Australia's first-ever Valiant quietly beat the rest of the local industry to a piece of modern electronics: it was the first Australian car built with an alternator instead of a generator.
Median 85 hp across 179 similar cars
Lead trim: RV1 / SV1 225 Slant-6 (145 bhp)
Chrysler Valiant RV1 and SV11962–1963
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Chrysler Valiant RV1 and SV1 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.
FactAustralia's first-ever Valiant quietly beat the rest of the local industry to a piece of modern electronics: it was the first Australian car built with an alternator instead of a generator.
After the Plymouth Valiant succeeded in the United States (from 1959), Chrysler Australia released its first locally assembled Valiant, the RV1 (R Series), assembled at Chrysler's Mile End facility in South Australia. Its 145 brake horsepower from the 225 Slant-6 was a lot against the competing Holdens (75 bhp) and Fords (90 bhp SAE); standard was a floor-shifted three-speed manual with a non-synchro first gear, with a button-operated three-speed TorqueFlite automatic optional (and a "Moparmatic" push-button transistor radio). It was the first Australian car with an alternator instead of a generator, had torsion-bar suspension instead of coil springs, hydraulic 9-inch drums, a simulated spare-wheel outline on the boot lid (the spare was under the floor) and a base price of £1299. In March 1962 Chrysler replaced it with the American 1962 SV1 (S Series) on the same shell, without the simulated spare wheel, with round tail lamps, a revised grille and trim, a column shifter, new ball joints and a gear-reduction starter; 10,009 SV1 Valiants were sold, 5,496 of them automatics and 4,513 manuals.
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
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RV1 / SV1 225 Slant-6 (145 bhp) | 1962–1963 | Inline-6 | 145 hp | 215 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
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Australia's first-ever Valiant quietly beat the rest of the local industry to a piece of modern electronics: it was the first Australian car built with an alternator instead of a generator.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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