2-Owner Running Project: 1961 Plymouth Valiant

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, just about every major U.S. automaker began to field a compact car. The impetus may have come from the success that Volkswagen was having with the Beetle. Plymouth’s entry was the Valiant, which launched in 1960, but its popularity wouldn’t come until the third generation from 1967 to 1976. The seller has a 1961 edition that’s not pretty but is said to run well. A good detailing may be needed to define its ills. Located in Riverdale, Georgia, this Mopar has been on the market for nearly two months and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $14,500 (that may be why it’s not moving).

The Valiant was usually a distant third in the sales race with Ford and Chevrolet. That was probably due to its awkward styling featuring a fake spare tire hump on the trunk lid. In 1961, Plymouth sold 143,000 Valiants while Chevy delivered 282,000 Corvairs and Ford dispatched 474,000 Falcons. During the 1960-62 run, Plymouth couldn’t decide whether to sell the vehicle with or without its badging, and sometimes it was marketed simply as “Valiant”. Dodge got a badge-engineered version in 1961-62, and even fewer buyers bought it (the Lancer).

In 1961, Plymouth offered two versions of the Slant-Six in the Valiant, 170 and 225 cubic inches. We don’t know which one occupies this engine bay, but it’s backed up by a TorqueFlite automatic transmission (pushbutton, as was the Chrysler way until 1965). We’re told this car has had just two owners and the odometer is 533 miles away from turning over. The white paint on the exterior could stand a good cleaning, as does the black/white interior that may be presentable later.

No other history is provided on this Plymouth. The seller says that everything is either original or replaced with OEM parts (but which ones?). Overall, the car is thought to be good for the vintage, but at the asking price, presentation counts and more effort could have been put into this Valiant. Are you a fan of these ugly duckling Plymouths? BTW, this tip comes to us by way of – who else – Moparman!