Valiant RANGER VK
CHRYSLER’S TIMING WITH THE VK WAS A LITTLE OFF WHICH MEANS GOOD ONES ARE NOW SURPRISINGLY SCARCE.
If Chrysler Australia had owned a cr ystal ball it wouldn’t have gone with quite so much metal when designing the longer, wider VH model. And had there been some funding for development they might have done a bit more with the VK to insulate it from the rising tide of buyer hostility towards big cars and soaring fuel prices.
The VK arrived in October 1975 and less than a year later was gone. During its tenure in a depressed vehicle market, just over 20,000 were made and survivors are accordingly scarce.
With no money – or so it claimed
– Chrysler spent hardly anything to differentiate this version of the ‘whale’ Valiant from earlier ones.
Externally the VK’s changes were confined to a new grille and some additional body embellishment. Inside was only marginally altered with the most important addition the first multi-function column stalk (indicators, headlamp f lash and dip) to appear in a Valiant. The VK also brought inertia reel seat belts that overcame a major impediment to belt use.
Also blinking from atop the mudguard (later moved to the dash) from early 1976 was a f lashing ‘fuel pacer’ light that told drivers when their heav y right hoof was draining the tank faster than the wallet might like.
A test of a Regal with the 4.3-litre engine
“THE PICK OF THE VK RANGE FOR AN INDULGENT BUYER MIGHT BE A LAVISHLY-FURNISHED REGAL 770”
and automatic transmission portrayed a powerful (153kW) but la zy car that was slow to get itself moving but once underway would reach 174km/h and cruise happily at a (now-illegal) 130-140km/h.
Fuel consumption under var ying conditions and including performance testing averaged 14.7L/100km. However on the highway a sensibly-driven si x-cylinder VK could slip easily into the 10-11L-bracket. Mid-range acceleration was better than the from-rest figures would suggest too; 80-110km/h taking only a second longer than the same task in an automatic Monaro GTS350.
Pick of the VKs from the viewpoint of an indulgent buyer might be a lavishly-furnished Regal 770. These came with cloth-trimmed seats and better-quality carpets, alloy wheels and extra embellishments.
Engines were 5.2 or 5.9-litre V8s with automatic transmission and front disc brakes mandatory. The vast majority of 770s sold were four-door sedans but the range also included the last-ever version of the Regal Hardtop.
The car you see here has been given an exterior make-over by owner Andrew Liapis and you have to admit it’s hard to miss in that bright yellow. He has the car advertised at tradeuniquecars.com.au at the moment, but admits he’s ambivalent about selling it.