Apart from the retro-applied paintings, ‘Valiant’ is the only word visible on the body of this somewhat mysterious car. It turns out to be a Plymouth, but that could have been different.
The Valiant in question dates from 1963, the year the second generation of this model was launched by Chrysler subsidiary Plymouth. The Valiant was closely associated with the Dodge Dart. There was also a Chrysler Valiant. Anyone who entrusts the registration of this car to the RDW will see that this specific Valiant is also designated as Chrysler. That does not seem to be true, however, as the Chrysler Valiant was a product of the Australian arm of the company. Chryslers therefore also have the handlebars on the right. In addition, these Australian versions got their own grille and a unique butt.
The Plymouth Valiant of this class looks quite modest to an American. It is a large sedan, but certainly not a gigantic battleship. The front fenders have a distinctive ‘fold’ just behind the headlights, which makes this edition of the model range easy to recognize. Normally, the car can also be recognized by a red / white / blue logo with a V-shape in the grille (photo 4). That logo is even reminiscent of the logo of the almost eponymous, yet imaginary brand Valliante, from the French comic series Michel Valiant.
This red and white Plymouth Valiant will no longer win any prizes at a concours d’elegance with its quirky paintwork and presumably unoriginal footwear, but it does look healthy. The car came to the Netherlands in 1996 and it looks like it is used regularly to this day. That’s how we like to see it.
Incidentally, this is not the first time that a Plymouth Valiant shines in this section. Earlier we found this slightly younger, light blue copy.