This Charger was the last sold in NZ

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Aaron Lofts

Contributor

1 min read

The Chrysler Valiant Charger has lots of fans, many of those are ‘across the ditch’ in New Zealand.

The performance R/T Charger models were imported fully assembled from Australia, though what you may not know is that the rest of the Valiant Charger range was actually assembled in New Zealand.

Todd Motors was home of assembly for Chrysler in NZ, and had been importing cars into NZ for Chrysler for many years. They began assembling cars in NZ in the mid-1930s. Todd Motors assembled nearly 45,000 supplied CKD (completely knocked down) cars from Australia between 1963 and 1979.

The pictured VJ Charger is believed to be the last Charger assembled in NZ by Todd Motors. This car was sold new by Todd Motors and was first registered on the 8th October 1976. The car was fully restored in 2006, and has travelled only 114,000km since new. This amazingly rare car was listed for auction, with the bidding finishing at $41,000NZD! A relative bargain for what is the end of a chapter of local vehicle assembly in New Zealand.

Source: Survivor Car Australia.

Photo of Aaron Lofts
Aaron Lofts

Contributor

From a very young age, Aaron was drawn to cars. Spotting chrome bumpered classics from the back seat of a 1978 Toyota Corolla as a child, his knowledge grew from basic brands and models to more details and specifications as a teen. He began buying and collecting magazines, reading them cover to cover absorbing as much information as possible. Primarily following local motor racing – and the cars they were built from, Aaron would watch the Bathurst 1000 coverage each year from start to finish. With a broad passion for all classic cars, his specialty is locally built and assembled muscle cars, whilst keeping an eye on the oddballs. Hunting for old cars and the stories surrounding them is a lifelong obsession, often finding them in the most unusual places or via the most unusual people. Fast talking and quick thinking, he’s always on the go. If you want to chat - you're going to have to try and keep up with him!
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