![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:28 • Filed to: shitpost, Valiant, Corvair, Chevy II | ![]() | ![]() |
*not a Plymouth
Amazing that at one point, they’re talking about the Valiant being “Within $1.40 of the Chevy II”. My how the times have changed...
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:36 |
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I saw this neat VW last night.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:37 |
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That’s a Seat.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:39 |
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Ahhh, back when cents mattered.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:41 |
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What I took away from this video:
PLING
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:42 |
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Yeah that was annoying AF. Almost skipped it because of that.
Speaking of which, them claiming that the Valiant’s ‘styling’ was a plus was a big reach.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:43 |
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Cents is are irrelevant now, have been for a long time.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:44 |
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No, this is a Seat.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:47 |
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Thing learned: a heater was optional on a Valiant. Thing reaffirmed: Valiants were butt ugly.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:48 |
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You’re just salty that you bought a Chevy II 100 series instead of a Valiant, aren’t you?
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:49 |
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Waaaa yyyy too salty about it.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:52 |
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Those cars make great drag cars, though - a small block is all you need (and some traction. Also, there is a guy in my neighborhood who has a car that look s EXACTLY like this, but with rust.
Yes, down to the color and poverty caps.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:53 |
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That was right around the time that heaters became pretty much standard on everything, IIRC.
Also, within a year or so after that, the transition from generators to alternators was completed, too.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:55 |
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Lark > Others
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:58 |
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4 wheel independent suspension and 50/50 weight distribution or GTFO
![]() 06/29/2018 at 18:59 |
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“Compact Car”
Length of a Valiant: 192.3 inches ( 4885 mm ) (sedan)
Length of a modern Fiesta: 3969mm (Zetec S / ST: 3982mm)
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:01 |
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Weight of a ‘62 Valiant H/T coupe - 2,515 lb
Weight of a FiST - 2,700 lb.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:02 |
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Power of a Fiesta 197 HP
Power of a Valiant: 6 pigeons
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:03 |
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Remember the ratings were gross back then, though - net is probably more like 4 pigeons.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:06 |
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But they’re 4 angry pigeons fighting over half a muffin.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:07 |
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I also hadn’t realized that Chevy IIs had four lug wheels for the first few years .
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:08 |
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You would know, you own a vehicle with the same engine.
The 170 was standard, 225 optional in the ‘62 Valiant.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:11 |
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Yeah, I’m afraid that my truck’s rated at best for 3 sad, frail pigeons in power
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:16 |
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The 1st gen Chevy II was a rapid response, low-cost effort to compete with the Falcon (and other compacts, but mostly the Falcon). And, no matter what anyone else says, it’s the Chevy II that killed the Corvair, not Nader.
There was a lot of cost cutting in that car -it was built to a price. I was surprised the ‘62 had a generator. Guessing they switched to alternators a year or two after that, but not sure.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:23 |
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The only thing I knew about them is that they were light so people loved to make drag cars out of them when I was a kid.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:34 |
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Yup -- the first 3 generations of the Deuce are all very popular with drag racers. They’re all in the 2,500-3,000 lb range, mostly toward the lower half of that.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:57 |
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Well, a Fiesta is a subcompact. The current Focus sedan is 178.5 inches - but, still, that’s over a foot difference. Some of the bigger compacts on the market today get a bit closer - the Cruze is 183.7 inches, and the new Jetta stretches to over 185.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 19:58 |
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I always assumed the Valiant was Virgil Exner’s way of throwing a temper tantrum over having to do a small car.
![]() 06/29/2018 at 20:00 |
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The Fiesta is a SUBcompact. The Focus is a compact.
The current Focus is 171
to 179 inches
in length
![]() 06/29/2018 at 20:29 |
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That thing’s styling was awful compared to the Chevy’s, but... everyone has their own tastes, so I’m sure that the marketing scored at least someone.
![]() 06/30/2018 at 02:14 |
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My slant is awful. I have a 73 valiant. I also have the sibling of the valiant above, the dodge lancer.
![]() 06/30/2018 at 07:34 |
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Way back, I had a 7 4 Dart with the 2 2 5. P r obably the worst car I’ve owned, but it was also the cheapest, at $6 5 0.