Chrysler Valiant 1970 News

Bands bicker over what holds tracks together: guitars or drums. We find out which rules a different kind of track. The coffee-heads over at Ice Break thought a drag race was the only way to settle the deep-rooted guitars vs drums battle for supremacy.Facebook fans were along for the ride and helped customise two classic Australian muscle cars to represent the two camps – and which will be the prizes in a coming competition. The guitarists were championed by a 1973 VJ E44 Valiant Charger 318 V8, modified to take two in-built Marshall amps in place of the back seats, a custom guitar holder in the trunk, a wah-wah pedal accelerator and a colour-shifting Harlequin paint finish.Drummers were represented by a 1970 XY Ford GT Replica 351 V8, with a snare drum air intake built into the bonnet, a Zildjian cymbal steering wheel, a fully adjustable drum hardware roll cage, and a bass drum beater gear shift.Sydney’s Eastern Creek Dragway was the battleground, with the winner supposedly settling once and for all who holds the track. Aussie muscle car fans have the chance to win the two cars – plus two more that will fight a future battle. Log on to Facebook/com/icebreak for more details. 

Even at a time when fuel economy is top-of-mind with a growing number of Australian drivers there is plenty of space on the roads for Commodores and Falcons with old-fashioned V8 muscle under the bonnet. They burble menacingly at idle. They are the backbone of V8 Supercar racing.Yet V8s in the 21st century are not what they were in the days when they first conquered Mount Panorama and a GTHO Falcon or a Monaro - or even a Valiant V8 - was a dream machine for a generation of Aussie youngsters.Since 1970 the crude oil price has exploded from $20 a barrel to double that amount during the Iran revolution, over $70 during the first Gulf War, broke through the $100 barrier ahead of the Global Financial Crisis and has now settled at just below $100.In Australia, petrol prices have correspondingly risen from about 8c a litre in 1970 to about 50c in 1984 and almost $1.50 today.Despite all this, and despite one attempt at a death sentence by Ford in the 1980s, the V8 has not been wiped from Australian showrooms. Holden and Ford have continued to produce large cars with a V8 alternative and continue to slog it out at Bathurst.But Australian cars, even the ones that now have American V8s imported for local use, are not the only bent-eight blasters on the road.Germans are prolific builders of V8s and produce some of the most powerful engines in the world thanks to AMG-Mercedes, BMW and Audi. English V8s are built by Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar, while the Americans provide V8s in the Chrysler 300C sold here. Even the Japanese luxury brand Lexus has a V8 in its IS F hero and its luxury saloon LS460, as well as the LandCruiser-cloned LX470.Most V8s are powerful enough breathing ordinary air, but there are many forced-induction models with either turbo or supercharging to liberate even more power. Walkinshaw Performance does the job in Australia for Holden, BMW is going down the turbo V8 road for its latest M cars and Benz had a time with a supercharged AMG V8.But V8s are not just about unrestricted power. The push for greater fuel economy has also reached V8 land and so Chrysler and Holden have V8s with multiple displacement technology which shuts down half the cylinders when the car is just cruising to improve fuel economy. Formula One racing engines now do the same thing when they are idling on a grand prix starting grid.Holden's Active Fuel Management (AFM) was introduced on the V8 Commodore and Caprice in 2008 and the red lion brand is committed to the engine - with future technology updates - despite near-record fuel prices."It is incumbent on us to keep it relevant and continue introducing new technology that delivers on our customers' needs," says Holden's Shayna Welsh.Holden has the biggest stake in V8s with more models than any other company selling in Australia. It has a total of 12 models with V8 engines across four nameplates and four body styles, including Commodore SS, SS V, Calais V, Caprice V and the recently introduced Redline range. V8s account for about one quarter of Commodore sedan sales and almost half of Ute sales."We see it as being more than just the V8 engine - it's about the entire car. It's the whole performance package that appeals to people and we want to continue making cars that people are proud to own," Welsh says."The combination of features and technology, great handling and braking and outstanding value is consistent across our V8 model range."Ford fans are also committed to V8s, according to company spokesperson Sinead McAlary, who says a recent Facebook survey was overwhelmingly positive."We asked whether they worry about petrol prices and they say 'No, it's the sound of the V8 we love and we are prepared to pay the price'," she says.Both Ford and Holden also have performance divisions where the V8 was, and still is, king. Ford's is Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) and Holden's is Holden Special Vehicles (HSV).HSV marketing manager Tim Jackson says their sales are "on par" with last year."That's despite the fact that last year we had the limited edition GX-P which is an entry level product for us," he says. "We don't have that model in our range at all this year and you would expect numbers to come off, but we've been able to maintain sales volume."All of HSV's range are powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine (6200cc 317kW-325kW), while the opposition at FPV has gained the kilowatt advantage with forced induction (supercharged 5000cc 315kW-335kW).Jackson says their LS3 V8 has been "validated" by customers."We're not getting guys screaming at us to go turbocharging. The LS3 is an extraordinary unit. It's a light engine with a good power-to-weight figure. There is not a turbo engine that would do it for us at the right development cost. But I wouldn't rule it (turbo) out or rule it in."Jackson says there have been no repercussions from the rise in petrol prices."Our customers don't have other choices in their repertoire," he says. "A small car doesn't suit them and they're not into an SUV. They're of a certain level where the whole cost of running the car is easy for them to absorb."The top-selling HSV is the ClubSport R8, followed by the Maloo R8, then GTS.However, the greatest HSV in history is debatable, Jackson says.HSV engineering boss Joel Stoddart prefers the all-wheel-drive Coupe4 and sales boss Darren Bowler the SV5000."The Coupe4 is special because of its engineering but I like the W427 because it's the fastest," Jackson says.FPV boss Rod Barrett says they are also experiencing strong sales growth. He says they sold about 500 cars in the first quarter, which is up 32 per cent on the previous year. He also says sales of the F6 have slowed since the launch of the supercharged V8 engine variants late last year, as customers "opt for power". Ford no longer offers a V8 with the demise of the XR8 sedan and ute last year."Our middle name is performance so we have all the V8s," Barrett says. "When we were launching this new supercharged car all the V8s came across here."Barrett says their supercharged engine has changed people's minds about "dinosaur V8s"."The turbocharged F6 was a cult hero car in its day and people thought a V8 was a low-tech dinosaur," he says. "But when we produced a high-tech all-alloy five-litre supercharged V8 built in Australia people started to think that V8s aren't all that bad after all. I'm not seeing the demise of the V8 just yet, but for us, the future is hi-tech."The supercharged 5.0Litre V8 335kW FPV GT continues to be FPV's top-selling vehicle followed closely by the supercharged V8 5.0 litre 315kW GS sedan and GS ute.Barrett believes the current GT is the best FPV car yet with its segment-leading power, light weight and improved fuel economy."However, I think our most iconic car was the 2007 BF Mk II 302kW Cobra in white with blue stripes. That car brought back the passion of '78 with the original Cobra. If you have a look at the second-hand prices, they are still holding up very well" he says.

The Lonsdale engine plant might be unrecognisable and Tonsley Park has little signage left, but there's plenty of examples of Chrysler's production history still running hard. The Chrysler Charger legend was born in 1971 and for years was the fastest-accelerating Australian-built car. Tony and Karen Lennell have strong connections to the breed, with family working for the company at the time of the Charger's production. But it wasn't always Chryslers that sat in the Lennell garage - Holdens and later HSVs were under the the roof as well. "I was a Holden man but had family ties to Chrysler here - Karen's dad was an engineer there, they've grown on me over the years so we decided to buy one," he says. The couple - under the pretence of a weekend away in Sydney - found what they were looking for just over a year ago at Australian Musclecar Sales in Sydney. The couple's car is a pretty rare beast - a 1971 three-speed manual VH E37 Charger R/T, powered by the famous 265-cubic inch (about 4.3-litre) in-line "Hemi" six-cylinder engine. When it left the factory in 1971 priced at $3935 new, there was 248 horsepower on offer - 185kW and 415Nm - thanks to triple Weber carburettors. It's one of only 135 R/Ts built and one of just 18 painted in the hot mustard colour - while Mr Lennell was coy about how much he paid for the car, pristine examples have sold for as much as $100,000. "We flew to Sydney for a weekend away, and I happened to just say that we were going to stop off and look at a car - four hours later we owned the car," he says. The E37 has been returned to factory-spec after the long and expensive task of sourcing parts and getting the car to the right automotive people for the serious work. Friday nights have become known as shed night with work continuing into early hours of Saturday morning. "We got to work on researching the original parts and equipment, it needed a three-speed gearbox, Mark at Brighton Service Centre put that in for me - he sourced the gearbox for me." Mr Lennell said the floor, interior trim and the cabin have been returned to how the car was as it left the line at Tonsley Park 40 years ago. "The engine and diff have been given the once-over as well, the 3.23:1 LSD is back in there, it's got new original-spec extractors and the triple carburettors have been put back to rights by West Torrens Dyno Centre," he says. Although registered on historic plates, the E37 isn't a molly-coddled museum piece - the Lennells drove it to Renmark for an award-winning appearance at a recent club event and more recently braved locusts and native fauna to enter the car in the Chrysler on The Murray event at Albury-Wodonga. "We were just at Chrysler On The Murray, where we won the best VH Charger .... we were one of more than 150 Chargers up there for the 40th anniversary," he says. The couple received plenty of "Hey Charger" salutes on the trip to Albury-Wodonga. "Every time we stopped for fuel it took about half an hour to leave as people wanted to have a look at the car, it hardly used any oil and cruised at 100km/h all the way. "We were driving down the Hume with Leo Geoghegan's car next to us, E49s, E38s - they got a group shot of 150 of these cars together, it was fantastic." The job is not done yet as the couple have plans to pull the engine out for another re-build - as well as a taking it back to its original colour - re-painting the engine bay and re-building the front suspension in preparation for next year. "It was a fun drive and we're going to do it again next year - we're going to take it up to Bathurst next year and take it up The Mountain," he says. About the Chrysler Valiant Charger The Chrysler Valiant Charger is an icon of Australian motor vehicle manufacturing and the VH started it all. The company started manufacturing in 1971 and built 17,918 VH Chargers - at one stage accounting for half of the total Valiant production by Chrysler. Overall, around 1300 were R/T models, and of these, but R/T E37 Performance models numbered only 135. The R/T had a 3.23:1 differential (rather than the 2.92 standard in other Chargers), as well as a tachometer, oil pressure gauge, six-inch rims, a front anti-roll bar and a three-speed manual gearbox. At the time the company claimed a stock E37 could complete a quarter-mile sprint in 15.7 seconds, but that number fell if the optional "six-pack" package was added, which put three two-barrel Weber carburettors on the straight-six engine and upped the power to 248hp (a 30hp increase) and 306 foot pounds. The base-model car was priced from $2795 but the R/T was priced $3395 - now these cars can fetch anywhere between $60,000 and $110,000. The R/T high performance pack came about from a desire to go motor racing, adding black stripes, a black radiator grille, driving lights, model-specific steel wheels, a sports instrumentation pack and a two-spoke aluminium steering wheel.

And he's certainly caught more than his share.  The Valiant Pacer was the performance version of the Valiant, in the days when the Australian car industry had the Big Three GM with its Holdens and Monaro, Ford with its Falcons and GT and Chrysler with its Valiants.Mr Moularas is pictured with just one of his collection, a 1970 VG Valiant Pacer, an ex-race car.  Chrysler and Valiant fans this year are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the VG model that not only introduced the famous Hemi six-cylinder engine but also stamped the Pacer as a performance and race car.  The Pacer was the first Valiant to be competitive in the Bathurst long distance race and it spawned the Valiant Charger."I've had this Pacer for three years," Mr Moularas says. "It's a late 1970 model and at the moment it's got a higher-spec 265 (cubic inch) engine in it and a four-speed gearbox. They came out with three-speed boxes and many of them have been replaced with four-speeds over the years."It's race history is a bit sketchy; I'm still researching that. But there are indications that Leo Geoghegan drove it, if you look at the shadow lines of the stickers. "I've kept it as original as possible and you can see where it's had a rollcage."Mr Moularas, a member of the Chrysler Car Club, arguably has the biggest collection of top-condition Pacers in Australia.  "It becomes a disease," he says. He says VG Pacers are "fantastic" to drive. They're thirsty on fuel but a good highway car and people are always stopping to talk about them."VG models had rectangular headlights distinguishing them from the previous VF model. But the major change of the VG was the engine: it introduced the Hemi 6, a 245 cubic inch (four-litre) inline six-cylinder engine to replace the earlier Slant Six. The "hemispherical" combustion chambers were claimed to be more efficient and so give better power.Stirling Moss became the brand's ambassador in 1970. Legend in Adelaide has it that when he was flown to do a TV commercial, he bogged a Valiant on a south coast beach, only for a film crew member to slip into the seat and drive it out.  A previous-model Pacer had come 17th at Bathurst in 1969 with former News Ltd motoring writer the late Mike Kable at the wheel but that had a fairly undeveloped engine.The VG model, however, had the Pacer with a 138kW engine as standard but also could be had in E31, E34 and E35 engine options, the top unit having a four-barrel carburettor, performance camshaft, close-ratio gearbox and well over 175kW power.Allan Moffat won the 1970 Bathurst race in a thumping Falcon GT HO but only one lap behind was Doug Chivas in a Valiant Pacer in fourth place. The tortoise-and-the-hare scenario is indicated by the qualifying times, Moffat 11 seconds as lap faster than the lighter Chivas Pacer which nevertheless finished the race on 129 laps to Moffat's 130.Leo Geoghegan was fifth in a Pacer with yet another Pacer in seventh, despite its three-speed gearbox. Chrysler had a local components policy and did not want to use an imported four-speed.  The Hemi engine was developed to the amazing 265 (4340cc) E49 unit of the Charger which really took on the V8s from 1971.Of the more than half a million Valiants built at the now-closed Tonsley Park plant of Chrysler (latterly Mitsubishi) in Adelaide, 46,374 were VG models. Only a small proportion were Pacers. Most were sedans with wagons, utes, two-door hardtops and the quad-round headlight VIP luxury version also in the mix.

This year's Muscle Car Masters at the Sydney raceway on September 6 will celebrate the birth of one of our muscle legends: the Ford Falcon GT-HO. Allan Moffat and John French - drivers of the first ever Ford Falcon GT-HO to win a race - will be on hand to get reacquainted with the machine that brought it home for them at Sandown in 1969.They will be joined by other racing legends, including Colin Bond, Fred and Chris Gibson, Harry Firth, Leo Geoghegan, Alan Grice, Kevin Bartlett, Jim Richards, Barry and Glenn Seton, John Harvey, John Bowe, Murray Carter, Phil Brock and Bob Holden.Based on the road-going XW Ford Falcon GT, the GT-HO was released in August that year and given just one task … win Australia's most grueling touring car event, the Bathurst 500 mile production car race. It delivered the goods, and then some, winning races and championships throughout the early 1970s.The Muscle Car Masters event is a celebration of Australia's rich motoring heritage: the cars, the drivers and a whole era of motoring, Moffat says. "The 1960s and '70s were defined by cars that you could race on Sunday and buy in the showroom on the Monday - Muscle Car Masters is no different."Restored race vehicles and road registered examples will be at the event for all to see," Moffat says. The celebration at Eastern Creek Raceway will include the GT-HO's legendary rivals - the Valiant R/T Charger and Holden's Monaro, Torana XU-1 and Torana A9X, among a field of other muscle cars.The main event on the day will be an international face-off between Australian and New Zealand, while other features include the Biante Touring Car Masters, New Zealand Central Muscle Cars, Group C and Group A Bathurst touring cars and Historic Touring cars from the 1960s and '70s.The day also includes a show and shine display of Aussie muscle cars and … of course … a homage to the legendary Ford Falcon GT-HO.For further information visit www.eastern-creek-raceway.com