I have to admit that, among the captive imports in Argentina, the Mopars have interested me the most. The cars that looked like what we had in America I paid no attention to, but the post-1968 A-bodies built through 1979 captured my interest. Why? They looked like B-bodies (like a ’68 Coronet) with Euro-spec headlights, though they were A-bodies like a Dart. And Chrysler had a sporty model called the Dodge Polara R/T that mimicked Detroit muscle from just a few years before — never mind that it was powered by a Slant Six.
Then there was the British Dodge 1500, which doesn’t interest me, but it was popular, plus it has an interesting connection to Hillman and Volkswagen that you can read about below.
December 1961 brought the first production Chrysler Valiant.
Click here to read the initial story on the production trajectory for many of these cars. And, once again, special thanks go to Michael for his Flickr page that allows us to show you these vehicles in their original specification.
The Valiant II was introduced for 1963. The 225ci Slant Six was introduced, now home-grown.
The Chrysler Valiant III was introduced for 1964. As you can see, it looks like a Dart.
For 1966, the Chrysler Valiant IV was introduced. It was built through 1968.
A redesigned A-body appeared for 1969, now down as a Dodge. Models were Polara, Coronado, and GT.
From England came the Hillman Avenger-based 1971 Dodge 1500.
Dodge introduced the GTX coupe for 1971. Note the Scat Pack bee.
Dodge A-bodies were facelifted for 1972. These are the 1974 Polara R/T, GTX, Coronado, and Polara (fore to aft).
1976 Polara R/T
Note the facelifted Dodge 1500.
1978 Dodge Coronado, a year before it was discontinued.
When Chrysler liquidated its international operations, Volkswagen picked up the pieces in South America. That’s why this is called the Volkswagen Dodge 1500.
Volkswagen facelifted the 1500 and shed the Mopar connection. This car was built through 1990.
