Valiant Spotters Guide

May 1973 saw the introduction of the next model in the new All-Australian designed Valiant — The VJ. Although essentially a facelifted version of the VH Valiant before it, the VJ's subtle changes made enough of an impact on the buying public to make it the biggest selling Valiant model of all, with 90,865 units being sold.

Externally the VJ Valiant continued on the with the new body style, though the VJ reverted to single round headlamps. There were slight changes to the front sheetmetal to accommodate the new lights. There was also a new 8-segment grille. The sedans received new horizontal taillights shared with the Charger.

Although the physical changes were few, many other new features were introduced in the VJ Valiant range, such as electronic ignition, rustproofing and floor mounted shifters as standard features.

Chrysler upgraded equipment levels in July 1974 with front disc brakes, door reflectors, lockable glovebox and retractable seatbelts all as standard features.

While the VJ range still offered sedan, wagon, ute, Hardtop and Charger variants, there were no more R/T Chargers or Pacers. The E48 Six Pack Charger was available in 770 trim with four-speed gearbox and limited-slip differential, and as many as 6 VJ E49's did get produced early in the 73 model run.[citation needed] The E55 Chargers were still available.

In August 1974, a special run of 500 Sportsman Chargers were released. They were only available in Vintage Red with a thick white stripe along the lower coachline and the roof was also white. These had the red and white plaid cloth seats and a 265 four-speed powertrain.

An updated CJ Series version of the Chrysler was released in May 1973, one month after the VJ Series update of the Valiant. Styling changes to the Chrysler were minor. The four door Sedan was now the only model offered with the two door Hardtop body-style not being carried over from the CH series.