1962 Plymouth Valiant "Hyper Pack"

I like to not only focus on Muscle Cars and Classics, but every now and then, I also like to throw a spotlight on various "automotive oddities" that have helped make automobiles so interesting throughout the years. This is one such oddity that I find so cool that I have to share...

The Valiant debuted at London's 44th International Motor Show in October 1959. It was introduced as a 1960 model and was officially considered a distinct brand. From the 1961 model year, the Valiant was classified as a Plymouth model, while the 1961-62 Dodge Lancer was a rebadged Valiant with different trim and styling details.

The Valiant featured an all-new, soon-to-be famous slant 6 engine, which had its inline cylinders canted 30° to one side. This allowed a lower hoodline, a shorter engine. The water pump was shifted laterally and long-branch individual intake and exhaust manifolds from Chrysler's pioneering work in tuned intakes. The cast iron block Slant-6 gained a reputation for dependability as it was initially engineered as an aluminum block engine with a robust casing. Over 50,000 die cast aluminum versions of the 225 cu in engine were produced between late 1961 and early 1963.

The Valiant A body platform utilized "unibody" construction rather than the usual body on frame construction. Instead of a bolted-in forestructure used in other unibody designs, the Valiant used a welded-in front understructure and stressed front sheet metal. The fenders, quarter panels, floor and roof contributed to the stiffness of the body shell. Testing showed greater damping and reduced body shake.

The front suspension consisted of unequal length control arms with torsion bars, while the rear suspension used a live axle supported by leaf springs. Chrysler used this design through the entire production of the Valiant and other A-body models at times until 1973.

Plymouth product planning director Jack Charipar encouraged a stock car racing version of the Valiant, and while Chrysler engineers developed the "Hyper Pack" for the track, the Hyper-Pak dealer tuning kit option was also made available in limited quantities . Hyper Pack features included 153 lb·ft of torque, a 10.5:1 compression ratio, dual exhaust pipes on a single muffler, a manual choke and a larger 15 gal fuel tank. When NASCAR decided to run a compact road race in conjunction with the 1960 Daytona 500 , all the major manufacturers got involved. Plymouth division built a fleet of seven Hyper Pak Valiants with 148-hp, 170-cu in. slant sixes having a single four-barrel with ram manifold. The race Hyper-Paks also featured high-load valve springs and long-duration, high-lift camshafts.

NASCAR's new Compact Car category debuted at the Daytona International Speedway on January 31, 1960. The first of two races was a road course, which used a 1.5 mi portion of the high-banked tri-oval together with a twisting infield road for a lap distance of 3.81 mi . The race length was 10 laps, 38.1 mi . Averaging a speed of 88.134 mph , a Hyper-Pak Plymouth Valiant drove into first place, while all the Hyper-Paks swept the field taking the first seven places. The second race of the day used only the tri-oval track 20 laps on its full 2.5 mi length totaling 50 mi. A multi-car accident on the fourth lap took out the four Valiant leaders including one driven by "King" Richard Petty. The remaining Valiants placed 1-2-3 and again went into the winner's circle. It was a deemed a Plymouth runaway. NASCAR never did that race again.

Today, it's rare to find any 1960 -1962 Plymouth Valiant...let alone one equipped with Hyper Pack. (I have a survivor photo above) Some find these cars to be downright hideous, but they do have character. And still stand out amongst the usual "cookie cutter" cars stamped out throughout the ages. They were more than just "Grandma's Grocery Getter." Love it.