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sold the efficient and sturdy
compacts by the millions during the 1960s and 1970s (through 1981
), mostly as North American-market
and
. While only the two-door
and
have much collector value these days, the toughness of these cars and the sheer quantity of production means that plenty of Dart and Valiant sedans remain on the road to this day. Here’s a ’65 Valiant V-200 sedan that I spotted in a Denver self-service wrecking yard last week.
I see many of these cars during
, so many that I walk right past a lot of
and
without touching my camera. This one looked very solid and probably was complete on the day it arrived at this place, so I felt it was worth documenting.
Valiant buyers could get
starting in 1964; in 1965, the optional V8 was an excellent 273-cubic-inch (4.5-liter) plant rated at 180 horsepower (a 235-horse “Formula” version was available in
, which still came with Valiant badging through 1965). This car, like most Valiants, has the
, which was nearly impossible to kill in street use. I can’t tell the 225-cubic-inch Slant-6 from the 170 or 198 at a glance and I didn’t check the block casting numbers; this car would have had a 101-hp 170 or a 145-hp 225 from the factory, but so much engine-swapping action takes place with A-bodies that this one probably doesn’t have its original engine.
Because it’s a luxurious V-200 and not the cheaper V-100, this car’s original purchaser felt comfortable springing for the optional 3-speed automatic instead of the base
3-on-the-tree column-shift manual
.
The interior is on the worn-out side and the body has suffered from some mild corrosion. Were this a Valiant Barracuda or even a V-200 hardtop coupe, someone might have rescued it.
Some of these trim parts should live on, if a Denver-area Valiant restorer gets to this car in time.
The Valiant was part of the Roaring ’65s. We’re askin’ you ta try Barracuda… come take a Valiant for a drive!
Related Video:
from Autoblog http://bit.ly/2sdlVIM