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My 1965 Valiant "GT" 4 door Fastback


Rather than advertise, he decided to build an attention getting car, which would show off his skills.

In America the Plymouth Barracuda had just been released. They were a two door version of the Plymouth Barracuda, with a huge and distinctive back window which wrapped over the rear half of the car.

Tony figured that importing a Barracuda and converting it to right hand drive was too costly for his budget. But good old Aussie inventiveness won the day. Tony decided to build a 4 door Barracuda, using a local Valiant as a base.

A 1964 Valiant, with rear end damage , was bought from a wrecker for only $900. "I employed a friend of mine, Graham Hurst, to do the body work. The mangled rear panels behind the rear doors were removed and the sub frame was straightened. Graham hand crafted new rear mudguards from 20 gauge steel", Tony told us.

"The boot lid and fastback roof panels were also hand fabricated then welded in place and the seams lead wiped for a flush finish". "We then finished it all off with ten coats of Tartan Red paint, the same colour used on the MGB."

The tinted rear window was the most complex part of the process. It was made from perspex. To get the right shape, Tony had moulds made in fibreglass .These were used to shape the perspex. This was done by G&S Motor Bodies in Carlton NSW at a cost of $120.

The interior was the show piece for Tony's business. The front boasted fully adjustable bucket seats from a Porsche. The rear seat cushion was redesigned so that it would fold flush to the floor, like a station wagon. All the door trims and seats were covered in black doe hide.

The headlining and sun visors were black perforated vinyl .Black plush carpet was used throughout. Tony says the Valiant GT Fastback was often mistaken for a Plymouth Barracuda. The car was an absolute stunner and featured in local car magazines, including Australian Hot Rodding. 

So, just where is this car now? Well, Tony does not know. He sold it and it has passed into the mists of time. Maybe it is still out there, somewhere? Mind you, Tony does know where another car he built went. In 1970 he was one of the first to insert a V8 in the then new Ford Capri. A guy named Jack Brabham bought that one.