branded as a Plymouth to bolster sales for '61. It's interesting to note that the '60 Dodge Dart was a Plymouth Belvedere in all but grille and taillights, but the Dart outsold the entire Plymouth line for 1960 and 1961, and the standard-size Dodge models as well. The Lancer-badged Valiant was echoed ten years later when Plymouth had spent its major-face-lift allocation for the Valiant on a whole new coupe ( the Duster) and put new taillights on the sedans. Dodge wanted a Duster and got one badged _DEMON._ Looks like the car makers would realize the rebadged models don't make new conquest sales, but rather cannibalize theit own market.
I think badge engineering has more to do with dealer demands. If it weren't for dealer contracts being so hard to get out of, Plymouth would have probably been sunset when Iacocca was running things. @@5610winston
No, it was standalone brand and, according to Wiki, it was also standalone for 1962, but badged a Plymouth in 1961! Chrysler Valiant was a foreign market thing only.@@ernielaw
I remember when John Glenn orbited Earth. The entire school came to a stop, and they played all the NASA/news stuff over the intercom. My teacher, Mrs. Philbert was really moved by it all.
Flash ah ah hahaha I was really impressed with the camera and how it was able to focus on whatever you wanted to focus on and then it could drift back-and-forth just like a big one if you wanted to I think once I figure out how to use this a little bit better it’s going to take it to the next level
I am of the "I love this car" fan club. I almost had my dad talked in to buying a 64 full-size Dodge, (it still had some of the design] features of the 62 Full-size Dodge, that I love). Since he was going to make the payments, we wound up with a 64 Mercury with the breeze-way rear window.
I had a 1962 Dodge Lancer GT. It was white with a red top. By 1975 it was starting to rust away, and a hit-and-run driver took it out while it was parked on the street. I still miss it.
Corvair. Tempest. Both chosen for their (surprising for GM) innovative technologies: air-cooled rear engine and Turbo for the Corvair, half-a-V8 slant four and "rope-drive" rear transaxle for the Tempest.
Hi Jay!: I am one of the people that think this car is Fugly! BUT, it does have a lot going for it! The interior is GREAT! That little slant 6 was a GOOD engine. I don't know what happened at Chrysler Corp. in the early 1960's, but the styling was very disjointed. It's like they shot their styling bolt in 1956-59, and then couldn't figure out WHAT to do next. I don't know why, but as a kid, I thought the Valiant/Lancer looked like frogs to me! You will for SURE stand out driving one today, zooming along with all the road blobs. WYR#1 1962 Corvair Monza Spyder!! #2 Going RAMBLER on this one! At least the styling doesn't bother me!
First choice. A tie between the Lancer and Corvair. (It comes down to equipment on either model.) the second choice, the Lancer wins, unless the Pontiac Tempest/LeMans is one of the few with the v8 engine option. The cool little Rambler American comes in third In this case. And I probably would take the Falcon over the Rambler. But the little American definitely wins on the oddball forgotten nobody wants one meter. There are some really cool design structural features on the Lancer/Valiant hidden plain sight which add to the coolness feature of those cars. Take the style of the roof. The square section above the door openings. They are where the monocoque structure resides and its square box section adds strength, and its placement allows for increased head room over the seating areas in the cabin. The shape of the dashboard on the passenger side is to open up the space for a more roomy and less claustrophobic interior. The lean of the slant six was specifically made to fit under the lowered hood of this car. The water pump on the engine was specifically set to the side to shorten the engine length in order to fit into this car with its shorter length hood. This car incorporated Chryslers first body dipping process where the lower body was dipped in a corrosion resistant primer coating to improve rust protection. This car also included a number of changes to save weight. It offered an aluminum cast block 225 cid slant 6, and aluminum intake manifold instead of cast iron, an aluminum water pump instead of an iron pump and even an aluminum steering box. There were even plans to offer aluminum bumper brackets. But for cost and technical reasons, much of those components reverted ton cast iron or steel over the production run. The Valiant was initially intended to be a premium level compact to be its own stand alone brand and a companion car line to be sold by the DeSoto dealers. But with the demise of DeSoto, it became a Plymouth and Dodge instead.
A 62 gt lancer?, this is the first one I've ever seen, I spent 55 years looking at cars ,I thought I had seen them are, I love this little ugly duckling.
15:55 To the modern eye, it's just CRAZY what a BIG DEAL ashtrays everywhere were. It'd be hard for a young person of today to imagine a world where EVERYBODY smoked--if you didn't smoke, you were some kind of a SQUARE. (an insult that's not very current, either)
You don’t wish that you did? Anymore Think of it this way there’s not anything that looks anything remotely similar to that so if you took it anywhere as long as it wasn’t a 1962 Plymouth valiant/Lancer convention you’ll be able to find your car anywhere
Around Boston in the 60's I saw tons of Valiants but not many of these. The new camera footage was nice and clear. I could see all of the pedal box and dash details. It's a big improvement IMO. I would choose the Lancer and the American. My mom had a 1962 Tempest wagon. It was an interesting car but she had lots of problems with it. I'd have chosen it for the nostalgia but there is something about those old Americans...
Sweet choices thank you so much for sharing your mom‘s Pontiac tempest wagon that’s one I’ve been looking for I found one for sale on marketplace but too far away.. I honestly can’t wait to shoot more cars this year and get it all dialed in and I think it’s going to really improve the program
I think the first time that I ever saw one of these or either the Valiant, I thought it was really odd looking, but I think over time, I've grown to appreciate different types of styling a little more, and seeing this premium example up close, I like it even more, (and yes the camera is Fantastic!) I would probably pick this one both times. 😎 Video
Learned to drive in a blue 62 Dodge Lancer with push button transmission. Paint flaked off and we took it to St Louis Chrysler plant for a repaint to white.
Lancer with 170 hyper pack. Can I have all 3?? My uncle who raised me had a Lancer identical to that one when I was 6 years old. He also had a 61 Valiant. The body style grows on you and I find myself wanting one very much.Up to 1960 ,Rambler was the only American company to have mid sized car. I grew up in the muscle car era but I'm now drawn to those early mid sized American cars. How much for the Lancer??? Great video, brought back some memories!!! Thanks!!! My cousin Jill had a 4 door Valiant with a 170 hyper pack and she could drive it well at 16 on the back roads in Virginia!!!!
I think they want 29 grand for it it only has 14,000 miles which is not a bad price for that car it’s almost brand new looking it looks just as good underneath as it does on top I looked at some of the pictures =) You bet you could have one of each can never have too many glad that this video could bring back some of those memories
I had the '62 Valiant, I think the grill fit the styling better. Black with chrome down the side. Red paint inside the chrome matched the interior. Slant six, 225, and pushbutton automatic. At the same time a yellow '68 Fury III VIP, and two '61 Galaxies. How did those all get away?
The interior is stunning given this was an average car for the average buyer. Never understood Exner styling of this era, but this one is better sorted than its stablemates.
WYR. The 62 falcon by far. I had one I never should have sold it. Solid reliable car that still runs today and got over 27 mpg. The interior had a funky smell no one could get rid of Current owner still can’t get it out
The Falcon and any of the second options 👍 Dodge was out there 👌👽.. I always wanted a 63 Belvidere 😂.. Unusual Car ... Great Episode.. Happy Motoring ✌️🤠
I was thinking the same exact thing you can see so much more detail and you can also do whole depth in field thing just like the DSLR but it doesn’t it’s just a little tiny camera.. also can play around with what you want to have and focus on what you don’t want to have and focus and it draws your attention into whatever’s in focus.. Last year I worked on delivery and working on bettering the writing aspect of it this year I want to improve on that but I also want to get the image quality better if that makes any sense not to say that it was bad before it wasn’t I just want to make it better
My take at the time was these earlier models didn't have an ass - the trunk was kind of styled away into not quite a station wagon or something. I also formed my opinion because a neighborhood rival's mother had one and they were all ugly ;) I liked and indeed, owned several replacement dodge Darts beginning with a 63, a 64 and a 74; all with the big slant six. Loved the push button drive including the occasional lurch you'd get when you dropped the tranny into park. They were amazingly reliable. On the one I had in high school and college, I was able to rig the front bench seat to fully recline by hand loosening the bolt holding it at an appropriate time. I had already removed the one on the passenger side. It was great for camping :) .... and watching the submarine races around Plumb Point on the mighty Mississippi.
Dodge Lancer and Pontiac Tempest. The styling of that vintage of Lancer/Valiant was a clever way to disguise a box--the cars had a good inside-to-outside volume ratio.
Are parts difficult to come by with the Valiant/Lancer? How can I find a reliable mechanic for it when the vehicle may need maintenance of some sort? Your thoughts? GREAT review of what was from Chrysler. How unfortunate the company seems to be biting the dust, outside of the automaker's van. 😮💨♐
Funny it’s not the canon I bought DJI pocket 3 It’s a tiny camera but uses a gimbal and you have a toggle switch and you can control where you wanna put it I gotta get better at framing the shots because the gimbal likes to move around and I’m explaining things and the gimbal moved and some of the shots art framed right but once I get it dialed in I think it’s gonna be great this car was one of the last cars I shot that day I’m pretty sure with more use I’ll be able to figure it out pretty easy I love the depth and feel did it Gives which I can totally see why you thought it was the DSLR because the quality an image or very similar
For the first WYR scenario, I'm going with the Lancer. The second scenario, it's either the Lancer or the Tempest. Maybe people love it or hate it, but it has to be said the styling was pretty distinctive especially compared to the competition. That front end is very interesting. In my opinion, if there were ugly early sixties Chrysler cars, that "honor" would go to the full-size 1961 Plymouth and Dodge. Many would disagree with me, but the '62 models were a big improvement. The only worry would be those ashtrays so far up the seats. Somehow I can picture the driver's hair being set ablaze by a stray spark. Not to mention the smoke billowing out of the ashtray, so close to the driver's head, causing issues. But then everyone seemed to smoke back then.
To answer your question, I think this camera is the best yet. I can pick up on details better than with the other, it seems. It'll probably be better when you try to record with limited lightning.
Great choices as well as insight and information Thank you so much for camera feed back I’m impressed with it I want to go shoot more stuff lol can’t wait to get it dialed in I think once I get used to all the settings it’s going to take image quality next level
13:10 Even as a kid, I remember thinking that dash looked way too "plastic-ey." The "silver" color was always cheap looking. I know, this is a cheap car, so don't expect to much, but again, as a 10 year old, I remember thinking that. Oh, and I remember thinking the doors were REALLY thin.
The door were thin but didn’t feel chintzy, The dash felt solid but it was just weird how it was designed it was a cool car all things considered I would definitely buy one just because it’s different and if you don’t know me by now I like different
I like your 'love it or hate it' description of the styling. I personally don't like it, but that car is pretty nice. For the WYR segments: Of *course* I would take the 62 Corvair Spyder! And, because I like weirdness, I would take the 62 Tempest. BTW, my first car was a black 62 Corvair Monza 4 speed. Paid $40 for it!
That’s insane you could get a Corvair for 40 bucks I almost bought a 66 model I think for 2500 bucks but I ended up buying a Karman Ghia instead.. only because at the end of the rainbow Karman Ghia is worth more than a Corvair despite Corvair being twice or three times more powerful than a Karman Ghia it’s interesting what cars are worth a lot of money and what cars aren’t.. haven’t driven both the Corvair is a lot more fun to drive because it’s faster lol
@@What.its.like. I probably should mention that I bought that Corvair in 1970. During the 90's I had a 66 Type 34 Karmann-Ghia, powered by a fuel injected, turbocharged Corvair engine. It was fast, fun and fragile!
Wow I’ve only seen a handful type 34 ghias there is a Karman Ghia in the pipeline unfortunately it was shot with the GoPro.. I know where my old Karman Ghia is and I’ve reached out to that family they were gonna let me do it but it needed a topend job done a valve job.. I don’t know if they got it fixed it would be really cool to do an episode with that car I wish I knew where my Mustang was
I'm middle aged & remember these cars on the road quite well. As you are a younger reviewer, i appreciate your informed, balanced assessment of the Lancer. 1961-65 Chrysler corp. styling was really "busy" imo, but i fall into the "Love" category. I own a 1965 "B" body Dodge Coronet & i would seriously consider a trade or buy a 1962-'63 Plymouth or Dodge.
I always thought these cars were ugly and I still kinda do but I really like it to the point I started looking for one Just to see if there are a lot out there... the interior of that car is cool =)
@@What.its.like. when i was preschool age, the sitter would call a taxi to take us to town & the taxi was a 1962 Dodge. The looks of it actually scared me at that age. Glad i grew out of it, lol.
Probably more reliable than a modern shitbox. Did 750,000 with a mild 318 . Sold the engine to guy who put it in his truck. He asked me 😢if this was rebuilt it went so hard. Ha,ha,
In regard to the Mopar economy car twins of '62, I always liked the Lancer over the Valiant. These cars were plentiful when I was a young lad in grade school. As the '50's rolled into the '60's Exner's designs became more controversial. The height of bazaar was the '61 Plymouth. When design leadership changed in the mid 60's the Lancer became the Dart and I find those designs more appealing. Engel's linear styling made the compacts look longer and bigger.
I traded my 4 door 62 Valiant to a friend for his 62 Lancer GT. Enjoyed that car for about a year then I had a chance to get a Triple Crown 59 Windsor with the 383 Golden Lion. Was hooked on Mopars up until 2004.@@What.its.like.
Dodge needed a hardtop to sell to the sporty compact car crowd - the BOP group had hardtops, need to compete. However they either did not or could not tool for an appropriate roof, so they went with the bizarre split rear side window(s). To me it doesn't work, and I'd rather have the sedan. WYR: 1) Monza!! 2) Tempest if it's a LeMans, otherwise, OK, the Lancer.
In giving the 1962 Dodge lineup you used 1961 Dodge sheet showing Lancer (mild changes for 1962) Dart and Polara where the Dart and Polara are similar but different vehicles. The 1962 Dart and Polara used the same basic body with trim differences. Also a little later you used a 1961 Lancer sheet which I recognized because one side had a 2-door and the other side had a 4-door depicted on them. Yes Mr. Picky strikes again, my apologies on an otherwise excellent video. 😢
It’s all good I figured those cars were pretty much carryover cars it’s really hard with doing this you type in 62 dodge lancer ads and you get Lancer ads from 1961 I’m going to make a video about it it’s a lot harder than people think specially having not lived during the time.. thank you for keeping me straight though really Appreciate it
@@What.its.like. Yes the Lancers were pretty much carryover with mostly trim differences and I wish I still had my library because I probably could be a little help to you, but now I have to do with my memories of which I know has stopped me from commenting a few times because I just wasn't sure but the other miss you made with the Dart and Polara was they were in no way carryover because they were downsized with the Plymouth while the 880 filled the spot the Polara had in 1961 as the big car line.
The new camera really made an improvement! I'm right with you in liking cars that are, shall we say, different, so this pushes all my buttons--like a TorqueFlyte transmission. As well as this one presents, I'd still prefer the Monza, but it's a tossup with the Tempest. I mean, c'mon! It's red! Your beard looks great BTW.
Thank you so much winter beard I suppose I might get a pair of sunglasses I’ll look just like Jeff lynne soon.. =) I can’t wait I think we got everything that we need to make some stellar videos this year.. ( not to say that they wasn’t stellar in the past just everything improves with time )
10:50 By the time the Valiant came along, Exner was just trying to find something different. There is no doubt that the higher-ups should have gotten about 90% of the blame for the dismal failure of the '62-'64 full-size Dodge and Plymouth, but when you look at the established designs of the Studebaker Lark (dating from model year 1959) and the Rambler Six (major redesign 1958), and the rather homely but inoffensive Falcon (1960), the Valiant looks like Exner was just throwing out different to be different and got hit along the way with the Magic Wand Of Weird. The claims of "European influence just don't wash. The Valiant makes the Citroen Ami look good in comparison and the Trabant was a masterpiece. The Valiant and fraternal twin Lancer were road toads. The redesign for '63 improved them from unsightly to merely offensive, but it was the complete redesign for 1967 that brought the Mopar compacts any measure of good looks in the context of the times.
Unsightly to offensive and 'road toads' is solely in the eyes of the beholder. Compared to todays appliance cars, lacking in design flair and the ghastly SUV and truck fad I'd take this restored Lancer GT in a heart beat.
The Slant can live with about 200 hp and still be streetable. One of MoPar's greatest cars. So much more stylish than the Corvair, Falcon, Comet or even Tempest, F-85 or others.
My picks here would be the Corvair and Rambler. As for the Lancer name, it goes beyond Dodge. Mitsubishi used the Lancer name on one of their 4 door sedans until recent years. It may be no coincidence that Mitsubishi had been building cars for Dodge & other divisions for several years. It started with the 1971 Dodge Colt.
I really like the old Falcon's but I love the quirky old Valiant so WYR it's the Lancer GT (though that Corvair is f-a-s-t). Round 2 goes to the American, both because I like it and because it's almost exactly like my first car so I'm biased. On the new camera, it seems slower to focus with changes in aim and doesn't have quite as much as much depth of field but it is sharper. It also does better extremely close up, though you almost never shoot that close. A slightly different lens will fix the DOF but might cost a bit in the extreme close-ups. Better overall as-is. While it fits the "GT" moniker, they should have offered this with some serious power under the hood. You can easily see my main dislike of the Slant 6 where the distributor is not so easy to get to. Remember, you had to set the points fairly often with these which electronic ignition saved us from so that access matters. You missed the "Park" kever below the transmission buttons. Ifyou forgot to set it and didn't use the parking brake the car could roll away. Sometimes forgot to set it and got a surprise, and a lot of people didn't use it and just set the parking brake instead. And the 5-line rear fender trim sucks, but the rest of everything is great with no 'Exner excess' in the brightwork making it gaudy. I've grown to like fatter steering wheels but all were thin back then and they had more style than today's air-bag blobs. A "Space Age" car indeed.
Awesome insight and information the new camera is DJI pocket three it’s a gimbal camera it’s tiny like to go pro but it’s not waterproof like the GoPro I have a joystick that I can control where I want the camera to be it’s at Constant aperture of F2 that’s why you can get some of those glorious bokeh shots I need to get better at framing because I’m used to just holding the GoPro and it doesn’t have the same characteristics as this camera does meaning it has a fixed aperture but everything is in focus not everything is in focus with this camera and I like it because it draws your attention to whatever is in focus nothing else matters and it gives it a better feel I guess just like the DSLR you can choose what you want to be in focus in the frame I just gotta get better at working it.. it also came with a microphone that hooks up to it which I haven’t used yet I did the shoots without the microphone just to see what it was like
@@What.its.like. Don't worry about the camera stuff- it's very minimal but you asked for comments or I'd not have mentioned it. The new mic will help, sometimes the level varies. You're getting better with everything which makes the viewing experience better for me- kudos!
Camera shooting is of imprived quality, no discussion, my friend. Now, to the car itself, honestly I do prefer the Plymouth Valiant for various reasons, one of them being that a lady in the neighborhood * owned one when I was (much) younger ! * I never know how to write this word!
Awesome thank you so much for the feedback i think once I get comfortable and dial it in after using it more the videos are going to see a huge improvement =) ( not to see that there was anything wrong with the videos to begin with it’s just really cool to see all of the lines in the vehicles ) Awesome insight and information
@@What.its.like. It was a fun car but remember that back in the early 70’s it was just a used car still coming off the Ralph Nader debacle. It was relatively quick and would keep up with many V-8 cars and flat outrun others. Sometimes third gear wasn’t available despite my efforts to fix it and eventually I sold it to get the money to buy something else. I paid $200 for it and owned it for a couple of years. Back then most of us had to sell our old cars to have the money to get another one.
A guy from around Titusville, Pa built a lancer R/T. Bright yellow, looked like it came from the factory. A v8,?, 4 speed car. Complete with trim and emblems. This would have been in the late 60s or early 70s. I think his name was Jim. The place where he lived was actually a little cross roads called Diamond. Anyone?
Do you know if Jim is still around and has the car and still lives in Titusville Pennsylvania I’m not far from Titusville that would be a car worth checking out even though it’s a bit custom
@@What.its.like. this was a long time ago. I left the area in 1972 and except for the occasional visit I've never lived there again. I can't remember his last name, if it comes to me iwill post it. He would be in his 80s at least, if he is still with us. I do remember that he used to race at Tri City speedway in a68 or 69 barracuda. It's I recall he was a Mopar fan.
I owned a '61 Lancer 4-door for almost 2 years in about 1967, and I loved it. It had the 3-speed on the floor which made me feel like a sophisticate. I used it at school my sophomore year and it got me and two fraternity brothers from Cincinnati to West Palm Beach and back. I still think the styling is great. Much nicer than the '62 Dart, which I owned next -- those offset headlights and taillights were just weird. Thanks for the memories!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,. My angelic voice in response to the Lancer GT. I lived "in" the moment back in the day when theses were on the road. Is this one of the last ones on earth?....VOTES...Lancer and Tempest (Corvair unproven / Falcon looked like a toy) and the Coppertone girl....my crush back in '62
My dad bought one new when I was a little kid. Beige 4-door, aluminum 225 slant six, push button Torqueflite. It was an unremarkable car except that the 225 was proportioned like a tractor engine with that 4” stroke. Surprising torque. My dad embarrassed a few Mustangs leaving red lights-until the Mustangs began to breathe.
I’ve always thought it an ugly car, though not the ugliest of the “Exner gone berserk” years. It was ugly when I was a child and still is.
The aluminum slant six overheated one summer. It blew steam like a locomotive, the pressure cap vibrated, sounding like a train horn, and it limped into a tiny country town. Towed it home, then they swapped a cast iron 225 into it, cranked up the front torsion bars, and kept driving it.
Thank you so much for sharing those memories
If those Mustangs were embarrassed they could have been of the standard six variety.
Yeah, the 200 six in the Mustang 0nly had around 120 horsepower versus the 225 slant six had around 145 horsepower. Only good thing was the Mustang had the 289 which really woke the fiilrst pony car unless you count the Barracuda which came out two weeks before the Mustang. 1962 Fairlanes had 221 and 260 V8's which were pretty quick for the day.
This was my car in high school! Solid, good power, great viability. Used to drive it with my buddies some 500 miles to Lake Tahoe for spring breaks. Very reliable but had to add a little oil at each fill up.......
Awesome thank you for sharing those memories =)
I am not sure why, but this car is a great example of how we change our thoughts about things over time. Come back with me to 1962……this was considered junk in styling, performance, and longevity. The mish-mosh lines and curves were too much, even then! Today, taken out of the 1962 contemporary context it looks interesting. But back then, it wasn’t.
Great insight.. it would be awesome to see this in the Wild driving down the road amongst all the appliances today it would look like a spaceship because it’s just so different. I wonder what the reaction of the public would be in a car like this
Yeah, no. Compared to the laughable Comet for instance, it looks like a Ghia concept. And the Falcon was a soap cake on wheels. As for "curves", the styling is mostly straight lines as far as I can tell....
I LUVED MINE!
Had a white 1962 Lancer GT with red buckets!
I had a 1964 Corvair Monza convertible that was a great car.
Awesome given the choice between the two of them which was the better car
@@What.its.like. They were different. Rear air-cooled engine..independent suspension..4-speed. Slant 6...Torqueflite..interesting design.
I had one of these, 1962 GT white w. red trim, 3 speed on the column ( the 61s could have a 4 speed, I think, on the floor). My Dad bought the car new while in the USAF had it shipped to England where we were stationed. Aluminum 225 cu had quite a bit of power for the day, would easily smoke the tires. Unfortunately the aluminum engine was only good for about 60k miles and when we moved it to upstate NY it rusted out in about 2 winters. We replaced the engine with a cast iron unit from a 65 Dodge Dart, also a 225 with about 145 hp, and I Bondo'd up the rust, and drove it for 2-3 years. It was actually a great car, fun to drive, as mentioned a very nice size and very comfortable, and much more advanced than the competition from Ford and GM. Torsion bar suspension up front, no power steering but it was a light car and it didn't really need it. After 100k the tranny gave up, and I switched it for one from a junk yard, and took it to college with me. I have lots of fond memories of this car.
Thank you so much for sharing all that information and memories =)
I’ve heard the aluminum blocks were problematic because the cylinder sleeves like to separate from the block casting which would be a catastrophic problem
5:38 That "hyper pack" sounds really cool ... if I were a buyer back then, I feel like I'd _definitely_ go for that package!
I always liked these cars even when they were new, I was 11 years old when this car was built! Of all the compact cars in that time period the Lancer and its brother the Valiant were the best engineered and best overall. Of course when I grew up I spent most of my 45 years in the repair business working at Chrysler product dealers. My first new car was a 1970 Plymouth Valiant Duster. Powered by the famous 225 slant six. Basically the same car as this 62 A body under the skin.
Thumbs up on the new camera!
Awesome =)
I know a guy who picked one of these up about 4 years ago. It's a GT and a California car (zero rust) I think it's a 225 slant but I'm not totally sure. It's his driver right now, but he plans on converting it to a 340 with a mild cam and 360 heads. I've seen that motor and will wake his Lancer up big time. Just a rad looking car that really needs to be seen in person. You found a nice example!
I kind of sort of wanna find one with a 225 and build it into the ultimate sleeper wagon would be better I’ve heard those slant sixes can be made to put out some impressive horsepower figures
@@What.its.like.tell him to change the differential also, or it will grenade.
@@What.its.like. with a blower and a ton of money...I always wanted to do that too, but reality has prevented it.
But that car, with a 340 and say a 3.55:1 rear end would be a hoot at the strip.
Uh, yes, as a matter of fact I did own a 340 Dart at one time. Sold it, and it is now almost totally restored. He has put about $35K into a $20K car, as it should be...
@@What.its.like. not really. They're an over square engine with a few less main bearings than a normal straight 6 also the crank is a basically way to loaded with counter weights to really spin very fast. You could do it but you'd probably have 20k in a slant 6
I remember seeing these cars as a kid while out on errands with my parents and remarking to myself, "They look like washing machines!" To my six-year-old POV, that's what they looked like! I don't recall any other make of car in 1963 making such a lasting impression, but this one did.
Definitely can’t forget this one
What a great car to feature, Jay. I've always appreciated the uniqueness of the styling. Such attention to detail everywhere you look. And this is a pristine example -- suddenly, it's 1962! Thank you for featuring it. And I'll take the Falcon and the Tempest.
Glad you dig this one Great choices the plan is the cover as many cars as possible and as many different body styles as possible we will get to them all eventually =)
Great job presenting this beautiful car...as an elder statesman and retired engineer, I had the pleasure of working on these cars when I was in high school...never encountered one that I didn't like...I found them very easy to work on...absolutely love the styling, interior and the 2 tone color...if taken care of properly, they were always reliable...one thing I remember was that if they were left out in damp weather (after being driven), condensation would form under the distributor cap and prevent the car from starting...I remember having to make service calls to customer's homes and get them on their way by loosening the cap and wiping the moisture from the contact points...I always made a nice tip for "diagnosing" the problem so quickly...great memories...thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing those stories and memories with us I’m glad that this video was able to bring those memories back =)
Love the new camera
Awesome =)
You forgot to mention the park lever which was new that year
Great car! The footage is improved, but it was fine before. As always, the content is concise and detailed. Your passion for cars is evident and your effort is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Thank you so much for all the positive vibes greatly appreciate it you’ve been with the channel or you’ve been one of the ones I’ve been with the channel from just about the beginning and it really means a lot =)
@RepentandbelieveinJesusChrist.
Get Lost ...
In 1962, I thought this car was hideous.
Now here we are in 2024, and it’s STILL hideous !
62 Monza Spyder
62 AMC
I have to admit there are some Virgil Exner designs with a forward look that I just don't appreciate. This car is one of them.
It's like the front end looks good and the side looks good and the back end looks good but not together. I don't know how else to describe it except for that the total package just doesn't do it for me. It's like three separate cars stuck together to make one.
IMO the forward look with this particular car means you want to slow down and let it move *forward* past you so you don't have to *look* at it anymore.
I remember when these came out a friend of mine's father had one. It had the 225 and it was a very peppy automobile and very roomy inside but it was fugly. Would I actually buy one and own one if I could afford it sure you bet. Any vintage automobile is worth owning.
Camera footage is awesome.
Sweet choices =)
And totally agree it’s like too many different designs on one car but I’m growing to like it I want to drive one lol
What a great looking economy car 👍😃camera shots look great
I think I shot 14 cars yesterday most of them were with the new set up there was two I had some technical difficulties there’s two that are with the GoPro.. but still good =)
I loved these, but apparently not many other folks did. They used that same trunk limner all the way through to the 80's... makes it easy to find!
Nothing looks like, except the Valiant with the toilet seat on the trunk, was an option on this one too. and it is fugly, that's why I like it!
62 Monza Spyder (not even close)
62 Dodge, they all had challenging styling!
Camera footage is a lot sharper.GoPros good for going down the road, sports, that sort of thing. (they are what I use on my bike). Use phone or real camera for static shots!
Sweet choices totally agree the GoPro everything is in focus which is good but it doesn’t have good low light capabilities it gets washed out if you try to improve the image..
The other cool thing is this is always add an aperture of F2 so the background has that dreamy bokeh look.. can also choose what you want and focus kind of like the big camera I can click on a different part in the screen and it will automatically focus on that and then if I want to drive focus to the foreground I can do that too which you can’t do on the GoPro.. It’s a gimbal camera so I just gotta get that down because it likes to move around a lot
These were wonderful cars that ran for a very long time. They were "small" cars in their day, and they were economical to buy and operate. I would love to have one like this car. The camera catches the colors and details very nicely. Nice video.
One thing you missed was Park on the transmission. It's not on a push button, it's on a lever near the handbrake release. I think the styling on the Valiant was great, and this one much less so. Cheers.
Thank you so much for pointing that out I totally forgot the parking lever
The Lancers were great cars. With the 225 they ran great, were rock solid reliable, performed well and got great gas milage. The torsion bar suspension gave them great handling. I think 1962 was the first year for the alternator. Your comments regarding rust are correct, they rusted out long before they wore out. Also agree regarding the styling, they were love it or hate it cars.
1960 Valiants had an alternator.
14:26 In the glove box, we can see the owner did not get the "glove box light" option, since the hoop (top left) where the plunger which turned the glove box light off is absent.
My first car was a 62 Lancer, which I drove until 77, when the rust just couldn't be patched anymore. I still love the styling.
I had a '61 Lancer Wagon back in '82-84! Black w/red accents and interior. It had a factory 2 One bbbl carb intake on it and 3 spd auto.
Excellent little car and went to a Nice family that restored and Pampered it.
I consider this one of my Underdog Cars. It’s cool because it’s different and cuts across the grain of what was available back then styling wise. I agree with you, I was always confused whether this car was fugly or beautiful- that’s why it’s so cool!
My mother had a 1961 Valiant, same interior even the color. Black body, with the slant six. You could not kill that motor. One of my older brothers took it over and drove it for years. The front seat (split bench) wore out and he replaced with Covair green buckets. Strangest look ever with the lipstick red interior. I loved that car, would love to have this GT.
I always heard it referred to the custom 880
Dodge had some really weird number system to correlate with their models
I think in 1960 Valiant was a standalone brand and sold through both Dodge and Plymouth dealerships, but when they made it a Plymouth they needed to badge engineer something for Dodge dealers.
Yeah, Valiant was a stand-alone brand for 1960 and branded as a Plymouth to bolster sales for '61.
It's interesting to note that the '60 Dodge Dart was a Plymouth Belvedere in all but grille and taillights, but the Dart outsold the entire Plymouth line for 1960 and 1961, and the standard-size Dodge models as well.
The Lancer-badged Valiant was echoed ten years later when Plymouth had spent its major-face-lift allocation for the Valiant on a whole new coupe ( the Duster) and put new taillights on the sedans.
Dodge wanted a Duster and got one badged _DEMON._
Looks like the car makers would realize the rebadged models don't make new conquest sales, but rather cannibalize theit own market.
I think badge engineering has more to do with dealer demands. If it weren't for dealer contracts being so hard to get out of, Plymouth would have probably been sunset when Iacocca was running things. @@5610winston
I believe it was sold as a Chrysler Valiant for 1960 only.
No, it was standalone brand and, according to Wiki, it was also standalone for 1962, but badged a Plymouth in 1961! Chrysler Valiant was a foreign market thing only.@@ernielaw
I remember when John Glenn orbited Earth. The entire school came to a stop, and they played all the NASA/news stuff over the intercom. My teacher, Mrs. Philbert was really moved by it all.
Man that’s awesome =)
Then in October we had the Cuban Missile Crisis!
Camera shoot real nice. I did always like those crazy cars from Chrysler back then. Flash Gordan on wheels.
Flash ah ah hahaha
I was really impressed with the camera and how it was able to focus on whatever you wanted to focus on and then it could drift back-and-forth just like a big one if you wanted to I think once I figure out how to use this a little bit better it’s going to take it to the next level
I am of the "I love this car" fan club. I almost had my dad talked in to buying a 64 full-size Dodge, (it still had some of the design] features of the 62 Full-size Dodge, that I love). Since he was going to make the payments, we wound up with a 64 Mercury with the breeze-way rear window.
=)
I had a 1962 Dodge Lancer GT. It was white with a red top. By 1975 it was starting to rust away, and a hit-and-run driver took it out while it was parked on the street. I still miss it.
It's never too late find another one they are out there
Corvair. Tempest. Both chosen for their (surprising for GM) innovative technologies: air-cooled rear engine and Turbo for the Corvair, half-a-V8 slant four and "rope-drive" rear transaxle for the Tempest.
Sweet choices
Love the lancer a great car the slant 6 was a great motor ran for ever
The color depth of your new camera is great and definitely improved over the go pro! I would have to go with the 62 Falcon.
Awesome choice thank you so much for the feedback I really appreciate it I’m hoping this year we could grow the channel exponentially
Hi Jay!: I am one of the people that think this car is Fugly! BUT, it does have a lot going for it! The interior is GREAT! That little slant 6 was a GOOD engine. I don't know what happened at Chrysler Corp. in the early 1960's, but the styling was very disjointed. It's like they shot their styling bolt in 1956-59, and then couldn't figure out WHAT to do next. I don't know why, but as a kid, I thought the Valiant/Lancer looked like frogs to me! You will for SURE stand out driving one today, zooming along with all the road blobs. WYR#1 1962 Corvair Monza Spyder!! #2 Going RAMBLER on this one! At least the styling doesn't bother me!
I want to drive one now just to see what public reaction is
Sweet choices
Your new camera is an improvement
Awesome I can’t wait to get it all dialed in it’s going to be a great year I think =)
I choose Lancer for its beautiful design. Had a 61 Valiant in the late 70s and now I have a 64 Dart as a daily driver
A slightly different version was known as Valiant 1 in Argentina. Then other 3 versions followed through the 60s
First choice. A tie between the Lancer and Corvair. (It comes down to equipment on either model.) the second choice, the Lancer wins, unless the Pontiac Tempest/LeMans is one of the few with the v8 engine option. The cool little Rambler American comes in third In this case. And I probably would take the Falcon over the Rambler. But the little American definitely wins on the oddball forgotten nobody wants one meter.
There are some really cool design structural features on the Lancer/Valiant hidden plain sight which add to the coolness feature of those cars. Take the style of the roof. The square section above the door openings. They are where the monocoque structure resides and its square box section adds strength, and its placement allows for increased head room over the seating areas in the cabin. The shape of the dashboard on the passenger side is to open up the space for a more roomy and less claustrophobic interior. The lean of the slant six was specifically made to fit under the lowered hood of this car. The water pump on the engine was specifically set to the side to shorten the engine length in order to fit into this car with its shorter length hood. This car incorporated Chryslers first body dipping process where the lower body was dipped in a corrosion resistant primer coating to improve rust protection. This car also included a number of changes to save weight. It offered an aluminum cast block 225 cid slant 6, and aluminum intake manifold instead of cast iron, an aluminum water pump instead of an iron pump and even an aluminum steering box. There were even plans to offer aluminum bumper brackets. But for cost and technical reasons, much of those components reverted ton cast iron or steel over the production run. The Valiant was initially intended to be a premium level compact to be its own stand alone brand and a companion car line to be sold by the DeSoto dealers. But with the demise of DeSoto, it became a Plymouth and Dodge instead.
Awesome insight and information thank you so much for sharing all of that
The Lancer, it was a great little car which my Dad had in1965.
A 62 gt lancer?, this is the first one I've ever seen, I spent 55 years looking at cars ,I thought I had seen them are, I love this little ugly duckling.
I love that styling!!
It grows on you
15:55 To the modern eye, it's just CRAZY what a BIG DEAL ashtrays everywhere were. It'd be hard for a young person of today to imagine a world where EVERYBODY smoked--if you didn't smoke, you were some kind of a SQUARE. (an insult that's not very current, either)
I guess many of the non-square people endured ghastly, lingering deaths.
@@mikevale3620 Yes, and that's why it's no longer cool.
I had a chance to buy one of these in high school in the 80s used I wish I did.
You don’t wish that you did? Anymore Think of it this way there’s not anything that looks anything remotely similar to that so if you took it anywhere as long as it wasn’t a 1962 Plymouth valiant/Lancer convention you’ll be able to find your car anywhere
I completely agree with Jay's analysis that the modern car is an "appliance."
Haha totally
Around Boston in the 60's I saw tons of Valiants but not many of these. The new camera footage was nice and clear. I could see all of the pedal box and dash details. It's a big improvement IMO. I would choose the Lancer and the American. My mom had a 1962 Tempest wagon. It was an interesting car but she had lots of problems with it. I'd have chosen it for the nostalgia but there is something about those old Americans...
Sweet choices thank you so much for sharing your mom‘s Pontiac tempest wagon that’s one I’ve been looking for I found one for sale on marketplace but too far away..
I honestly can’t wait to shoot more cars this year and get it all dialed in and I think it’s going to really improve the program
Jay, I think the styling of the Lancer looks better than on the Valiant. The camera images have great definition.
I totally agree =) thank you so much for the feedback
I think the first time that I ever saw one of these or either the Valiant, I thought it was really odd looking, but I think over time, I've grown to appreciate different types of styling a little more, and seeing this premium example up close, I like it even more, (and yes the camera is Fantastic!) I would probably pick this one both times. 😎 Video
Learned to drive in a blue 62 Dodge Lancer with push button transmission. Paint flaked off and we took it to St Louis Chrysler plant for a repaint to white.
Thank you for sharing that memory
Lancer with 170 hyper pack. Can I have all 3?? My uncle who raised me had a Lancer identical to that one when I was 6 years old. He also had a 61 Valiant. The body style grows on you and I find myself wanting one very much.Up to 1960 ,Rambler was the only American company to have mid sized car. I grew up in the muscle car era but I'm now drawn to those early mid sized American cars. How much for the Lancer??? Great video, brought back some memories!!! Thanks!!! My cousin Jill had a 4 door Valiant with a 170 hyper pack and she could drive it well at 16 on the back roads in Virginia!!!!
I think they want 29 grand for it it only has 14,000 miles which is not a bad price for that car it’s almost brand new looking it looks just as good underneath as it does on top I looked at some of the pictures =)
You bet you could have one of each can never have too many glad that this video could bring back some of those memories
I had the '62 Valiant, I think the grill fit the styling better. Black with chrome down the side. Red paint inside the chrome matched the interior. Slant six, 225, and pushbutton automatic. At the same time a yellow '68 Fury III VIP, and two '61 Galaxies. How did those all get away?
The interior is stunning given this was an average car for the average buyer. Never understood Exner styling of this era, but this one is better sorted than its stablemates.
Totally agree
Should try to locate a 61 DeSoto
I totally want to do one I have I think I’ve only seen one in my whole entire life that was a long time ago
Mine was the rarer two door, I have hear that 211 wee made.
WYR. The 62 falcon by far. I had one I never should have sold it. Solid reliable car that still runs today and got over 27 mpg. The interior had a funky smell no one could get rid of Current owner still can’t get it out
The Falcon and any of the second options 👍 Dodge was out there 👌👽..
I always wanted a 63 Belvidere 😂.. Unusual Car ...
Great Episode..
Happy Motoring ✌️🤠
Glad you did this episode John great choices
The new camera is more deep detailed than the go-pro
I was thinking the same exact thing you can see so much more detail and you can also do whole depth in field thing just like the DSLR but it doesn’t it’s just a little tiny camera.. also can play around with what you want to have and focus on what you don’t want to have and focus and it draws your attention into whatever’s in focus..
Last year I worked on delivery and working on bettering the writing aspect of it this year I want to improve on that but I also want to get the image quality better if that makes any sense not to say that it was bad before it wasn’t I just want to make it better
My take at the time was these earlier models didn't have an ass - the trunk was kind of styled away into not quite a station wagon or something. I also formed my opinion because a neighborhood rival's mother had one and they were all ugly ;)
I liked and indeed, owned several replacement dodge Darts beginning with a 63, a 64 and a 74; all with the big slant six. Loved the push button drive including the occasional lurch you'd get when you dropped the tranny into park.
They were amazingly reliable.
On the one I had in high school and college, I was able to rig the front bench seat to fully recline by hand loosening the bolt holding it at an appropriate time. I had already removed the one on the passenger side. It was great for camping :) .... and watching the submarine races around Plumb Point on the mighty Mississippi.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing those memories
Dodge Lancer and Pontiac Tempest. The styling of that vintage of Lancer/Valiant was a clever way to disguise a box--the cars had a good inside-to-outside volume ratio.
Are parts difficult to come by with the Valiant/Lancer? How can I find a reliable mechanic for it when the vehicle may need maintenance of some sort? Your thoughts? GREAT review of what was from Chrysler. How unfortunate the company seems to be biting the dust, outside of the automaker's van.
😮💨♐
Parts search starts at eBay if they don’t have it join a club and networking will generally find the rest depending on car
Its beautiful because it doesn’t look like what a car should look like.
That’s one way to look at it I really like these =)
My dad had a white Lancer GT with red interior. It had the aluminum block 225 & 3 on the column. The lighter engine made it pretty peppy.
The slant 6 was a good engine.
Bullet proof
For some reason most inline 6s had a good rep.
@@What.its.like.
Nice improvement with the Canon over the GoPro. Not too keen on this Lancer but it looks to have been well restored.
Funny it’s not the canon I bought DJI pocket 3 It’s a tiny camera but uses a gimbal and you have a toggle switch and you can control where you wanna put it I gotta get better at framing the shots because the gimbal likes to move around and I’m explaining things and the gimbal moved and some of the shots art framed right but once I get it dialed in I think it’s gonna be great this car was one of the last cars I shot that day I’m pretty sure with more use I’ll be able to figure it out pretty easy I love the depth and feel did it Gives which I can totally see why you thought it was the DSLR because the quality an image or very similar
@@What.its.like.Well it fooled me!
Nice Lancer. Horn button is a Plymouth insignia.
Was there a short lived DeSoto version of this platform?
Yes in Canada I believe =)
For the first WYR scenario, I'm going with the Lancer. The second scenario, it's either the Lancer or the Tempest.
Maybe people love it or hate it, but it has to be said the styling was pretty distinctive especially compared to the competition. That front end is very interesting. In my opinion, if there were ugly early sixties Chrysler cars, that "honor" would go to the full-size 1961 Plymouth and Dodge. Many would disagree with me, but the '62 models were a big improvement.
The only worry would be those ashtrays so far up the seats. Somehow I can picture the driver's hair being set ablaze by a stray spark. Not to mention the smoke billowing out of the ashtray, so close to the driver's head, causing issues. But then everyone seemed to smoke back then.
To answer your question, I think this camera is the best yet. I can pick up on details better than with the other, it seems. It'll probably be better when you try to record with limited lightning.
Great choices as well as insight and information
Thank you so much for camera feed back I’m impressed with it I want to go shoot more stuff lol can’t wait to get it dialed in I think once I get used to all the settings it’s going to take image quality next level
13:10 Even as a kid, I remember thinking that dash looked way too "plastic-ey." The "silver" color was always cheap looking. I know, this is a cheap car, so don't expect to much, but again, as a 10 year old, I remember thinking that.
Oh, and I remember thinking the doors were REALLY thin.
The door were thin but didn’t feel chintzy, The dash felt solid but it was just weird how it was designed it was a cool car all things considered I would definitely buy one just because it’s different and if you don’t know me by now I like different
Virgil Exner Hamberger Helper of design. I drove one, what a turd.
Excellent 😊
=)
I like your 'love it or hate it' description of the styling. I personally don't like it, but that car is pretty nice. For the WYR segments: Of *course* I would take the 62 Corvair Spyder! And, because I like weirdness, I would take the 62 Tempest. BTW, my first car was a black 62 Corvair Monza 4 speed. Paid $40 for it!
That’s insane you could get a Corvair for 40 bucks I almost bought a 66 model I think for 2500 bucks but I ended up buying a Karman Ghia instead.. only because at the end of the rainbow Karman Ghia is worth more than a Corvair despite Corvair being twice or three times more powerful than a Karman Ghia it’s interesting what cars are worth a lot of money and what cars aren’t..
haven’t driven both the Corvair is a lot more fun to drive because it’s faster lol
@@What.its.like. I probably should mention that I bought that Corvair in 1970. During the 90's I had a 66 Type 34 Karmann-Ghia, powered by a fuel injected, turbocharged Corvair engine. It was fast, fun and fragile!
Wow I’ve only seen a handful type 34 ghias there is a Karman Ghia in the pipeline unfortunately it was shot with the GoPro.. I know where my old Karman Ghia is and I’ve reached out to that family they were gonna let me do it but it needed a topend job done a valve job.. I don’t know if they got it fixed it would be really cool to do an episode with that car I wish I knew where my Mustang was
I'm middle aged & remember these cars on the road quite well. As you are a younger reviewer, i appreciate your informed, balanced assessment of the Lancer. 1961-65 Chrysler corp. styling was really "busy" imo, but i fall into the "Love" category. I own a 1965 "B" body Dodge Coronet & i would seriously consider a trade or buy a 1962-'63 Plymouth or Dodge.
I always thought these cars were ugly and I still kinda do but I really like it to the point I started looking for one Just to see if there are a lot out there... the interior of that car is cool =)
Interesting analysis, @shanew
@@What.its.like. when i was preschool age, the sitter would call a taxi to take us to town & the taxi was a 1962 Dodge. The looks of it actually scared me at that age. Glad i grew out of it, lol.
Probably more reliable than a modern shitbox. Did 750,000 with a mild 318 . Sold the engine to guy who put it in his truck. He asked me 😢if this was rebuilt it went so hard. Ha,ha,
My brother had a gold one in the mid seventies. He wrapped it around a telephone pole, I guess it had too much power!😅
In regard to the Mopar economy car twins of '62, I always liked the Lancer over the Valiant. These cars were plentiful when I was a young lad in grade school. As the '50's rolled into the '60's Exner's designs became more controversial. The height of bazaar was the '61 Plymouth. When design leadership changed in the mid 60's the Lancer became the Dart and I find those designs more appealing. Engel's linear styling made the compacts look longer and bigger.
62 pontiac Tempest
Sweet choice =)
The Lancer was cool, but I'd take the rope-drive Tempest over it as long as I could keep it in good shape. Was that "Take the Long Way Home" at 19:40?
Yes and sweet choice I hope I can find a tempest to cover this year
Hey, I had one of those in the early 80's
Did you like it?
I traded my 4 door 62 Valiant to a friend for his 62 Lancer GT. Enjoyed that car for about a year then I had a chance to get a Triple Crown 59 Windsor with the 383 Golden Lion. Was hooked on Mopars up until 2004.@@What.its.like.
Awesome
That is one excellent condition vehicle.
If l had the cash l definitely purchase said vehicle and it would definitely get a well built small block.
This is the nicest one I’ve ever seen
Dodge needed a hardtop to sell to the sporty compact car crowd - the BOP group had hardtops, need to compete. However they either did not or could not tool for an appropriate roof, so they went with the bizarre split rear side window(s). To me it doesn't work, and I'd rather have the sedan. WYR: 1) Monza!! 2) Tempest if it's a LeMans, otherwise, OK, the Lancer.
Awesome choices and insight =)
In giving the 1962 Dodge lineup you used 1961 Dodge sheet showing Lancer (mild changes for 1962) Dart and Polara where the Dart and Polara are similar but different vehicles. The 1962 Dart and Polara used the same basic body with trim differences. Also a little later you used a 1961 Lancer sheet which I recognized because one side had a 2-door and the other side had a 4-door depicted on them. Yes Mr. Picky strikes again, my apologies on an otherwise excellent video. 😢
It’s all good I figured those cars were pretty much carryover cars it’s really hard with doing this you type in 62 dodge lancer ads and you get Lancer ads from 1961 I’m going to make a video about it it’s a lot harder than people think specially having not lived during the time.. thank you for keeping me straight though really
Appreciate it
@@What.its.like. Yes the Lancers were pretty much carryover with mostly trim differences and I wish I still had my library because I probably could be a little help to you, but now I have to do with my memories of which I know has stopped me from commenting a few times because I just wasn't sure but the other miss you made with the Dart and Polara was they were in no way carryover because they were downsized with the Plymouth while the 880 filled the spot the Polara had in 1961 as the big car line.
The new camera really made an improvement! I'm right with you in liking cars that are, shall we say, different, so this pushes all my buttons--like a TorqueFlyte transmission. As well as this one presents, I'd still prefer the Monza, but it's a tossup with the Tempest. I mean, c'mon! It's red! Your beard looks great BTW.
Thank you so much winter beard I suppose I might get a pair of sunglasses I’ll look just like Jeff lynne soon.. =)
I can’t wait I think we got everything that we need to make some stellar videos this year.. ( not to say that they wasn’t stellar in the past just everything improves with time )
10:50 By the time the Valiant came along, Exner was just trying to find something different.
There is no doubt that the higher-ups should have gotten about 90% of the blame for the dismal failure of the '62-'64 full-size Dodge and Plymouth, but when you look at the established designs of the Studebaker Lark (dating from model year 1959) and the Rambler Six (major redesign 1958), and the rather homely but inoffensive Falcon (1960), the Valiant looks like Exner was just throwing out different to be different and got hit along the way with the Magic Wand Of Weird.
The claims of "European influence just don't wash. The Valiant makes the Citroen Ami look good in comparison and the Trabant was a masterpiece.
The Valiant and fraternal twin Lancer were road toads. The redesign for '63 improved them from unsightly to merely offensive, but it was the complete redesign for 1967 that brought the Mopar compacts any measure of good looks in the context of the times.
Great insight and information
Unsightly to offensive and 'road toads' is solely in the eyes of the beholder. Compared to todays appliance cars, lacking in design flair and the ghastly SUV and truck fad I'd take this restored Lancer GT in a heart beat.
The Slant can live with about 200 hp and still be streetable. One of MoPar's greatest cars. So much more stylish than the Corvair, Falcon, Comet or even Tempest, F-85 or others.
Supertramp, long way home?
Yeah buddy congratulations I’m impressed I made this one hard and you got it =)
@@What.its.like. It looks as if BrewBlaster's comment didn't stay pinned; I had to search for it.
My picks here would be the Corvair and Rambler. As for the Lancer name, it goes beyond Dodge. Mitsubishi used the Lancer name on one of their 4 door sedans until recent years. It may be no coincidence that Mitsubishi had been building cars for Dodge & other divisions for several years. It started with the 1971 Dodge Colt.
Love this car! Prefer a wagon, but... that's me everyday anyways 🙂 WYR: 1) and 2) Lancer!
Sweet choices can’t wait to find the wagon version
I like the 62 falcon and the 62 tempest
Cool choices =)
I really like the old Falcon's but I love the quirky old Valiant so WYR it's the Lancer GT (though that Corvair is f-a-s-t). Round 2 goes to the American, both because I like it and because it's almost exactly like my first car so I'm biased. On the new camera, it seems slower to focus with changes in aim and doesn't have quite as much as much depth of field but it is sharper. It also does better extremely close up, though you almost never shoot that close. A slightly different lens will fix the DOF but might cost a bit in the extreme close-ups. Better overall as-is.
While it fits the "GT" moniker, they should have offered this with some serious power under the hood. You can easily see my main dislike of the Slant 6 where the distributor is not so easy to get to. Remember, you had to set the points fairly often with these which electronic ignition saved us from so that access matters. You missed the "Park" kever below the transmission buttons. Ifyou forgot to set it and didn't use the parking brake the car could roll away. Sometimes forgot to set it and got a surprise, and a lot of people didn't use it and just set the parking brake instead. And the 5-line rear fender trim sucks, but the rest of everything is great with no 'Exner excess' in the brightwork making it gaudy. I've grown to like fatter steering wheels but all were thin back then and they had more style than today's air-bag blobs. A "Space Age" car indeed.
Awesome insight and information the new camera is DJI pocket three it’s a gimbal camera it’s tiny like to go pro but it’s not waterproof like the GoPro I have a joystick that I can control where I want the camera to be it’s at Constant aperture of F2 that’s why you can get some of those glorious bokeh shots I need to get better at framing because I’m used to just holding the GoPro and it doesn’t have the same characteristics as this camera does meaning it has a fixed aperture but everything is in focus not everything is in focus with this camera and I like it because it draws your attention to whatever is in focus nothing else matters and it gives it a better feel I guess just like the DSLR you can choose what you want to be in focus in the frame I just gotta get better at working it.. it also came with a microphone that hooks up to it which I haven’t used yet I did the shoots without the microphone just to see what it was like
@@What.its.like. Don't worry about the camera stuff- it's very minimal but you asked for comments or I'd not have mentioned it. The new mic will help, sometimes the level varies. You're getting better with everything which makes the viewing experience better for me- kudos!
Camera shooting is of imprived quality, no discussion, my friend. Now, to the car itself, honestly I do prefer the Plymouth Valiant for various reasons, one of them being that a lady in the neighborhood * owned one when I was (much) younger ! * I never know how to write this word!
Awesome thank you so much for the feedback i think once I get comfortable and dial it in after using it more the videos are going to see a huge improvement =) ( not to see that there was anything wrong with the videos to begin with it’s just really cool to see all of the lines in the vehicles )
Awesome insight and information
Since I already owned Corvair Spyder when I was young I would choose the Lancer with a second choice of the Rambler
Did you like your Corvair spyder? Sweet choices
@@What.its.like. It was a fun car but remember that back in the early 70’s it was just a used car still coming off the Ralph Nader debacle. It was relatively quick and would keep up with many V-8 cars and flat outrun others. Sometimes third gear wasn’t available despite my efforts to fix it and eventually I sold it to get the money to buy something else. I paid $200 for it and owned it for a couple of years. Back then most of us had to sell our old cars to have the money to get another one.
The Falcon and the Tempest.
Awesome choices
I gotta say, the looks grow on you...
I agree
A guy from around Titusville, Pa built a lancer R/T. Bright yellow, looked like it came from the factory. A v8,?, 4 speed car. Complete with trim and emblems. This would have been in the late 60s or early 70s. I think his name was Jim. The place where he lived was actually a little cross roads called Diamond. Anyone?
Do you know if Jim is still around and has the car and still lives in Titusville Pennsylvania I’m not far from Titusville that would be a car worth checking out even though it’s a bit custom
@@What.its.like. this was a long time ago. I left the area in 1972 and except for the occasional visit I've never lived there again. I can't remember his last name, if it comes to me iwill post it. He would be in his 80s at least, if he is still with us. I do remember that he used to race at Tri City speedway in a68 or 69 barracuda. It's I recall he was a Mopar fan.
Cool story I think everyone’s goal that lives here is to one day leave here lol go somewhere warmer
I would agree.
The camera is much better as are you. I’ll take the Corvair and Lancer.
Sweet choices
Nice 😊
Signet was top Valiant trim, what mine was.
I like those too