Vehicle Description
1961 Plymouth Valiant V-100 Sedan
In May 1957, Chrysler president Lester Lum "Tex" Colbert
established a committee to develop a competitor in the burgeoning
compact car market which included the popular VW Beetle, the new
American Motors Rambler and upcoming entries from GM, Ford and
Studebaker. Design chief Virgil Exner created a car that was
smaller and lighter than a full-size car without sacrificing
passenger and luggage space. Originally named the "Falcon" after
Exner's 1955 Chrysler Falcon concept car, the vehicle was renamed
the "Valiant" which means "having or showing courage or valor",
honoring Henry Ford II's request to use the name for the Ford
Falcon. The Valiant debuted at the 44th British International Motor
Show in London on October 26, 1959. It was introduced as a 1960
model and was officially considered a distinct brand, advertised
with the tagline "Nobody's kid brother, this one stands on its own
four tires."
For consignment, a 1961 Plymouth Valiant V-100 sedan. Not often
seen and actually considered rare, this quirky car was purchased
new by a Mennonite woman as her daily transportation then passed
onto her son when he attended Clemson University. After that the
car was passed through 2 owners before being tucked away and now
seeing the light of day with barn find status. It has had a color
change along the way and with some TLC will definitely have you
standing out from the crowd at any show you attend.
Please Note: NO TITLE-SOLD ON A BILL OF SALE ONLY*
Exterior
Quirky, unique, odd... all words used throughout the years to
describe the form of the 1st generation Valiants. This example
offers up straight steel nice gaps, and all bathed in a light blue
respray. No notable rust is seen on the body but we do see a
roughness to the paint finish along with some inclusions and
overspray on the emblems and chrome. Highlights include dual
headlights flanking a large chrome surrounded trapezium shaped
grille, huge rear quarter glass and the love it or hate it Exner
"toilet seat" trunk lid. The hood is a V shape and cozies up to the
front quarter tops which round over and form a bump which is
working its way rearward to complete in a spear in mid front doors.
The chrome and brightwork on the car present with some slight
dulling and pitting, especially on the bumpers but still show well.
Moving down the sides, fins are created on the rear quarters run to
the rear of the car then become canted down and inward providing
the perfect spot for the oval taillights. 13-inch body colored
steel wheels with indented button caps are wrapped in blackwall
rubber on all 4 corners.
Interior
Deviating from the exterior, a swing of the door reveals a mix of
black and gray vinyl making up the door panel. Smooth gray vinyl
provides the background for a black embossed insert which holds the
armrest, door release and window crank. All the panels match and
present with soiling, staining and varying degrees of wear. Inside
the benches have smooth gray vinyl bolsters, and the inserts
feature broadcloth with blue striping and a gray and blue pattern
cloth section which goes halfway up the back of the benches. The
front bench presents with some tearing and soiling and the rear,
while tear free, is seen with minor water staining. The original
gray 2 spoke steering wheel fronts the simple full metal jacket
dash with its single eyebrow over the gauge cluster. This cluster
breaks the stodgy feeling of the interior with a nice machine
turned background and twin large circular white-faced gauge pods.
Flanking either side of the cluster are a series of push buttons,
gear selections on the left and heater controls on the right.
Rounding out the dash is another machine turned panel installed as
a radio delete. Black rubber flooring covers the floors, showing
some tearing and cracking allowing a view of the surface rusted
steel floors below. Above, a tan/yellow headliner hangs with
copious amounts of tearing and seam separation.
Drivetrain
Under the hood is a correct 170ci slant 6-cylinder engine but it is
not known if it's original to this car. It has a 1bbl carburetor to
feed the leaning tower of power just the right mix of air and
fossils. There is a Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission
behind this powerplant and a 3.23 rear axle brings up the rear.
Undercarriage
Some overall patina, surface rust covers the entire undercarriage
as well as some factory undercoating in the driveshaft tunnel. We
do note some invasive rust in the trunk pan but the flooring and
unibody remain solid. The front suspension is independent torsion
bar, and rear is leaf springs. Drum brakes are on all 4 corners to
provide the stopping power.
Drive-Ability
After installing our test battery the car did crank over but we did
not get the car started. At minimum a tune up and fuel system
cleaning is in order.
A truly dapper quirky design, with its bump outs, metal wide body
spears and fins, and don't forget the "toilet seat" trunk lid. Step
away from the norm and allow the Valiant to lower the cost of
living it up!
VIN DECODE
1112303587
1-Valiant 6 Cylinder
1-V100
1-1961
2-Detroit, MI Assy Plant
303587-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 650 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
