Mark and Don Grim purchased the 1960 Plymouth Valiant, pictured below, before they were old
enough to drive in 1972 for $60. They needed some lead time anyway as Mark spent months getting
it ready to work mechanically sound. Don didn't help much though he did help paint it with a
paint brush. It was painted Dark Green and White since green is Don's favorite color. It is
appropriate that it is pictured with our dog Chipper for Chipper jumped in the Valiant when
we first looked at it. We apoligized to the sellers about the dog but then bought the car
anyway. Chipper loved riding in the shelf behind the back seat and looking out the back
window, so it was Chipper's car too! Speaking of dogs, is the car a "dog" or ugly? More on that
when you read further down.
Historically speaking, Mark and Don were born in April 1957. The next month, in May
1957, Chrysler formed a committee to plan the production of a small 6 cylinder car. That planning
became reality when the first Valiant was released in 1960. Just over a decade later,
Mark and Don bought a first year 1960 Valiant as their first car! It was a four door model
with a 3 speed transmission on the floor. It was sold in 1978 for $100.
Mark & Don Grim's 1960 Plymouth Valiant (Ugly?)
This black and white picture was taken in the 70's in the family backyard in Woodsfield Ohio.
The family dog, Chipper, is relaxing on the hood as a hood ornament!
Other Valiants:
Red Hot
Red Leaves Bleeding on a Green Trunk, circle on the trunk was an indent for the spare tire
Shady Blue
White, with a side of Rust
"Motor Banking", before ATM (Automatic Telling Machine)
Click here to see more Valiant pictures
The background song on this page is a Joshua Kadison song called "Beautiful in my
Eyes" since the Valiant is only beautiful in the eye of the beholder! The lyrics are:
"You're my peace of mind in this crazy world. You're everything I've tried to find, your love is a pearl. You're my Mona
Lisa, you're my rainbow skies, and my only prayer is that you realize you'll always be beautiful in my eyes. The world will
turn and the seasons will change, and all the lessons we will learn will be beautiful and strange. We'll have our fill of tears,
our share of sighs. And my only prayer is that you realize you'll always be beautiful in my eyes. You will always be beautiful
in my eyes. And the passing years will show that you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes. When there are lines
upon my face from a lifetime of smiles, and when the time comes to embrace for one long last while, we can laugh about how
time really flies. We won't say goodbye 'cause true love never dies. You'll always be beautiful in my eyes. You will always be
beautiful in my eyes. And the passing years will show that you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes. The passing
years will show that you will always grow ever more beautiful in my eyes."