Image: autoclasico.com

If you’re Canadian, you are probably familiar that the Big Three built cars that were different than their American counterparts: Dodge Regents with Plymouth rear ends, Pontiac Laurentians with Chevy engines, and (Ford) Meteor Montalms with unique grilles are but a few examples. But did you know that the other side of the American border also had their own variations of familiar American muscle?

Three places where Chrysler gave them their own unique A-bodies: Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.

First on this international Mopar tour is Mexico. As you can see from this ad (right), Chrysler de Mexico introduced the Valiant Super Bee in 1970. It’s interesting to note that the American Super Bee was based on the B-body Dodge Coronet, but in Mexico it was Plymouth’s compact Duster coupe.

The ad states it’s putting out 270 horsepower, which is quite impressive for a 318 V8 considering America’s 318 puttered along with 230.

For 1972, the front end was like our Dodge Demon’s, progressing into the Dart Sport’s for 1973. By 1976, it went back to the Duster’s front end, but for 1977-80 the Super Bee was all-new and based on our Plymouth Volare/Dodge Aspen.

Image: puntataco.wordpress.com

Going to another Spanish-speaking country (actually, they call it Castellano), Chrysler de Argentina‘s roster couldn’t have been more different. Instead of a hodgepodge of American-based A-body parts like what was done for Mexico, Argentina had a completely unique vehicle. Starting in 1969, a new A-body sedan and coupe appeared with European-style headlights and styling that seemed to be influenced more by American B-bodies than A-bodies. The sporty upmarket coupe was called the Dodge GTX, which was only available with a 318 V8. It shared the same GTX badges as stateside Plymouths but its flanks were clean with no stripes.

Image: Moparts.com

In 1974, the GTX was joined by the Polara R/T. It looked much sportier than the GTX due to its black R/T stripes (similar to that of the 1971 Challenger R/T) but it could only be had with the Slant Six. Chrysler de Argentina stopped making these Dodges in 1979 when it sold its assets to Volkswagen.

Last in our visit is the Brazil, the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas. Their Mopar muscle was more distinctive than Mexico’s but not completely redesigned like Argentina’s. Chrysler do Brasil’s Dart sedan was like what we had in 1968-69, but a coupe that was introduced for 1971 had its own unique flavor.

Not only was it the sportiest one called the Charger, but it had its own styling that was different from any A-body in the world. The Charger’s most noticeable feature were the flying buttress C-pillars. When ordered in R/T trim, “hockey stick” stripes (similar to that of the 1970 Dodge Super Bee) adorned the rear fenders, while a 318 V-8 sat behind a horizontal grille hiding the headlamps and parking lights.

For 1973, Chrysler do Brasil redesigned the nose to something truly unique in all the world, and a new louvered hood was scored from our 1968 Dart GTS. Aside of the shuffling of stripes from year to year, this style was continued through 1978, although any sporting pretensions from the past seemed to have been lost by an emphasis in comfort (think “Disco-era”). The 1979 Charger facelift continued that trend, upon which the Charger name was retired.

Certainly none of the cars could be considered muscle cars to my American paradigm, although the Mexican Super Bee did come closest. There’s plenty of interest in the Australian Chargers, but American enthusiasts have yet to learn about these neat Mopars south of the border.