1960 Plymouth Valiant Sedan

In the late 1950s, an increasing invasion of small imported cars forced the Big Three to take a serious stab at a 'compact' car. Ford went the conservative route with the Falcon, while Chevrolet created the controversial rear-engined Corvair. Chrysler landed somewhere in the middle with the Valiant—traditional in driveline layout, but with innovative engineering. To emphasize that it was truly an all-new car, Valiant was initially a separate brand under the Chrysler umbrella.

The 1960 Valiant was arguably the best of Detroit's new compacts. Contemporary road tests declared it to have the best ride and handling, and it boasted advanced engineering features, including Chrysler's first all-new six-cylinder engine since the War. The Slant Six, as it came to be known, was legendary for its durability. Valiant also featured torsion-bar suspension and unitized construction, just like its big brothers. Both sedans and wagons were available in 1960, in V100 and up-level V200 trim levels. To emphasize that it was truly an all-new car, Valiant was initially a separate brand under the Chrysler Corporation's umbrella.

From front to rear, the styling of the Valiant is unmistakably an Exner design. The classic grille design seems inspired by the Chrysler 300 and the faux spare tire on the deck lid is trademark Exner. The Valiant design would go on to inspire the styling of both the standard 1962 Plymouth and Dodge.

This V200 Sedan was found in Sacramento by a retired Chrysler engineer who had worked in the design and development of the original Valiant project. His familiarity with the early Valiant enabled an extremely authentic restoration of a rarely seen car.