If you enjoy answering the same questions over and over again at the local Show ‘n’ Shine, this may be the vehicle for you! In the seller’s own words, this “truly unique muscle car” might literally put you in a class by yourself at many American car shows. Thanks to Paul C. for spotting this Australian 1972 Chrysler Valiant Charger R/T located in Indiana, Pennsylvania and offered at auction here on eBay. With a Buy-It-Now price of $44,500 (or Make Offer), it’s only one click away. Normally we avoid restored cars, but this one is too interesting to pass up!
For decades, rectangular headlights were illegal in America (until model year 1975), but they look great on this Valiant (details courtesy of wikipedia). The “HEMI,” “265,” and “R/T” callouts are factory correct. The last car I saw wearing this much verbiage sat in a high school parking lot.
The bank of functional-looking round gauges, simple three-speed floor shifter, and bolstered bucket seats reinforce the racing aspirations of this Charger, and indeed these cars were known for great road manners right out of the box (thanks to valiant.org for some details.)
Behold the 265 cid Hemi Six-Pack! That’s right; you’re looking at one of the hottest engines available in Australia for model year 1972. With 248 HP on tap, this Charger could rip off a quarter-mile in 15.7 seconds in ’72, faster than many V8s. This one has been rebuilt and dyno-tested at 255 HP and 270 lb-ft of torque.
This Charger model appears to most closely resemble the American 1969 (Plymouth Valiant-based) Barracuda, and especially seems to include design cues from this modified 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S. Though the listing doesn’t specifically mention it, the paint certainly resembles American Chrysler’s FM3 Panther Pink. Who’s ready to trade $44,500 for this unique pink muscle car?
Oh my……Im in love. Coolest thing I have ever seen here.
if you like that, you should check out the last of them,
model code CL, or CM. most amazing looking coupe’ to come out of australia
Not really a Hemi, not even a cross-flow but then neither are the new Chizzlers true Hemis either! Had a ’64 Aussie Valiant “Ute” (think of your grandmother’s Valiant bodied as an El Camino or Ranchero). It had a simple 225 “slant six” but with a Bosch distributor just like my Mercedes! RHD of course!
If it is not a hemi, it is probably as close as you can get. Chrysler bought out Stirling Moss to do the advertisements. He stood on a beach and drew the hemi design expounding its advantages while a helicopter flew upwards showing his huge stick in the sand drawing.’ I think you will find the 225 and the 265 are not of the same series engines.
Not really that close at all to a 426 HEMI or any number of other makes that had hemispherical combustion chambers. While the combustion chamber (in the head) was a half sphere the valves were inclined no more than a few degrees and they were all in line (longitudinally) with the head. It would have been much more efficient with the valves more inclined, at 90 degrees to their current orientation, and a cross-flow head.
How this car was advertised when new. Chrysler was quite proud of it.
The 265 was introduced in 1971 in the VH. It used a new cylinder block with a bigger bore diameter of 3.91 in (99.3 mm)—the same as many of the Chrysler small-block V8s—and a new cylinder head, having slightly more hemispherical shaped combustion chambers with larger valves. Even more of a hemi than a 426? Lol
The standard version of the 265 produced 203 hp (151 kW) @ 4600 rpm and 262 lb⋅ft (355 N⋅m) of torque @ 2800 rpm.
The top of the line performance engine in the E49 Chargers produced 302 hp (225 kW) @ 5600 rpm and 320 lb⋅ft (434 N⋅m) of torque @ 4400 rpm. The increased power is due mainly to a more aggressive camshaft, high-load valve springs, triple 45 mm DCOE Weber sidedraught carburetors, tuned-length exhaust headers and a higher compression ratio of 10.0:1.
chrysler australia built the new upright engine to fire life into the facelifted vf sedan, there is several engine sizes reported to have been built,
from 215 thru to 265 c.i.d most common was 245 c.i.d,
the old slanter was last used and its swansong was a well tuned 225 with a single 4 barrel carb, and was sold as a valiant pacer, 3 speed floor change and drums all round,
balls of steel were needed to race these things, and they did win,
even against the socalled other big boys
They still make good track cars in historic racing, here’s one in ’02
don’t know what rock you live under, but that hemi 6 cylinder engine, has blown the doors off of some supposedly better ford and gm v8’s. find info on the great race,
bathurst, mount panaroma, in new south wales australia,
this race back inthe 60’s and 70’s would make you yankies crap your y fronts
No one’s disparaging the performance but merely and rightly pointing out that it ain’t no Hemi man. As bad a misuse of words as bad as our current presidential administration!
Brakeservo, I fail to see what your POLITICAL reference has to do with ANYTHING related to this article, vehicle, or comments?!?! We all have opinions of various nature, on various topics, but when mis applied they make the commenter appear to be pushing an agenda! This forum, last time I read, is NOT here for people to push their personal agendas on anything not related to the wonderfully enjoyable Automotive Hobby!! So how about a deal, you keep your political agenda to yourself and I will do the same?!?!
I have read your comments numerous times and I have high regard for your technical knowledge base!! You are indeed a very technically savvy person!! I look forward to your continued Automotive based educations!
As for this magnificent piece of machinery, minus the slight adjustment to r/h drive, I would so love having it my garage!
@BMW4RunninTundra – Thank you.
Chysler invented electronic ignition in 1972. Mercedes didn’t have it until 1975. Who had better engineering? Chrysler also invented the alternator among many other items that were firsts in the auto industry.
@Chris – My brother and I got the Hemicuda convertible in 1972, and that was one of the first things I did, changed the dual point for the electronic distributor (and power pack).
One day, it just wouldn’t start. My friend and I spent the entire week looking for any possible reason why not. (One time we had a similar problem with the GS 455 Stage 1. It took days, but finally, my brother figured out the problem; it was something called a ‘fusible link’. Nearly impossible to detect, is was a wire going to the starter.)
I had looked at the back of the TI module several times, and it looked just fine. It turned out that a little bubble in the plastic / rubber matrix wasn’t just a small manufacturing flaw, but indicated that a circuit had burned.
I went down to Mopar, got another module on warranty, and hooked it up. The car started immediately (almost impatiently, as though to say ‘What took you two so long?’).
My first experience with the brand-new technology.
These engines are completely unrelated to the earlier slant six. They are based on a Dodge truck engine design, given up on in the US because, at the time, the market preferred larger capacity V8s. This engine, from Dodge, the ‘D’ engine was to have been the replacement for the old slant six in America, but Australia got it, and finished the development. They are ‘Hemis’ in just the same way as the Hemi V8s were. More here …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Hemi-6_Engine
If Ford hadn’t carried on developing it’s, (also US based), straight six, the Chrysler hemi six would have remained Australia’s most powerful six, a V8 slayer on the racetracks. But Ford did, culminating in the 24V, VVTI. alloy-headed turbo ‘Barra’ which has been often tuned to V8 beating 1000-1500bhp outputs.
For it’s time the Hemi six was very powerful, indeed the top versions were the most powerful six cylinder production engines in the world, outperforming anything from Europe, Britain, Japan and the USA.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/50/5f/bc/505fbcb29f5974c70adadb9338d81891.jpg
Still competitive in Group N, this one has 400hp with the triple webers. more here https://autoaction.com.au/2017/03/07/fully-charged
AutoAction has some great articles, which I found myself binge-reading!
Thanks for posting that link, @Concinnity. Great stuff!
Looks like 3 Weber’s?
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you Dave. Those are 3 x Weber’s, and they were a factory fitted option. Not bad, eh?
Straight up correct! Barn Finds had California Challenger survivor a few months ago with the slant six. This set up was the first thing I thought of.
If real – cheaper than here
The colour is called ‘Magenta’.
The number ‘4’ on the front quarters denotes a 4-speed transmission, which the later chargers were. So this if it is a 3spd something is out of place.
Agree with Luke, in Oz these are 100k cars.
I’ve always been extremely proud of our Australian car industry. For a small country with low sales volumes when compared to the US, we certainly produced some fantastic cars. This is just one example, and it appears that apart from the after-market stereo, it is exactly as it could be ordered from Chrysler Australia (right down to that bank of Weber carbs). Sadly as of October this year, my beloved country no longer has a local car industry. All vehicles sold in Australia will be imports.
For those outside Australia who aren’t familiar with our local industry and would like to see what we were able to produce, jump onto good old Google and enter any of the following: Holden Torana L34, Holden Torana A9X, Ford Falcon GTHO Phase 3 (also try Phase 1 and Phase 2), Ford Falcon Cobra, Valiant Charger E38, Valiant Charger E49, Holden Commodore VK Group A SS, Holden Commodore VL Group A SS, Holden HSV W427, and finally, Holden Monaro. This list is by no means complete, but it’s a pretty good starting point. I guarantee there will be something there that will make nearly all of you salivate. I’ll be interested to see what people have to say!
I’ve always loved exploring junkyards in Australia – so many fascinating cars, many so nearly “American” yet still quite different from what we’re used to! And I ‘ve brought back quite a few, from Austin Mini’s to Armstrong-Siddeley’s. Always fun to drive a RHD car here!
You mates always had the best cars. It’s a crying shame the U.S. companies shut down production of the Cars from Oz.
I know. It’s so frustrating. The American parent companies wouldn’t recognise either the changing market here in Australia, or the export potential of Australian products into the US. A perfect example is the Pontiac GTO that the US received between 2004 and 2006. That was an Australian developed Holden Monaro. You guys took over 40,000 of them, and you probably would’ve taken more given half a chance. The 2008-2009 Pontiac G8 and the 2014-2017 Chevrolet SS were our domestic Commodore.
Ford Australia also produced some barn-stormers that I believe would’ve been a hit in the US. But alas, it wasn’t to be.
Check please !
Cute car but weak engine
They’re not as weak as you might think Classix. The Charger was actually quite a light car. The engine as you see it in this car was available in two specs: The E38 and the E49. The E38 was fitted with the three-speed transmission. Standard from the factory it would cover the standing quarter mile in 14.8 seconds (0.1 seconds slower than a Porsche 911S) and would do 0-100mph in 16.5 seconds, which was faster than the Porsche.
The E49 was the gun bit of gear. Standing quarter in 14.4 and 0-100 in 14.1 (a full 3 seconds faster than the Porsche!). And remember, this was absolutely factory stock standard. They responded well to a bit of tuning. When new the E49 Charger was the fastest accelerating six-cylinder car (both 1/4 mile and 0-100mph) on the planet. And that’s a fact.
Why does everything have to be an earth shaking monster? Not every car is a Hellcat with over 700hp, and I hazard to guess that the vast majority of people on here cant drive a 700hp car, let alone a 400hp car. This is a mad cool car that makes good power from the coolest power plant featured on this site in the last six months. A Dodge 6 with triple Weber sidedrafts………Where do I sign up?????????
Don’t blame you Steve. These are a seriously cool car, and are very collectable here in Australia. In truth, you could probably buy it in the US, export in back to Australia, sell it and turn a profit. I can remember seeing my first one of these when I was seven years old. I am a Ford man from a very one-eyed Ford family, but for me it was love at first sight!
You would be amazed at what that engine could do.
I had a 265 Hemi Pacer , 3 on the floor manual 4 barrel Carbie
that more than matched it with the Ford 351 .
Not to forget the tabbite rattle due to worn seals .
Nice car but I’m not sure shes a factory deal. There are some things im seeing that would cause me to look further. E37/E38’shad the 3speed trans so no number 4 on the front guard’fender’doesnt have the og aircleaners. No mention of the engine number i believe it should start with d363… 3=265,6=hi performance 6pack. There should also be a round hole on the lhs of the radiator suport to blow air towards the webbers, this feature was only on six pack cars. Would like to see pics of the boot floor very specific factory hack for the spare. BTW my big tank e38 would show an indicated 140 plus Mph regularly….. Good times
Pink is not a color I like. I’ve seen them in person painted red with the black decals at our local car show…much better. These were even produced with factory mud flaps to keep road gravel from sand blasting the body sides. The mud flaps are a different design than the flat card types screwed to fenders here in North America. Check them out…Very intriguing little beast.
Shifting left handed would take some getting used to. It almost looks like a miniature 68/69 Torino. Neat car.
@75 Hurst/Olds – When I was in London, I rented a car with a manual transmission. I was used to the shifter and driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road just about the moment I left Heathrow’s parking area. Believe me, it looks weirder than it is.
I turned the car in the next day, not because of the shifter location, or the side of the road on which to operate, but because traffic in London is INSANE, and there is absolutely NO PLACE TO PARK. You’d think that a 5-star hotel would have a fine underground garage… but NOOOO. There is literally NO provision for guest’s cars. You are on your own. REALLY.
…And traffic… man! Everyone drives way too fast, on roads that are sometimes designed for one ox-drawn cart. In the U.S., if someone passes you too closely, you might think you were ‘cut off’. In England, if there is one car-length between you and the car in front, a third car will sandwich itself in between, all in the center of town, in an 8-lane roundabout, with everyone doing 60 M.P.H.!
We took a lot of cabs, during our European tour.
I gave you a thumbs up.
The family made a UK trip about a decade ago, with London as the springboard for day trips. The jaunt which required a car was out to Stonehenge. The rental was a Ford Escort diesel, 5-speed.
One thing which I had never considered was that the shift pattern was identical to the LHD cars. That mean first gear was far away, and the lever got closer with higher numbers. To me, that was dyslexic. My left hand wanted to start near and move further from my hip as the gears count rose, just like the right hand does for my LHD rides.
Since I only rented it for a single day, there was no time to really get used to it, so I had to think about nearly every shift.
Aw, c’mon – if you can scratch your nose with your left hand you can shift with your left hand. Simple as that!
Looks to me like the juvenile offspring of an illicit relationship between a 1968 Dodge Charger, and a 1965 Rambler Marlin.
250 or so horses out of a 6, isn’t bad for a car of this type (and time period), and 15’s was not really muscle territory, but respectable.
Since the 6 was likely all torque, the 3-speed would be fine for the street (still prefer the flexibility of a 4 or better yet, 5-speed).
If I laid out $44,500 and all I got back were the keys to this car, it would hurt my feelings.
To hurt your feelings would be to get a Chevy in return.
@Chris – Hasn’t your mother got your room cleaned, yet? And since when did they let you back on the internet?
I saw this car a few years back at the mopar nationals in Columbus Ohio. There was an orange one and a green one there. All almost identical and all were pretty quick for a six popper. This car isn’t far from my house. Few hundred miles. I don’t have 44gs for it. If I did I know where there is a killer killer killer 57 chevy rag top with factory dual quads for 42gs. Its 30 miles away.
@Ram Rod – Wish I could give you more than 1 thumbs up. A little perspective. That’s what’s needed.
If you wish to see it is on youngstown cl. I can’t afford it. .wish I could.
@Ram Rod – Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have the 5-7? It is about 1000 times the car. Put another way: I could get you a Sweet 1970 Cutlass convertible AND a Corvette Z06 in great condition for $44,000! Perspective, that’s the ticket.
Oh I’m a mopar man but I’m not stupid. I would much more want the 57. I have a 74 cuda I’m working on. I’m building a new car or truck right now. A 95 dak 4×4. Puting a 5.9 mag tuned to a modest 350hp. Got to get some sort of gas mileage out of that beast. Besides my dad has a killer killer killer 57rag top chevy appraised at 90grand. Single 4 barrel. He also has a 57 t bird. 292 auto appraised at 80gs. Got a 57 and a 58 retractable hrdtp. He has about 75 cars. Mostly convertibles and alot of early fords. At one time he had over 500 cars. I’ve been on him for years to sell sell sell. They wanted to know what I and my sister wanted when they passed. Don’t want to think about that. My sister doesn’t want any of the cars. I don’t have the cash to build the buildings they would need. I can’t even build the building’s to house all the flat heads,Y blocks, and early v8 chevys he has. Not to mention nos early Ford and mid to late chevy parts, or the early hemi engines. I know sucks to be in my position. Going to be one hell of a sale one day. Sort list is 66 mustang hipo 4sp convertible, 65 mustang fastback, 60 impala conv, 31 model A, 48 ford 2 door sedan, 40 Ford two door sedan, 39 Ford business coupe, 36 Cadillac 12 series, 64 impala ss convertible, 56 chevy 2 door hdtp, and a 47 Chrysler town and country convertible. Thats whats restored along with the before mentioned. A ton that needs restored. Wish I could keep them all.
Australian Chargers were produced until 1978. Luxury 770 came with 360V8 last ones had 318.
Not a slant 6. From Wikipedia, very respectable numbers.
The top of the line performance engine in the E49 Chargers produced 302 hp (225 kW) @ 5600 rpm and 320 lb⋅ft (434 N⋅m) of torque @ 4400 rpm. The increased power is due mainly to a more aggressive camshaft, high-load valve springs, triple 45 mm DCOE Weber sidedraught carburetors, tuned-length exhaust headers and a higher compression ratio of 10.0:1.
Reminds me of a ’72 AMC Matador
I thought Marlin
If they came in Panther Pink that is
They did. Also hemi orange and sassy grass green or limelight or magenta. The first two and the one in the picture i saw. That car is 95% original if I remember right. Its built mildly if my memory is correct. Mild cam and over bore. I won’t swear to it but I think so if my old mind remembers correctly. The wife and I almost bought a magenta neon new in 97. Decided on a green one because magenta made it look like a jelly bean. Reagan would of loved it.
Sweet looking Aussie Chrysler Valiant Charger. It’s a shame that it was never offered here in the USA. Ford offered its Capri for Mercury,
I’d buy an Aussie built and designed car if it were available in Seattle area.
I here ya nothing wrong with those Aussie cars.
Sadly, it seems that there are no more Australian cars being built in Australia.
A very cool car. My next build is gonna be a falcon xb. The mad max interceptor,as I like some movie car replica,s. However this Mopar would be a nice addition to my 58 Plymouth Christine and my phantasm 71 cuda. I would love a monaro too but can only afford one of these beautiful Aussie cars. Anyone have a picture to share with us fans?
What do you want. Maybe I’m missing something but will help if I can.
My favourite cars are the Holden HQ Premier, the Ford XB Falcon (Fairmont), and the Chrysler VH Valiant.
these aussie 265’s with triple weber’s absolutely fly and they have a howl that makes testosterone ooze out of every pore….
Truly one of the great performance straight sixes and a v8 eater cos they just breathe deeper the more jandal you give them
One of the most sort after muscle cars in Australia my Dad had a 1978 Charger with a standard 265 and 3spd B+W auto still give most of the competition a run for their money and when I was an apprentice The dealership I worked in sold one of the last 318 4spd Chargers twin plate clutch standard really gave your left leg work out
I’ve always wondered, why were rectangular headlights illegal in America? Being for me the most famous case the Mercedes w116 and 107 headlights…
I’ve never understood why myself. I like the circular headlamps myself, but depending on the front of the car, I also like the one piece headlamp lens.
First we mandated 7″ sealed-beams as a safety standard, because they were impervious to ingress of water and dirt that could degrade light output or tarnish the reflective lining, and economy of scale made them fairly cheap to replace the entire unit if any part got damaged or degraded, and easy to obtain even in the most rural areas as all cars used the same lamp units. From there, the subsequent slow adoption of 5-3/4″ quad-round, then rectangular, then modern flush-mount composite styles was mostly a matter of overcoming legislative and bureaucratic inertia to get the law changed to allow for them.
Didn’t Mel Gibson drive a modified one of these in Mad Max?
No, I don’t believe he did. He drove a modified Ford XB Falcon. I’ve seen that movie countless times over the years, so I know what the major player cars were in the movie. :)
That price is way cheaper than what you’d have to pay for one in Australia. Easily AU$ 60-75K for one in that condition and even more for the rarer optioned ones (eg. with factory twin exhaust.) Have seen them selling for over AU$ 100K