by David Burrell – – –
Another milestone worth marking: the CL Chrysler Valiant turns 50 in November 2026.
Arguably, the CL was the Valiant Chrysler Australia should have launched in 1974 to arrest the sales slide triggered by the bulky styling of the 1971 VH, VJ and VK models.
The CL’s bold new grille, redesigned rear end and more upmarket interior were changes that had been a long time in the making.
A recently uncovered cache of previous secret design studio photographs from 1971 reveal styling proposals for the 1973 VJ and 1975 VK models. These were rejected because Chrysler, both locally and globally, was desperately short of cash and could not implement them. They incorporate all of the design themes that finally appeared on the CL. However, it was really too late. The future of the Valiant was tenuous.
For the CL the company quietly dropped the Valiant name in a move to add prestige to the range. Fixing Chrysler badges to the sheet metal fooled no one. It was still a Valiant.
At the same time, Ford and Holden were learning that Australia’s love affair with big two-door coupes was ending. Chrysler was seeing it too. The once-mighty Charger, formerly a production star, was barely breaking even by 1976. Most enthusiasts already owned one, and the used-car market was beginning to see affordable examples. The CL became the Charger’s final chapter.
Less than a year later Chrysler unveiled the four-cylinder Sigma – it foretold the future. What we see here in the CL Chrysler is the beginning of the end of the Valiant in Australia.
