Parent company Chrysler made a substantial investment in Australian manufacturing facilities by establishing operations in South Australia with an assembly plant at Tonsley Park in 1964[2] and an engine foundry at Lonsdale in 1968.

It was officially unveiled by South Australia's Premier, Sir Thomas Playford, in January 1962 [citation needed] and was assembled at Chrysler's Mile End facility.

The SV1 used the same body shell as the RV1, with cosmetic changes including the deletion of the simulated spare wheel on the bootlid, and round tail lamps replacing the R-model's cat-eye shaped ones.

Mechanical changes included relocation of the manual transmission shifter to the steering column, new ball joints, and a new gear-reduction starter motor.

The V8 was only available as a model in its own right, the V8 Valiant, which had a vinyl-covered roof, individual bucket seats, floor console mounted automatic shift lever and two-tone steering wheel.

Chrysler Australia had difficulty meeting demand, with the Valiant being built at Tonsley Park at a maximum rate of 200 cars per eight-hour shift.

The VC Valiant was introduced in March 1966 and, although underneath it was basically the same car as the preceding AP6 Series, the body was extensively restyled giving the illusion of being longer and lower.

The VC Series was built both for its major market, Australia, but also for export to the United Kingdom, as announced at the October 1966 London Motor Show, based on the following range of uniquely named models (brackets indicate the equivalent Australian nameplate): In total, Chrysler Australia built 65,634 VC Series models.

Other upgrades included the introduction of a larger 64-litre (14 imp gal; 17 US gal) fuel tank, shorter gear lever throw on the manual gearbox, relocation of the dipswitch from under the brake pedal to the high left of the firewall, and the windscreen wiper motor was relocated to the engine side of the firewall – greatly reducing wiper noise.

As with previous model changes, the VF boasted even more safety features including a padded instrument panel and energy absorbing steering column.

A low-cost, high-power version of the bread-and-butter Valiant sedan, the Pacer featured a high-performance six-cylinder engine and three-speed manual gearbox with floor shifter.

The sparsely trimmed interior featured high back bucket seats, and distinctive black on white instrument dials with a dash-top-mounted tachometer.

Option E34 produced 235 bhp (175 kW) and included a 4-barrel carburettor, high-performance camshaft, dual-plate clutch, manual choke, modified instrument cluster, torque-limiting engine mount strut, larger radiator, smaller fan, windage tray, premium engine bearings, shot-peened crankshaft and connecting rods, and high-capacity oil pump.

[citation needed] The Pacer's days as the VH performance model were numbered, because that same year saw the announcement and introduction of what was to become Chrysler Australia's most recognised new car – the Valiant Charger.

[citation needed] A short-wheelbase, fastback coupe with an aggressive wedge-like stance, the Charger's design gave the effect of speed, even when it was standing still.

This drew comments from Wheels such as, "The raw quivering power is instantaneously on tap and with a ratio for every conceivable situation the Charger just storms through.

The E49 six pack engine came with a baffled sump, tuned length headers, special shot-peened crankshaft, connecting rods, pistons, rings, cam, valve springs, a twin plate clutch and of course the triple 45 mm dual throat Weber carburetors.

The Chargers had a CH-like nose with VH sheet metal surrounding the CH four headlights and grille, a combination that NZ assembler Todd Motors would later use to create its unique VJ Valiant Regal 770 sedan.

New Zealand distributor Todd Motors had assembled the Valiant sedan from CKD kits since the AP5, mostly following the Australian range though with fewer variants and engine choices plus local upholstery.

For the VH, it was a little more adventurous, launching a unique-to-NZ Ranger XL sedan as the base model with a two-barrel carburetor version of the 245ci Hemi-6 engine, no tail lamp trim surrounds or door window brightwork, unique seats and upholstery, and manual or automatic, column-shift transmission.

Todd's sole locally built Charger model was also to '770' trim with the 265ci Hemi-6 six and three-speed floor shift auto and did not have the bumper overriders standard in Australia.

It featured quad round headlamps and a different rear end treatment, and had quieter suspension and higher equipment levels.

Chrysler upgraded equipment levels in July 1974 with front disc brakes, door reflectors, lockable glovebox and retractable seatbelts all as standard features.

These cars also had a unique white interior with plaid cloth seats and featured a standard 265 engine with a choice of either manual or automatic transmissions.

[citation needed] Late in the VK model run a limited edition Charger called the White Knight Special (option A50) was offered with a factory-fitted front air dam.

Base Valiants continued with the previous Ranger style strip speedometer, while the Regal dash featured recessed circular gauges and clock with a woodgrain finish.

RTS improved the car's handling and roadholding significantly, and "Modern Motor" magazine proclaimed that the Valiant offered a better drive than the Holden.

The Drifter package included Impact Orange, Sundance Yellow, Spinnaker White or Harvest Gold body paint, and large side and rear stripes.

Its features included a Charger grill and dashboard, special cloth trim, Cheviot Hotwire mag wheels and black door frames.

Mitsubishi could build the car profitably even in small numbers due to its high 97% level of local Australian content and amortised tooling.