The Australian-built AP5 Valiant looked American but barely was one — Chrysler's local arm redesigned nearly everything, keeping just the doors, windscreen and front guards from its US counterpart.
Median 100 hp across 278 similar cars
Lead trim: AP5 to VC Slant-6 · up to 180 hp
Chrysler Valiant AP5, AP6 and VC1963–1967
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Chrysler Valiant AP5, AP6 and VC yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe Australian-built AP5 Valiant looked American but barely was one — Chrysler's local arm redesigned nearly everything, keeping just the doors, windscreen and front guards from its US counterpart.
On 30 May 1963 Chrysler Australia produced the first fully Australian-manufactured Valiant, the AP5 ("AP" for Australian Production), after starting work on its new $36 million Tonsley Park plant in February 1963 (first Valiants off the line 31 March 1964, capacity 50 thousand cars a year): an entirely new design sharing only the four doors, windscreen and front guards with its North American counterpart, with the Slant-6 driveline retained and an upmarket Regal version added (AP5 Safari wagon in November 1963; 49,440 built). In March 1965 the AP6 followed on the same shell with a new grille echoing the 1964 Plymouth Barracuda, new trim, a conventional automatic shift lever instead of pushbuttons, self-adjusting brakes and acrylic enamel paint, and the Wayfarer, the first Valiant-based coupé utility; it was the first Australian-built Valiant with a V8, the 273 cu in (4.47 L) LA V8 released in August 1965 with 180 brake horsepower and a 109 mph top speed, only as the V8 Valiant with a vinyl roof, bucket seats and a floor console shift, while the Slant-6's camshaft was uprated for torque. Chrysler struggled to meet demand (up to four months' wait, 200 cars per eight-hour shift), with prices from $2,500 to $3,650. The VC of March 1966 was basically an AP6 underneath but restyled squarer, with a full-width horizontal grille and optional disc brakes on the V8 models (65,634 built), also built for export to the UK under unique model names announced at the October 1966 London Motor Show.
Collectors Spotted in the Chrysler Valiant Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Chrysler Valiant yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP5 to VC Slant-6 | 1963–1967 | — | 145 hp | 215 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
| AP6 and VC V8 273 LA (180 bhp) | 1965–1967 | 4.5 L V8 | 180 hp | 260 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
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The Australian-built AP5 Valiant looked American but barely was one — Chrysler's local arm redesigned nearly everything, keeping just the doors, windscreen and front guards from its US counterpart.
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Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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