The Chrysler VE Valiant is an

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

that was produced in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Chrysler Australia Fiat Chrysler Australia, officially FCA Australia, is the official Stellantis subsidiary in that country, operating as distributor of Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Abarth, Alfa Romeo and Fiat vehicles. However, there had previously been a "Chrysler Au ...

from 1967 to 1969. It was released in October 1967, replacing the Chrysler VC Valiant. The premium model in the range was renamed Valiant VIP due to the V8 engine becoming an option across the entire range.

Model range

The VE series Valiant was offered in 4-door sedan, 5-door

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

and 2-door

coupe utility A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

models. * Valiant sedanChrysler Australia sales brochure 5/6001015R for VE series Valiant & Valiant Regal sedans and wagons (VE-M41) * Valiant Safari wagon (VE-M45) * Valiant Regal sedan (VE-H41) * Valiant Regal Safari wagon (VE-H45) * Valiant VIP sedanChrysler Australia sales brochure for VE series Valiant VIP sedans and wagons (VE-P41) * Valiant VIP Safari wagon (VE-P45) * Valiant utility (VE-L20) * Valiant Wayfarer utility (VE-M20) VE series Valiant and Valiant Wayfarer utility models were introduced in May 1968.Glass's Dealers Guide, Passenger Vehicle Vales, South Australian and Northedrn Territory Edition, June 1973, page 115 File:1968 Valiant VE Standard

.JPG, Chrysler VE Valiant sedan File:1968 Chrysler VE Valiant sedan (6336212784).jpg, Chrysler VE Valiant sedan File:1968 Chrysler VE Valiant Safari station wagon (31765656878) 01.jpg, Chrysler VE Valiant Safari wagon File:Chrysler VE Valiant Safari station wagon (6108795173).jpg, Chrysler VE Valiant Safari wagon File:1967 Chrysler VE Valiant Regal sedan (6107569435).jpg, Chrysler VE Valiant Regal sedan File:1968 Chrysler Valiant (VE) Regal sedan (25654107701).jpg, Chrysler VE Valiant Regal sedan File:Chrysler Valiant VIP sedan (VE).jpg, Chrysler VE Valiant VIP sedan File:Chrysler Valiant VIP sedan (VE) (2).jpg, Chrysler VE Valiant VIP sedan File:1968 Chrysler Valiant (VE) Wayfarer utility (18446335815).jpg, Chrysler VE Valiant utility

Dodge utility

A variant of the Valiant utility was marketed as the Dodge utility.Larry O'Toole, The Good Old Aussie Ute, 2000, page 199 (VE-E20) The Dodge was equipped with painted grille and bumpers unlike the chromed examples fitted to VE Valiants. Dodge Utility (VE)

Changes

The VE Valiant was larger than any previous Valiant model. Styling was based on that of the US

Dodge Dart Dodge Dart is a line of automobiles marketed by Dodge from the 1959 to 1976 model years in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets. The Dart name originally appeared on a 1956 Chrysler show car featuring ...

and

Plymouth Valiant The Plymouth Valiant (first appearing in 1959 as simply the Valiant) is an automobile which was marketed by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation in the United States from the model years of 1960 through 1976. It was created to give t ...

models with no body panels carried over from the VC Valiant. While the styling from the A-pillar back was Australian-influenced, sheeting forward of the A-pillar and

bonnet A Bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include Scottish * Blue bonnet, a distinctive woollen cap worn by men in Scotland from the 15th-18th centuries And its derivations: **Feath ...

was that of the U.S Dart/Valiant models with the exception of the grille which was convex on the Australian models as opposed to concave on the U.S models.Tony Davis, Aussie Cars, 1987, page 101 Also new in the VE range were dual-line brakes, double-sided safety wheel rims, front safety belts and power-assisted front disc brakes on V8 models. The Valiant VIP (four-door performance model) was offered for the first time, the new model featuring the V8 engine, automatic transmission, power steering, front disc brakes and reclining front seats.

Engines and transmissions

A 145 bhp

Straight-six The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...

, a 160 bhp "High Performance"

and a 195 bhp

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...

were available, the VE being the first series to be offered with a choice of three engines. Three speed manual and three-speed "Torque-Flite" automatic transmissions were offered. The V8 engine and automatic transmission were standard on the VIP.

Awards

Chrysler VE Valiant - 1968 Wheels Car of the Year window sticker

The VE Valiant was announced as the winner of the Wheels magazine Car of the Year award in January 1968.Gavin Farmer, Great Ideas in Motion, 2010, page 138

Production and replacement

A total of 68,688 VE Valiants were built prior to its replacement by the VF Valiant range in March 1969.

References

{{Chrysler Valiant Cars of Australia Valiant vehicles

Valiant Valiant may refer to: People * James Valiant (1884–1917), English cricketer * The Valiant Brothers, a professional wrestling tag team of storyline brothers ** Jerry Valiant, a ring name of professional wrestler John Hill (1941-2010) ** Jimmy ...

Cars introduced in 1967 1960s cars