1962 Plymouth Valiant
Not exactly my favorite car, folks but since this was the only car at the Friday night cruise meet with its hood down………… and the crowd wasn’t what I would call the most friendly bunch, I snapped two pictures of this car and then packed up my camera and left. Maybe it was the heat that had every one in a sour mood. Anyway since I had the pictures in my camera, and had some time to screw around, decided to see what I could come up with. Just a “fun thing”. I have learned through experience not to even mention to any of these car owners if they might be interested in a “auto-art” picture of their car. They look at me like I’m holding a gun to their head…….. like the guy who actually asked me to make him a print of his car ……… then asked me if I was going to charge him for it. (No, dummy, I go around taking pictures and spending hours of my time creating pieces of artwork for every stranger who owns a car…….. Jeeeez! )
Yeah, I know – I’m an artist with an attitude. It doesn’t get me to far but I learned over time that being friendly, cordial and accommodating doesn’t get you very far either…………!
About
The Plymouth Valiant was produced from 1960 to 1976. It was created to give the company an entry in the compact car market emerging in the late 1950s.
The 1962 model year saw an extensive facelift. The radiator grille was flattened and shortened. The hood release was moved to a knob at the top of the grille frame. The central grille emblem was deleted, except on the top-line Signet 200 2-door hardtop model, which received a black-painted grille with a round central emblem incorporating the red-and-blue stylized "V" Valiant emblem. The Signet 200 had pleated, leather-like bucket seats, custom tailored interior trim, deep-pile carpeting, special trunk lid emblem, different headlamp frames and special side moldings; it was America's lowest-priced hardtop with bucket seats.
Fender and hood stampings were similar to the 1960-'61 items, but neither identical nor interchangeable. At the rear, the cat's-eye tail lamps were deleted. A wraparound stainless trim was applied to the tailfins, below which were placed round tail lamps set into stamped aluminum bezels. These occupied the space formerly available for optional reversing lamps, which for 1962 flanked the license plate below the rear bumper. The spare-tire stamping was eliminated from the deck lid, which was now a smooth stamping with a small central ridge at its trailing edge. On V200 deck lids, a large round emblem surrounded an oblong block-letter "VALIANT" callout on a black field. Similar block-letter/black-field callouts were placed on each front fender. On the Signet, the deck lid was adorned with a smaller round emblem surrounding the red-and-blue stylized-V Valiant logo.
V200 side trim reverted to the 1960 concept, following the tailfin crease and lower body break crease. However, the 1962 trim was more massive and contained an oblong triple-window effect at the rear of the body break crease. On Signets, the front fenders had an open-centered double spear, connected at the front and back, within which was contained a secondary body paint color.
The 1962 Valiant was given a completely new instrument cluster. Like that of the larger 1962 Plymouth models, the new Valiant cluster was highly regarded for its clean design and easy legibility. A large round speedometer was placed at the left of the cluster, with separate round gauges for fuel level, engine temperature, and charging system condition (amperes) in a row to the right of the speedometer. Automatic transmission pushbuttons were in a column at the left edge of the panel, and heater pushbuttons were in a column at the right edge. A new shallower-dish steering wheel was also introduced.
Source: BOLDRIDE
……. Hope you enjoy – its FREE!
1962 Plymouth Valiant
Not exactly my favorite car, folks but since this was the only car at the Friday night cruise meet with its hood down………… and the crowd wasn’t what I would call the most friendly bunch, I snapped two pictures of this car and then packed up my camera and left. Maybe it was the heat that had every one in a sour mood. Anyway since I had the pictures in my camera, and had some time to screw around, decided to see what I could come up with. Just a “fun thing”. I have learned through experience not to even mention to any of these car owners if they might be interested in a “auto-art” picture of their car. They look at me like I’m holding a gun to their head…….. like the guy who actually asked me to make him a print of his car ……… then asked me if I was going to charge him for it. (No, dummy, I go around taking pictures and spending hours of my time creating pieces of artwork for every stranger who owns a car…….. Jeeeez! )
Yeah, I know – I’m an artist with an attitude. It doesn’t get me to far but I learned over time that being friendly, cordial and accommodating doesn’t get you very far either…………!
About
The Plymouth Valiant was produced from 1960 to 1976. It was created to give the company an entry in the compact car market emerging in the late 1950s.
The 1962 model year saw an extensive facelift. The radiator grille was flattened and shortened. The hood release was moved to a knob at the top of the grille frame. The central grille emblem was deleted, except on the top-line Signet 200 2-door hardtop model, which received a black-painted grille with a round central emblem incorporating the red-and-blue stylized "V" Valiant emblem. The Signet 200 had pleated, leather-like bucket seats, custom tailored interior trim, deep-pile carpeting, special trunk lid emblem, different headlamp frames and special side moldings; it was America's lowest-priced hardtop with bucket seats.
Fender and hood stampings were similar to the 1960-'61 items, but neither identical nor interchangeable. At the rear, the cat's-eye tail lamps were deleted. A wraparound stainless trim was applied to the tailfins, below which were placed round tail lamps set into stamped aluminum bezels. These occupied the space formerly available for optional reversing lamps, which for 1962 flanked the license plate below the rear bumper. The spare-tire stamping was eliminated from the deck lid, which was now a smooth stamping with a small central ridge at its trailing edge. On V200 deck lids, a large round emblem surrounded an oblong block-letter "VALIANT" callout on a black field. Similar block-letter/black-field callouts were placed on each front fender. On the Signet, the deck lid was adorned with a smaller round emblem surrounding the red-and-blue stylized-V Valiant logo.
V200 side trim reverted to the 1960 concept, following the tailfin crease and lower body break crease. However, the 1962 trim was more massive and contained an oblong triple-window effect at the rear of the body break crease. On Signets, the front fenders had an open-centered double spear, connected at the front and back, within which was contained a secondary body paint color.
The 1962 Valiant was given a completely new instrument cluster. Like that of the larger 1962 Plymouth models, the new Valiant cluster was highly regarded for its clean design and easy legibility. A large round speedometer was placed at the left of the cluster, with separate round gauges for fuel level, engine temperature, and charging system condition (amperes) in a row to the right of the speedometer. Automatic transmission pushbuttons were in a column at the left edge of the panel, and heater pushbuttons were in a column at the right edge. A new shallower-dish steering wheel was also introduced.
Source: BOLDRIDE
……. Hope you enjoy – its FREE!