[1] In May 1957, Chrysler president Lester Lum "Tex" Colbert established a committee to develop a competitor in the burgeoning compact car market which included the popular VW Beetle, the new American Motors Rambler and upcoming entries from GM, Ford and Studebaker.

[citation needed] The Valiant was less radical in configuration than General Motors' compact Chevrolet Corvair, which had an air-cooled rear-mounted engine, but was considered more aesthetically daring than the also-new Falcon and Studebaker Lark compacts, which had more conventional looks; the Valiant boasted a radical design that continued Exner's "Forward Look" styling with "sleek, crisp lines which flow forward in a dart or wedge shape".

[7] The flush-sided appearance was a carried-over feature from Chrysler's Ghia-built D'Elegance and Adventure concept cars which also gave the Valiant additional inches of interior room.

[7] The Valiant's styling was new, yet with specific design elements that tied it to other contemporary Chrysler products, such as the canted tailfins tipped with cat's-eye shaped tail lamps and the simulated Continental spare tire pressed into the trunk lid that were thematically similar to those on the Imperial and the 300F.

According to Exner, the stamped wheel design was used not only to establish identity with other Chryslers, but to "dress up the rear deck area without detracting from the look of directed forward motion".

Project engineer Willem Weertman and his team had designed a simple yet robust workhorse, from its four-main forged crankshaft to a simplified "mechanical" valve train.

Dynamic testing showed that high structural resonant frequencies were attained, indicating greater damping and reduced body shake.

Features included 153 lb⋅ft (207 N⋅m) of torque, a 10.5:1 compression ratio, dual exhaust pipes on a single muffler, a manual choke and a larger 15 US gal (57 L) fuel tank.

[10] Dick Maxwell, a Chrysler engineer responsible for many of the super stock Mopars, recalls that "When NASCAR decided to run a compact road race in conjunction with the 1960 Daytona 500, all the factories got involved.

[13] The four-door station wagon, assembled only at the Dodge main plant in Hamtramck,[13] was available in V100 and V200 trim in two- and three-seat configurations; the third seat faced the rear.

The central grille ornament was still pulled from the bottom to release the hood, but it was now faced with an emblem having a white field with the blue-and-red stylized "V" logo, rather than 1960's red placard with a gold script reading "Valiant".

The tailfins were each topped with three transverse chrome strips, and a large horizontal emblem containing a round plastic "V200" callout was centered in the deck lid's spare-tire stamping.

The electrical system was extensively upgraded, with a new gear-reduction starter, new alternator, more fuses, and printed circuit boards rather than individual wires for the instrument cluster.

Carburetors were improved again, the manual transmission gearshift was moved from the floor to the steering column, there were new 45°-shear engine mounts replacing the previous vertical-shear items, exhaust systems were made of more corrosion-resistant (aluminized) materials, and axle ratios were altered for better fuel economy.

Another new option was the "Sure-Grip" limited slip differential, which was touted as a bad-weather safety feature and also offered traction benefits in performance driving.

[citation needed] For 1965, a hotter 235 bhp (175 kW) version of the 273 called the Commando 273 was made available with 10.5:1 compression, a four-barrel carburetor, performance camshaft, low restriction exhaust and other modifications.

[24] For 1973, the vent wing windows were deleted from the Scamp, and all models were given a new grille and front bumpers able to withstand damage at a 5 mph (8.0 km/h) impact, as well as steel beams inside the doors to protect vehicle occupants in side-impact collisions as mandated by NHTSA.

The door beams, the new bumpers and their impact-absorbing mounts, a rubber-booted telescoping system attached to the car's structure, added mass to the Valiant.

1974 Valiant was also available in a "Scamp package" which included 318 V8 engine, four door, three-speed automatic transmission, power steering, power disc brakes, chrome trim, vinyl roof, AC, carpet, split vinyl bucket seat bench, radio, rear window defroster blower, and 120 mph speedometer standard.

There were new 50,000 mi (80,000 km) spark plugs[citation needed] and batteries and a "clincher" warranty that covered everything on the car except trim for 12 months with no mileage restrictions.

1976 models were virtually identical to 1975s; amber rather than clear front park/turn signal lights were used and the parking brake pull-handle was changed to a foot pedal.

Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG) collaborated with Chrysler designers in producing this 14.4 sq ft (1.34 m2) rear window, the largest ever installed on a standard production car up to that time.

The second-generation Barracuda, though still a 106 in (2,700 mm) wheelbase A-body sharing many components with the Valiant, was given Barracuda-specific styling and its own range of models including convertibles and fastback and notchback hardtops.

[31] Throughout its production lifetime, the vast majority of Dusters were built with the Slant Six engine (available in 198 and 225 cubic inch versions) and TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

The Twister was a "performance appearance package" produced in response to increasing premiums on muscle cars, many of which were calculated using the vehicle's power-to-weight ratio as an actuarial gauge.

Even with performance options such as the four-speed manual transmission, Hurst shifter and Sure-Grip differential with 3.55:1 axle ratio, 0–60 mph and quarter-mile times increased roughly two seconds compared to those for the 1970 Duster.

Australian Valiants were locally built in New Zealand and South Africa;[citation needed] and were exported to the United Kingdom, Japan, and other right-hand drive markets.

The Mexican Valiant lineup included a unique two-door hardtop produced from 1963[33] to 1969 called the "Acapulco" named after the coastal resort city.

[44] Steven Spielberg's early directorial debut, the television movie Duel, prominently featured an orange 1970 Plymouth Valiant, driven by the protagonist, Dennis Weaver.

The choice of the Valiant, according to Spielberg, was not so much for the model of the car, but rather the bright red color (which would photograph well against the high desert landscape of the filming location, near Acton, California).