Chrysler got their money’s worth out of the A-platform, and then some. First appearing as the 1960 Valiant, the A-body would go on to underpin just about every smaller car Chrysler built themselves through 1976, then with some minor tweaking and a shift to an isolated transverse torsion bar front suspension, the FJM models ran through 1989. The list of vehicles that the platform carried over the years is substantial…cop cars, economical sedans, screaming junior supercars, sport wagons, you name it. They are some of Chrysler’s best work, a basic platform that could be tweaked into just about anything the company wanted, and a platform that earned a durable, solid reputation that lasted right up until the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré showed up in 1976.

How durable? Well, you can ask legions of people who have stories of abusing the hell out of Valiants, Dusters and the like and the car just taking it and coming back for more. Or you can see this mid-1960s Valiant on rally stages somewhere in what we think is Finland proving it’s durability. With a healthy small-block underhood, the Valiant is plenty powerful for dirt work, and while it’s not as compact as it’s European rivals, it’s still pretty small. “Nimble”, on the other hand, isn’t a word we’d be quick to use, but maybe there’s some merit after seeing this car in action!