One small correction from an Aussie fan. We did have a luxury market before ‘67, however those models were not domestically designed. For example, in the ‘50s, the US Fairlane was popular (we call it the tank Fairlane, to differentiate from later domestic versions), as was the Galaxie later on. GM sold the Impala, Pontiac Parisienne and some other models as ‘luxury’ cars through GM-holden dealers. And Chrysler sold the Plymouth Belvedere, Desoto Fireflite/Firesweep and Dodge Phoenix (Plymouth Fury III, which I own). In most cases, these cars were well equipped (as opposed to equivalent ‘base’ models in the US, where these models were not necessarily ‘luxury’ cars). Some other vehicles also came down under by special order or limited run including Mercurys, Buicks and Oldsmobiles. These cars were often assembled locally in CKD format. 1967 was when we started manufacturing locally designed ‘luxury’ models for our market only. Though even this is not exactly accurate, as the Chrysler Royal was a local luxury model, which was essentially an adapted late-50s Plymouth. Great video though and beautiful Chrysler x Chrysler!
Correct. My experience goes back to about 1950 [though many US cars came in and were assembled here well before that] Chrysler Oz assembled many Dodges, Desoto s, Pymouths etc here in Adelaide. Chevs and Pontiacs too were assembled here until about 1970 and there was a few weird cars assembled, Impalas with Holden V8s etc.And Impalas with SBC before that. Ford sold Galaxies from about 60 through to 72 and Ford Barge Fairlances and Customlines as well. GM in the 50s sold poverty base models, 6 cyl 3 speed manuals only until 59 and even then we only got 283s until66 when we got a few 327s
Small correction: the Royal was a locally developed version of the 1953 P25 Plymouth - they had tooled up to build those here in 1953 and sold them as Dodge, Plymouth & Desoto versions. Then in 1957 they grafted on sheet metal from the 1956 Mopars and merged all the models into Chrysler Royal, which they built until 1964. All the other 1955-61 Mopars we got were imports.
Wow, I daily drove one of these for 15 years from 1993-2008. Restored it completely with my own hands. In 2008, somebody drove into me at 80km/h, whilst I got it back and repaired it, it was never the same again. It was a great ride. Great to see it again!
@@manitoba-op4jx True. And there was a lot more to that story than I let on. After the accident, my car was in the hands of a Maltese mafia dude whose son drove the tow truck - the son was later convicted of murder after torturing somebody with a battery and jumper leads. I had no idea who I was dealing with! It's a miracle I ever got out of there alive, much less got my car back! I aged 10 years in that year!
@@michaelorlando6159 lol, yeah, it's got movie/book potential, for sure. I had PTSD for a while after that. That's partly why I decided to move the car on. But I still miss the days of my CxC (that's how we abbreviate it) before all that happened. It was a great car to drive.
My understanding is that the Australian government subsidized automobile production for 50+ years and then stopped. Of course the Big 3 all shut down there factories sans subsidy.
The CH Chrysler by Chrysler coupé is my absolute favourite '70s Australian car. Very few were built and even 30 years ago very very few remained. The Ford Landau is next.
Australian market cars in the 60s and 70s are among the most fascinating eras of Automotive development. The combination of English and American design philosphy, filtered through the lens of the Australian market to meet their needs, is just fascinating. Please continue to cover these non USDM cars! Everytime I hear Chrysler by Chrysler I chuckle!
It's sales were not bad Australian population at the time was only 14 to 16 million.compared to the USA sales are more than 100000 units pro rata.dont believe all you here on RU-vid
@@noelgibson5956 Australian population 25 million now less than 14 million in 1970 very small car industry but nobody on the road plenty of room for a nice drive
Yes, these videos on American brands in other countries should continue. I'm a Ford buff myself (owned a '65 Ranchero for a number of years) and that got me hooked on the Falcon utes from Australia, and ultimately on the Canadian Meteor and Monarch variants (as well as the one-year-only Frontenac) from up North.
Those early Falcons were certainly given a lot of makeovers to suit other markets and produce so many variants and offshoots including the first Mustangs. The south American variants (Brazil?) were also produced a crazy number of years when the rest of the world had long dropped the platform. A very successful venture for Ford.
Wow, that is a classy classic. I truly like this. Adam, I think you should cover more American brands that were available overseas and Canada. It's very interesting to see the differences.
For sure. Lots of content available for him here in Australia. GM & Ford had some very unique local models with bucketloads of US inspiration. I could easily list off 15-20 cars that Adam could feature, and that’s only up to 1980. Sadly, Chrysler AU were so budget restricted that there would only be a handful of cars Adam could feature, but it would be great to see him do them the justice they deserve.
The GM Holden Statesman and Ford LTD Fairmont were fantastic V8 optional, rear wheel drive cars all the way up to about year 2015 unrelated to the weak, fwd American cars with similar names and positioned in the market more like Cadillac and lincoln, their styling was also much better in my opinion than their American counterparts. And then there are the more unusual but great cars like the Holden Monaro which we got for a minute after it was kind of on its way out as the last Pontiac GTO and there also was a El Camino style car made off of this same Monaro platform called the Ute. All of the GM cars available with the Corvette V8 by the way, I know that that El Camino would have sold and still would sell great in the States today! Holden was the best, highest quality GM world division that still sold medium to large "American" style V8 cars, better than even Cadillac imo.
You should do other countries, even African and South American countries. Cars prevalent in those countries from the 1970'sto present. Thanks for the information and images you give us.
Great review ! Very surprised you covered an Australian vehicle. This car is by IMO the best Australia ever produced, GM and Ford could not compete with this level of style .... Thanks pal from AUS
The Chrysler by Chrysler looks like a mix of early American 1970s Coronet, Challenger, and a Satellite Seebring, all in one. Loved the green Fairlane the most. Its headlight design made for a less busy looking front end. Love the most that both the Fairlane and the Valiant look a lot like their American counterparts. The Valiant has a bit of a Dodge Dart flavour to it up front. The Aussies got some great vehicles that are revered by gearheads and many have aged well thanks to Australia's dry climate.
Love that royal blue 4 headlight Chrysler by Chrysler 2 door and yes, please keep these coming. On the few occasions I've visited Oz it was nice to see some of those pretty rust free V8s still on the road there such is their dry climate.
@@ldnwholesale8552 that's because their rust resistance treatment was appalling from factory in the latter half of the 1970s. I theorise the steel sourced was of lower quality as well and maybe thinner too. The early 70s Valiants were fine.
The worst models for rust were around 1975 (VK model) onwards. Also consider that these cars were often in the elements 24/7 and built with the intention that you were going to upgrade in 3-5 years. I too live in South Australia and travel extensively for work. Where are all these rusty Valiants you speak of?!?
That side view at around 7:30 is just beautiful - well-proportioned front and rear overhangs, sitting neither to low or high, and clean sharp use of chrome or stainless as contrast and to define the shapes.
Great video Adam on one of ours. The Chrysler by Chrysler wasn't as successful as Ford's Fairlane and LTD or Holden's Statesman but as a Mopar fan it was a nice car and appreciated far more today then when I was younger. The Charger always took the limelight. The hardtops are extremely rare with only 484 produced. They only lasted for the first series being made between 71 and 73. Hardtops aren't popular in Australia as Ford's Landau suffered a similar fate but in my opinion the Landau and Chrysler by Chrysler hardtops were the pinnacle of Aussie luxury. It would be great to see more on Australian cars because we did build great cars, which has been lost since manufacturing stopped.
I've been a Mopar guy for over 50 years and this is the 1st time I've seen one of these cars. I'm in the States/nobody talked a word about these or produced any brochures about them. The Chrysler by Chrysler is cool. With some custom work, it could a real stunner.
Thank you Adam. Yes, you should cover more cars like this. I would like to see the Holden Statesman and Caprice, Holden Calais and Ford Fairlane and LTD in Australia which used Lincoln Type Design. The Opels that were sold as Chevrolet in Brazil and Argentina and the many other variations GM and Ford had outside the United States globally. The things they sold in Europe and Japan and China and South Korea and Canada would be interesting to see especially where they made styling changes to American models or changed the name and features on the car. The other thing would be Holdens sold in other countries under other GM brands globally. I must say I enjoyed this video. It was good for the information, the content and footage. Thank you again Adam.
We had two of these as company cars both black on black with gold interior cloth trim, one was a 6 and the other, the latter series a 360 V8. Both were reliable and well received.Keep up the good work, Adam. Peter Mac Donald. P.S. I still have the sales brochure for the 1973 car.
Welcome to Australia Adam ,mate im glad your here taking a gander over some off our cars,the old man loved hes Fairlanes but he just loved the motors from the valiants especially the slant six and the 318 v8,the only thing is with some of the valiants is they rusted out bad especially as we lived on the far south coast odd new south wales ,grouse video mate
Love the oddball stuff. I collect model cars and have one of this Chrysler by Chrysler coupes in that beautiful blue. A friend in New Zealand is a (real) car collector and has a few Holden GTS sedans and a matching pair of Ford Landaus, coupe and sedan. Lastly, I used to own a 67 Riviera like the one in your channel pic.
Hi Adam, Having been addicted to all things Automotive since a very young age (from birth according to my parents) it was a great to discover your channel a few years ago,since than many many hours have been spent watching your videos. What a surprise to see you featuring the Chrysler by Chrysler,very gratifying. Hopefully you will be able to feature more Australian vehicles, as I have discovered when visiting America and talking to Automotive enthusiasts they are basically unaware of the very unique vehicles that were produced here.(unfortunately globalisation amongst other economic issues has ended all Automotive manufacturing in our country) Thank You again for very informative and entertaining videos. From Brisbane, Australia.
Where the regular car was "Valiant by Chrysler",... and the last ones off the production line had "Chrysler by Mitsubishi" as MMAL cleared the remaining stock out the door from the purchase of CAL.
Pretty much all the Chrysler trim and die cast parts were directly imported from Chrysler US and blended into local styling. We just didn't have the market volume to be designing and manufacturing these parts. Rallye steering wheels, die cast gauge clusters etc, all imported. Even things like wing mirrors were direct US import parts.
Love these. I think Chrysler by Chrysler would have sold well in the US. It is interesting to see US carmakers adapt their styles to the non US market.
The first "VIP" in the VE model, was a follow on of the AP6 and VC "Valiant V8", stand alone models, which offered the 273 V8, but only with all the other luxury extras. The VE version adopted the name VIP to distinguish itself from the base model "Valiant V8", which was then also available with the 273 V8 as an option. The VF VIP was a complete revision of the concept, with the VE VIP's direct specification successor being the VF Regal 770. While it is correct that the VG VIP had factory fitted air conditioning as standard at release, that was soon dropped, and became optional again. The CH Chrysler's hood, doors, boot (trunk) and front fenders were the same panels as the Valiant, fenders had some different mounting tabs added for the different bumper and dual headlights. The rear quarters and C pillars were where it gained the extra 4" length. It was replaced by the standard 111" wheelbase Regal SE in 1976.
Small correction - the VC model is not a 'VC Valiant V8", it's just "VC V8". VC Valiant is base, VC Regal is luxury six, and VC V8 has all the Regal upgrades, plus the 273 V8, optional front disc brakes early on, but that became V8 standard fitment later (too late for Bathurst against the Mini's). Most times the misnomer is "VC Regal V8", but it's not that either :) Confusion reigns in the wagons, where they become VC Valiant Safari, VC Regal Safari, and the rare VC V8 Safari. None of the Ute's ever had the V8 from the factory, plenty have them now though :D And to mess things for the utes, there was the "Dodge D106" which used the VC ute body, but stripped down interior and the truck edition "AT2" slant six.
Thanks for clearing something up! I had a gorgeous green VG VIP in the mid 80s, but without air con - this is the first time that l’ve seen a reference to it later becoming optional - thanks! Living in Tassie, no aircon was no big deal :)
Yes keep doing videos on weird cars from other countries One of my favorites is the first gen falcon being used in Brazil into the 80’s with updated grills and rectangle headlights crazy stuff, thanks Adam
Australia had a population of just under 14 million in the middle 1970's. GMH, Ford Australia, Chrysler Australia and BMC/Leyland all produced variants or assembled cars from different companies. Some cars were built on lines of otherwise rival companies, AMC from memory was one. Canadian GM cars were assembled in Australia as the Commonwealth connection meant that there was a tax advantage, hence the 1965 Pontiac was a Canadian version with factory RHD. Left hand drive cars were not allowed to be sold. Luxury cars were imported, but those with LHD had to be converted to RHD. Queensland might have been the exception to this, no doubt some one will be able to explain better than I can what was and was not permitted.
Yes, I'd love for you to continue featuring cars like this. I remember pictures of '60's and '70's American cars with flush headlights, which I discovered were for other markets such as Australia. It would be cool to learn about these cars and trucks. Thanks.
Ever since I saw the Mad Max and Road Warrior movies as a kid I have had a curiosity for Aussie vehicles. Anyone who uses cars related to the Mach 1 Mustang and engines like the 351C has to have an interesting car culture.
This was very interesting and I agree that the styling of the Chrysler by Chrysler is outstanding. I'm generally not interested in cars produced outside the U.S., especially those from Japan and South Korea, but so little has been publicized about Australia that I'd love to see more videos like this one.
@tubester4567 I remember the slant engines as having the unbreakable reputation. Slant six and the tower of power. Chrysler should have done better in Oz.
The Chrysler by Chrysler was a handsome car. Yes I'd love to see some non-US Chryslers, Fords and GMs. I like the Argentina Dodge GTX with a 318 and 4spd, or the Mexican Duster based Superbees. Such cool cars.
Would love to see more of these. I have read a good bit about the Falcon/Fairmont and Kingswood/Statesman but more content on aussie cars would be great since you seem to be able to bring out facts others negldct to mention. The TV program Torque from the era is great fun to watch to get a feel for australian cars of the time
@2:46 I see that the rear doors are different from their American counterparts, in that the rear 'edge' of the door is cut differently, and also the lack of a kick-up, or raised shoulder, around the quarter glass. Its greenhouse line is dead straight from front to rear, excluding the slope at the very front. Looks like a Barracuda or Challenger steering wheel/column at 2:50, with the 'crinkles' immediately fore of the wheel. Always thought that Holden @4:16 bore a strong resemblance to the '70-'72 Lemans.
Regarding the worldwide adaptations of American marques, some are interesting, but in the main...no. No big deal, however, because this channel has loyal fans with a wide range of interests. All episodes are beautifully done. Keep 'em coming!
Yes, please! As a European, I really enjoy your videos and especially the oddball cars. You may want to research the European version of the Ford Granada, this looks nothing like the American version. They did however offer them with the Ford 302 for the south African market. But like the Australian, only RHD. Anyway, appreciate your videos! 😊
I love ‘60s-70s Aussie cars from the big three - sort of like looking into a parallel universe. In my teens I would often check out the book “World Cars 1975” and thought that the Holden HJ/Mazda Roadpacer were the best looking sedans. It’s a shame the ‘71 Pontiac Ventura wasn’t an imported Holden HQ - I think it would kept the division more relevant through the malaise era.
In the mid 80s l had that metallic brown VG VIP by Chrysler, but in deep metallic green with the 318 and torqueflite. Man l loved that car -always liked the front quad headlamp styling. Utterly bulletproof. Thanks very much for featuring it!
The Chrysler by Chrysler reminds me of the US 1971 Dodge Coronet, with the loop front bumper and quad headlights, as well as the profile of the rear window and how the C pillar joins the upper rear fender. Overall, the Chrysler by Chrysler is a very handsome car.
That Chrysler by Chrysler is alright! You look at quickly, and it has many of the visual cues of the full size fuselage Chryslers tricking you into thinking it is a full size car... Very interesting indeed.
2:45 I wonder if, with the added weight of the 318, the standard bucket-seats-with-console layout was also intended as a way of keeping owners from putting 3 passengers in front, perhaps putting the GVW over Chrysler's intended limit.
Nah, it was just a luxury option at a time when bucket seats were rare. You could option any Chrysler of the era with a 360, A/C etc and still get a bench seat.
Nice to see your comprehensive review of these. I learned to drive on a top of the line 1971 Regal 770 318 V8, one step below the Chrysler in the market then. Fine car, lots of good memories of my early driving days. The Chryslers were also sold in the UK in limited numbers, but a blue one features in an episode of The Sweeney as a gangster’s getaway car. Cheers from Australia.
There are 2 episodes of the Sweeney with a Chrysler by Chrysler in them both, a 6-cylinder car and a V8 version. One episode has brit' actor Patrick Mower and another guy playing as Australian art thieves, and the other episode has an underworld criminal ripping off other underworld criminals after they've stolen the loot, he steals it off them and blackmails them. Both cars are blue too!! One step further, my dad was an American diplomat here in Australia back then in the 1960's/70's/80's, as a kid in their last years of school at the start of the '70's we watched the Sweeney as a new television program, dad loved it with all the blokey jokes & swearing. He had as supplied by the US gov't a 2 door CH Chrysler by Chrysler, followed by a series 2 CH 4 door , when he saw the first episode with one in it, he called Chrysler Aust' and asked them about it, and it appears that Mopar USA wanted an off the shelf RHD big car to sell as a replacement for the full-sized Humber Super Snipe & Humber Imperial which had both been axed as out of date, and the poor old Rootes group cars variety had been decimated to a whole bunch of badge engineered flavors of Hillman Imps, plus a whole bunch of badge engineered Hillman Hunters , so there were Humber ones, Sunbeam ones & Hillman ones , the singer brand killed entirely . He asked Chrysler Australia to send him some copies of the English brochures for the Chrysler by Chryslers. Interestingly, the rear light clusters for the British ones are entirely different to the Aussie rear taillight clusters with just a red and amber light. To satisfy the British registration authorities, the rear light clusters needed 3 lights:- red, amber & clear/white reversing light units. The beautiful UK brochures were a stylistic work of art, with the entire brochure shots all taken at night in London, some on Lambeth walk on the side of the Thames, plus multiple well known other tourist sights very classy indeed. So in the UK the 6-cylinder cars had the red grill ornament, with the red rear reflector applique between the taillights with painted door glass frames with the fine stainless steel trim fitted, the v8 cars had the blue grill ornament, the full stainless-steel door glass frames fitted to them and the rear etched aluminium applique between the taillights so one could easily tell the difference between v8 or 6 cylinder and they received ZERO 2 door cars at all, just 4 door versions.
@@gregharvie3896 There's also an episode from The Professionals featuring a VE VIP as the get away car. I've always been curious as to whether any of our Chrysler exports to the UK still exist today given the very low number they imported and rust issues.
I have the boxed set of The Sweeney, I’ll have to check out the episode with Patrick Mower and George Layton as the Aussie thieves. Loosely based on the exploits of the “Kangaroo Gang” that operated in the UK in the 1960s. Got away with a fortune in in jewellery and other stuff for years. Most never caught.
@@gregharvie3896 Great info, thanks. Our family 318 Regal 770 was from the first production run in 1971 and was the dealer display car at Hardman’s in Armidale NSW. Ordered for the dealer’s father, it had a high compression 318 that was quite a goer in its day. Most of my learner driving done in that car and I even passed my driving test in it\ at Cammeray Motor Registry in Sydney in 1973. In the days when you could still drive a V8 on P plates! Great memories.
@@erroneouscode Testing my memory, but I recall an episode of the Alexei Sayle show with a Valiant Charger (probably a 770) on a used car lot in London. Just a fleeting glimpse, but memorable.
Great to see you featuring some of our convict cars Adam. Your viewers may also be interested in our Aussie Chargers and their performance RT versions.
Thank you for this wonderful article Adam. Australia benefited from many years of US investment in our car manufacturing leaving a legacy of these beautiful machines to appreciate.
Wow, Locking Floor Shift something not seen anywhere and rarely seen in Australia.....Mate had a Mid-70's Chrysler by Chrysler 360 V8, in the 80's, of which he spent a lot of money to get it up to being roadworthy, but they were very heavy and gas-guzzlers....Gr8 to cruise-around the streets, as long as U didn't put the foot down, Adam😎🤘
Yes! Continue with cars from other countries similar to this. This one was fascinating to me. I would like to see more on Canadian Ford's from 57- 66. Especially the 60-61 Meteors. So close to the American Fords but so different! Keep up the great work!!
Yes, more like this please. One of my (few) ongoing criticisms of your content has been a seeming obliviousness to the global influences of/on the American market, and even on the American-headquartered companies from their overseas operations. Seeing what was happening in other markets gives a better sense of that. As a Canadian car enthusiast, Australia has long fascinated me: Its about 2/3 the population of Canada, but it seems that it's unique location, climate and economic development enabled much more automotive uniqueness than Canada. As a Commonwealth country, British and Canadian automakers (ie: Ford Australia was a subsidiary of Ford of Canada) long dominated the Australian market, but with unique products. Yet only a handful of the unique Australian variants ever saw much export, let alone success, elsewhere in the world - perhaps the most notable being the Zeta-platform Holden Commodore.
Australia felt like it's own world with it's cars. I am flummoxed that the test of the world barely got exposure to what felt normal here. Especially surprised Britain a RHD market didn't get them although penny numbers of Valiants were exported there. Only on later years high end performance Holden models were sold there but with the Vauxhall name attached and they had a higher performance engine than was available here because of more restrictive ADRs (Australian Design Rules). Good to hear you appreciate our car scene.
I once had a an ex-police Chrysler, with 318 cu, bloody beautiful until a high-speed kangaroo introduced itself. Very glad to see Aussie cars nostalgia here. Thanks, mate!
Great content! I would also love to see content regarding the South American cars and all the variants of the 1966 American Ford Galaxie that seemed to be produced forever.
Thanks Adam.... A Great video of an Australian luxury Car by Chrysler. My two favourite Australian Luxury cars that were far better though, and are most definitely worth a review on, were the Ford P6 Ford LTD, and particularly the 1980-85 WB Holden Statesman Caprice. This Caprice was Holdens Flagship ,and my favourite.... a six window design that was most elegant, and was just beautiful inside and out. It used some interior Cadillac parts such as reading, courtesy lamps, chrome electric windows switches, and exterior mirrors, plus superbly plush top of the line slightly modified German made Opel Senator seats, in either crushed velour or leather. The rear seating compartment in particular, was said to have had probably the best and most comfortable rear sculpted bucket style seats in the world at the time. (Perfect as a chauffeur driven flagship car) Lead Holden designer Leo Pruneau (ex US GM designer), said at the time, that he wanted to create a Rolls Royce, and that he did. (It should be noted that the P6 Ford LTD also had a Rolls Royce inspired from end) The Caprice had a shortened Rolls Royce style grill (hand made), and used Mercedes style headlights...he even said he took inspiration from the incredible Aston Martin Lagonda. And when it was tested against Europes best in Magazine Comparison tests, it more then held its own in ride, handling, comfort and quietness. It had Radial Tuned Suspension, which made it ride and handle brilliantly (like Europes best), and was built extremely tough for rough Australian conditions. It also had exclusive and beautifully elegant 15" polished alloy wheels, and cruise control. It was Australia's first true version of a Cadillac (the Seville in particular), and that now is becoming very sort after. They even flew one to the USA for GM's annual in-house car display for there own executives to view, and they were all very very impressed with this limousine. It was almost like a beautiful cross between a Flagship European car and Flagship American Car (even a Seville for that matter). I think it would have sold very well in US if it had a chance there. You should check it out, especially Cadillac lovers in America.
I think that is what made the WB so good, since the Commodore SL/E was an outstanding car at that time....again competing with Europes best medium sized cars, and often winning, or at least holding its own during all the comparison tests. And again they further developed and took the best parts of the German Made Opel Flagship (The Senator), to make the slightly smaller Commodore for the Australian market. The WB was Cadillac looking car, but one with great handling for its size, yet it also had the plush ride one would expect of a Limo. The Commodore SL/E, was a European styled car, also with great ride and handling, so i'm glad they tried to take the best parts of the SL/E and of course, the Opel Senator.....this is exactly why it was so good. @@ldnwholesale8552
My dad was an American diplomat in Australia, I grew up in Mosman, Sydney. A beautiful place to live, the most expensive real estate almost on earth & also where most of the other high-ranking diplomats lived from all the other countries. Their children comprised a lot of my other classmates. One of which being the Swisse High Commissioner, his wife & children, they had brought with them 3 Monteverdi's to drive, a 1970 375L 4 seat 2 door coupe (size of 4 door Jaguar xj6 or Jensen Interceptor) and two four door 375/4's a '69 & 71'. Now, if you don't know what a 375/4 looks like, it's a WB Statesman Caprice, with a different 6inch deep front grill/nose cone that looks like a cross between an early Aston Martin DBS with the (4) twin front headlights, or Jensen FF Interceptor. From first seeing them I loved the de Carle's silver and white pair of Monteverdi 375/4's they were beautiful, I've owned a 1982 WB Caprice since new it it's a TOTAL copy/rip-off side on full length and direct rear on of the Monteverdi , that's why I bought the WB it was as close as you would ever get to these special 4 doors built in Switzerland & used by their government years ago. Even the interior & seat design is a copy of the Swiss car the near vertical back window, virtually flat boot lid the body side cut-away/tuck under as it cuts and pulls in toward the sill rail. Almost so GMH could not convicted of copying there is but one difference, the little window in the rear roof pillar of the Holden as the ONLY point of difference side on the Monteverdi has a wider all steel rear roof pillar unlike the WB Holden with its little in roof pillar window. The car's width, height & length, virtually identical 10years separate them 1970-'80. Of the 2 x Monteverdi 4 doors they had just slightly different interiors, and rearend panels/taillights plus as one car had side rub/protection strips. So, one's interior looked identical to our Caprice and one rear end treatment/light units looked nearly the same and had side rub strips like the Caprice. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my WB Caprice (i think the world's most perfect car) one of 18 series 1 HDT- Brock improved cars & 3 utes prior to the production of the 125 WB series 2 HDT Statesman Magnums. The WB Caprice bucket seats front & rear, designed /made by Scheele, pure quality, plus the Cadillac division parts sharing goes way further than you have mentioned as I own 2 x RHD Cadillac Fleetwood Broughams too, a 1972 standard version and a 1974 Talisman version. The WB's electric door locking mechanism, power window lift motors, the internal door lock/latch units (not outer door handles), the air-cond compressor unit, power steer pump/reservoir, cruise control system, in glovebox bootlid pop- release system and if selected ABS anti-lock braking system (available from 1974 HJ Caprice launch as depicted in deluxe Stateman Caprice brochure on the middle pages) are all courtesy of/via the Cadillac division of GM. Re the p5 & p6 Aussie Ford LTD's , a friend of mine wanted a pair one of each a hide-away headlight p5 and exposed headlight Lincoln look grill p6. How Ford Aust' made them was cut a Fairlane in half 1/3 the way along the back door, add in some inches of steel to the sill rails, rear inner door shells, roof panels, & floor, then press a new longer outer steel rear door skin and a new rear outer mudguard pressing and "bingo" a luxury car, I had never known this until 2 years ago when I was helping my mate David remove a rusty left rear door, front door, front guard from his otherwise perfect p5 LTD. he had located a car that had been asset stripped of its engine & gearbox for someone's project because this identical p5 LTD had taken a major hit to its right hand side, however the left side was perfect right down to its ? metallic cranberry paint. When commencing the removal carefully of the rear door, I could see the cut & shut welds of the roof floor & sills and soon the inner rear door shell cut & join as Dave's car has a black interior and this donor car a cream interior. I could not believe that Ford Aust' had crudely cut cars in half and stretched them the 5 or 6 inches this way I felt this to be unforgivably dangerous plus cheap and nasty. looking at the two p5 LTD's both Dave's & the donor car the work on both cars was crude from the Ford factory all the welds on the floors, sills, roof panel on donor car and on the inner door shells could all have done with remedy and re-do's of the welds, all were of a poor finish and standard I was shocked and still am shocked as unlike my giant Holden , the LTD's do not have a giant chassis to rest on and give massive extra side-on strength in a bad collision. When I was decades younger, I had seen a bad accident on the Hume highway where the whole back half of a p5 LTD had been torn off when the car had hit a tree after it had run off the road, and now all these years later I know why, it had basically come "unglued" as the way Ford had done this, they might just as well have used glue, appalling.
So glad you covered this. Yes! Do more of them. Next door, here in New Zealand, I owned a Chrysler Valiant, three on the tree with the Hemi 4ltr straight 6. Loved that car.
