The sporty, factory-installed four-speed manual with
a Hurst fl oor shifter between bucket front seats is
one of this convertible’s special features. It shares
instrumentation with the U.S.-market Valiant, which
was a smaller car with a shorter wheelbase.The factory-installed vinyl upholstering this Signet 200 remains in very good condition after 55 years, a testament to its quality.
shifting. “And when we purchased
the car, it had radial tires, and steered
like a truck,” he remembers. Those
modern-style tires were replaced with
skinny, original-type U.S. Royal Safety
800 bias-plies from Coker; “They
not only look great, with the proper
size whitewall, but the car steers and
handles so much better, as it was
designed to!
“Our Valiant starts out swiftly until
about 35 to 40 mph, then loses some
of its initial pep. It will cruise comfort-
ably at 60—any more than that, and
it tends to wander,” Dick continues.
“The brakes stop the car, but not as
effi ciently as modern discs. With the
top down on the highway, I must use
sign language to speak to Connie!” She
laughs, concurring, “It’s enjoyable to
drive—especially with the top down,
as it is, most of the time. And I like
shifting the standard transmission.”Fewer than 48,500 miles register
on the 55-year-old odometer today, and
those numbers add up slowly, to the
tune of around 500 each driving season.
The Roths have proven their Valiant is
good for touring; its reliable Slant Six,
comfortable bucket seats, and large
trunk have made long drives with Iowa
AACA friends pleasant and uneventful.
Dick performs the routine mainte-
nance himself, doing annual oil changes
with 10W-30, and the couple keep their
Valiant looking good with PPC Perfect
Detail Spray Polish. This product was
one of many called in to clean the car
after recent parking mishap saw the car
get stuck in a wet, muddy fi eld; that ex-
perience was an anomaly, as they make
a point to avoid driving the convertible
in inclement weather, like the car’s pre-
vious caretaker did. They’ve discussed
ditching the tired white convertible top
for a new black one that matches the up-holstery, and while Connie admits she’d
like the car even better if it was back in
its original paint color, they’ve decided
to stick with the cheerful, sporty red.
When pressed for their favorite
aspects of owning this imported
Chrysler, they respond quickly. “It’s
the uniqueness,” Dick says. “I enjoy
explaining why it’s different, and point-
ing out the special trim. Supposedly
only 344 convertibles were made, and
who knows how many had the Hurst
four-speed option. There must have
been a low survival rate, especially up
in Canada, where winters are hard and
there’s so much possibility for cars to
rust out.” Connie concurs, adding, “We
happened just upon it, but it’s been neat
with our Canadian connection. I know
our kids really like it. Of all the cars
in our collection, that’s the one they’d
want, I think because it’s a convertible
and it’s red and it’s fun.”Hemmings.com I OCTOBER 2019 HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR 67