5 replies to this topic

[Bob Riebe]

https://www.curbside...happy-accident/

 

 

Because the Plainsman was built by Ghia in Italy, the clock on its time in the United States began ticking immediately upon its importation. At 18 months, Chrysler was faced with the choice of paying import duties or shipping the car overseas, and it opted for the latter. The Plainsman’s first foreign port of call was Cuba, where a bank president used it as his family vehicle before selling it to a Chrysler export manager, also living in Cuba. When Castro came to power, it soon became necessary to flee the country with all due haste, and the Plainsman’s plus-size cargo area surely proved beneficial for the run to the border.

The export manager’s next assignment was Australia, and the Plainsman followed him down under. To meet local regulations, it was converted from left-hand drive to right-hand drive, and during his time in Australia the original drivetrain was swapped for a 375-hp, 440-cu.in. V-8 mated to a TorqueFlite automatic transmission, which remains in the car today. ement brought the export manager back to the United States, and the Plainsman once again made the journey with him.

In 1963 the Chrysler Plainsman got a successor with a natty little v in the c-pillar, and a new name. Valiant Safari.

[Greg Locock]

I bet the glass factory was well impressed with that rear side window. Ouch. Valiant styling has always been a mystery to me, I like it well enough, because it so ugly.

[gruntguru]

The problem for me is the "sedan-converted-to-a-hearse" appearance at the C pillar.

[GreenMachine]

Yeah, there's some decent load space in there with the seat down   

[Greg Locock]

I was trying to figure out why they did that. They sorted it out in 1968. But of course we did something similar- I suspect they wanted to keep the sedan rear doors

[Lee Nicolle]

https://www.curbside...happy-accident/

 

 

Because the Plainsman was built by Ghia in Italy, the clock on its time in the United States began ticking immediately upon its importation. At 18 months, Chrysler was faced with the choice of paying import duties or shipping the car overseas, and it opted for the latter. The Plainsman’s first foreign port of call was Cuba, where a bank president used it as his family vehicle before selling it to a Chrysler export manager, also living in Cuba. When Castro came to power, it soon became necessary to flee the country with all due haste, and the Plainsman’s plus-size cargo area surely proved beneficial for the run to the border.

The export manager’s next assignment was Australia, and the Plainsman followed him down under. To meet local regulations, it was converted from left-hand drive to right-hand drive, and during his time in Australia the original drivetrain was swapped for a 375-hp, 440-cu.in. V-8 mated to a TorqueFlite automatic transmission, which remains in the car today. ement brought the export manager back to the United States, and the Plainsman once again made the journey with him.

In 1963 the Chrysler Plainsman got a successor with a natty little v in the c-pillar, and a new name. Valiant Safari.

Top pic looks a lot like the Chrysler Royal I used to deliver electrical items in.313ci with exhaust gases coming from the exhaust flange up the steering column.

Bottom pic is for me a AP5 Valiant Regal wagon. Except the tailights are quite different. Though googling it shows Aussie AP5s with sedan style tailights and the up and down ones I remember. Owned several AP5s, AP6s VCs but never a wagon.

Since Cuba is an island a bit hard to run for the border.