1960 Plymouth Valiant

Plymouth produced 483,969 vehicles in 1960 and approximately forty percent of those (194,292) were the Valiant in both V-100 and V-200 Series. The compact Valiant was an all-new car and was not yet identified as a Plymouth, considered its own unique brand. A year later, it officially became part of the Plymouth brand. They were assembled by the Dodge Division and sold by Plymouth dealers.

The base engine was an overhead valve six-cylinder unit displacing 170.9 cubic inches and offering 100 horsepower. A three-speed manual gearbox was standard. They were available as a sedan or a 6- or 9-passenger station wagon. Pricing began at $2,030 for the V-100 Sedan and rose to $2,550 for the V-200 9-passenger station wagon. The most popular body style was the V-200 sedan with 106,515 examples produced. 52,788 examples of the V-100 sedans were built.

The Valiant models had unitized body construction, seven-dip rust proofing, Lustre-Bond exterior finish, and a 12-volt electrical system.

The V-200 series added bright metal side trim moldings that ran from the front wheel opening into the taillight. The insides were available in three choices of color and featured vinyl seat bolsters and nylon cloth inserts. The V-100 models had gray cloth interiors.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2014