Unlike the B-bodied Dodge Chargers that were popular in the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s, the name was also used in Australia. Only it was applied to a B-bodied compact that also used the Valiant moniker, with Chrysler badging instead of Dodge. The car was built between 1971 and 1978 and 16 copies are said to have made it to the U.S. and survive today. With right-hand drive, this interesting automobile garners attention wherever it goes!
Built by Chrysler Australia, the Charger was only offered as a 2-door hardtop. The undercarriage was similar to the U.S. Valiant, but the bodies were wider to accommodate an extended track in both the front and rear. There were several trim options offered including the R/T like this one that came with a 265 cubic inch Hemi 6-cylinder (yes, a Hemi with six cylinders). Like the U.S. R/T Charger, it was set up to be a performance car and it did well in racing on its home turf.
The engine in this Charger should produce 203 hp with a 4-barrel carburetor. It also has a 4-speed manual transmission. We’re told the Chrysler was imported to the U.S. about 20 years ago as part of a magazine reporter’s quest to discover the American automobile landscape. Sometime after that, it met misfortune in the form of getting into an accident where it was t-boned but the damage was not fatal. It took more than two years and the importation of new sheet metal to right what once went wrong.
More recently, the vehicle has been making the car show scene. It’s fully legal to drive on U.S. roadways and you’re not likely to run across another one anytime soon. The next owner can find the Chrysler in Orange, California, and it’s available here on eBay where the current bid is $9,600 with an unmet reserve.
So many neat cars we, as Americans, never heard of, possibly on purpose? I was interested in the motor, which, BTW, isn’t a true hemi, although the combustion chambers are similar. This motor was intended to replace the Slant 6 and could be had with 3 Webers that put out over 300 hp. 318 and 340 V8s were offered, but didn’t have the hp the 6 did. It was coined the fastest inline 6 at the time. Hmm, no foolin’. It could do 0-60 in 6.1 sec and the 1/4 mile in the low 14s. We all recognize the dash, right out of the A100, but I believe a sportier one was offered. This has the looks of a composite of many cars, and certainly a contender we never knew about. I bet would have had great success here, steering on t’other side, that is. And shifting with the left hand? Preposterous. Left hands were for rolling down windows, waving, and holding the steering wheel while the right hand did the shifting, in my world.
I had one of these with the 265 4 speed, they only have a 2 barrel carb (Stromberg I think). Replaced it with a 350 Holley, went much better. Mine had a sports dash with a turned-alloy style fascia.
RHD in America makes it easier to pull up at a kerb and chat to the people walking by :-)
The V8 killer came factory fitted with triple Weber’s.
Imagine if the clutch & accelerator pedals were switched too. lol
A race between this specific car & a firebird or lemans with the 215 hp 4 bbl ohc 6 would be interesting.
The Aussie charger would blow it away.
It was enough of a Hemi to be called a Hemi.
Awesome looking car! If I lived in Australia or possibly New Zealand, I would love something like this. Given its condition, I’d pay close to US$8,000. Hey Charger!
In Aus, you’d pay close to 80k for this.
Always thought these were cool cars. Love the little spoiler on the back end. Color is great too! So rare to see in the US.
Makes me think about the Ford Falcon XB GT 351 I saw locally. Was a 4 speed too. It was all stock but all I could think was turning it into a Mad Max replica.
I would think this car would go for nearly triple the current bid of $10,200. Highly sought-after car.
As of right now, there are 2 days 22 hours until the auction ends, the real bidding hasn’t begun. The current bid is meaningless, it isn’t a reflection on where the bidding will end.
Steve R
Pictures are deceptive. Make no doubt about it…this is a long car. Comparing it to a Firebird (pony car) or a Lemans (similar to a Nova) is kinda silly unless you’re only referencing for drag racing. Firebird would spin a bit (have one), Lemans would hook up pretty good (Nova’s always did) and the Charger probably would be a snail coming out of the hole. Especially with a 6 cylinder. The overhead cam 6 Pontiac motors could be tweaked and actually perform pretty good/comparable to a v8 (so I’ve read). My money would have to be on the Lemans or Firebird. Simple drag racing equation: Less weight + more horsepower = more fun. The Charger is a tank to get rolling.
The triple Webber option did 14.2 out of the box in the early 70s with a stick. By the way it’s quite a short wheelbase……….
The V8 killer came factory fitted with triple Weber’s.
And was good for 14sec quarter mile.
Looks like another one in the shop with a lik tag – OZ Hemi…..good luck to the new owner.
The charger you want is the one with the factory triple Weber’s, V8 killer.
Ok I’m Aussie, and biased.
But the joke about Aussie Valiants (Aussie Chrysler is valiant), is when they came off the production line, they were checked for rust, if not enough they were sent back for more.
Many charger’s were scraped because of rust in the chassis, at the time, it was illegal to weld chassis, I lost a VJ safari 318 wagon, and a six pack charger to rust in the chassis.
Tonsley Park (Adelaide) where they were made had the holding yard next to sand hills. No wonder they got that reputation!
Lol, I spent over half my life in Adelaide (work), the Mitsubishi’s built almost next door didn’t suffer the rust problem. Nor the Holden’s built at Elizabeff (pun intended).
Russ, what are the tags on this?
E37? E38?
Crikey!
Yeh, he made it popular, but only to please you yanks.
AoA that’s good stuff. I didn’t realize a 65 year old dog like me could learn new tricks but this old dog learns something new from you guys every day.
Hi all. The following article has a good history on the E38 and E49 Chargers.
Cheers. Victor
https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/chrysler-vh-charger-r/t-e38-retro-throwback
HoA Sorry it’s late where I am.
Hemi? Yeah, sort of. The combustion chambers are domed, but the dome is very shallow, eliminating much of the benefit. The standard-width valve covers tell the story. This engine does not have the Hemi V8’s splayed valves, dual rocker arm shafts, or central spark plugs, and the shallow dome doesn’t offer opportunities for larger valves like the V8’s deeper dome does.
I’d caution against advising that it’s legal in the US. Instead, I’d suggest to check state and local laws, some of which are more restrictive than federal law.
All of the Aussie Valiants were based on the A-body, not the B-body as the article incorrectly states.
This car does not appear to be an RT – probably a base model charger judging by the seat trim. RT’s also had full instrumentation with round gauges including oil pressure, water temp, Amps, Tachometer etc and separate rectangular driving lights. Still a great Charger all round – and getting very hard to find in any configuration