Drive
The 1962 Valiant carrying four generations of family memories
What began as one man’s dream car has become a cherished family heirloom.
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3 min read
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Media duration: 22minutesmins
Drive
4 min readDrive
What began as one man’s dream car has become a cherished family heirloom.
Published
3 min read
Text size
Published
Text size
Most cars are bought, enjoyed and eventually moved on, but some go further to become part of the family.
Parked in Steve and Danuta’s garage is one such car, a turquoise 1962 Chrysler Valiant: a true retro icon of Australian roads, but also a car that tells a deeply personal story of perseverance.
That story begins long before the Valiant found its way into Steve’s garage. Danuta’s parents travelled to WA many years ago from Poland as war refugees, with a single trunk as their only possession. After years of hard work, helping build Wyalkatchem’s railways and slowly saving, her father bought his dream car in 1962 - the gorgeous Valiant he would later pass on to his son-in-law Steve.
Few cars scream the 60s quite like the Valiant. With its pronounced body lines, sweeping rear fins, distinctive grille and plenty of chrome, it was much more flamboyant than the other family cars on offer in Australia at the time.
Under the bonnet was the iconic 3.7-litre Slant Six, named for its unusual 30-degree angle, which allowed the engine to sit lower in the engine bay. Producing roughly 145 horsepower, the Valiant offered considerably more power than its Holden and Ford rivals of the time. With plenty of character and performance to match, it’s no surprise Danuta’s father chose the Valiant.
Steve took over the Valiant when his father-in-law could no longer drive. He eventually stripped, rebuilt and repainted the car, with the restoration taking around 10 years before it was back on the road. It’s now in beautiful condition, with a few changes including new extractors and a manual choke to suit the updated carburettor, replacing the original automatic choke. The Valiant was quite advanced for its time, even offering an optional three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission operated by push-buttons on the dashboard.
But the true beauty of this Valiant, beyond its style, performance and little quirks, is the story it continues to tell. Whenever there’s a special occasion, a wedding, a ball or even just a family picnic, the Valiant is just as present as everyone else.
Danuta shared special memories of the car and her father’s love for it. “He loved the grit and grind of this car,” she recalls. When approaching washaways in the country, her father would stop the car and walk through the water first. If it was only up to his knees, he knew the Valiant would make it through. “And it did every time.”
Off-camera, Danuta even shared stories of her brother bribing her with rides so he could take the car out for a date or two.
But perhaps most special of all is her father’s czapka, the hat he would wear whenever he went for a drive, which now rests proudly on the windowsill. Just like the Valiant, it was passed down to Steve as a reminder of the man who started it all.
From Danuta’s father behind the wheel to Steve and Danuta’s grandchildren enjoying rides of their own, four generations of the family have now made memories in this Valiant. And more than 60 years on, it's still bringing them together.
Watch the full episode of In My Garage and get a close look at the Valiant on the Horizons by RAC YouTube channel.
