The VH series Chrysler Valiant was the first Australian styled and developed car built by Chrysler Australia, whereas prior to it's introduction all Chrysler Australia cars were locally built versions of American market Plymouths and Chryslers. Introduced in 1971, the VH series was available as a 4 door saloon or a 2 door coupe known as the Valiant Charger. The phrase "Hey Charger" has become associated with the VH Chargers thanks to a memorable TV ad shown for the car in which a group of young people are shown waving at one and shouting "Hey Charger" as it passes by.
The Valiant Chargers enjoyed some success in the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) but never managed to win the most prestigious race in the calender, the Bathurst 500 (or 1000 as it became from 1973 on). The closest a Valiant Charger came to winning at Bathurst was in 1972, when this car driven by Doug Chivas and Damon Beck came 3rd overall. Apparently the race versions were hobbled by below par brakes and were approximately 10mph slower down the long Conrod straight at Bathurst than the faster Ford Falcons, and so a win at the famous Mount Panorama circuit eluded the Australian Chryslers.
The version used by Chivas and Beck in 1972 was the new for '72 E49 version of the VH Charger which had a large fuel tank, plus a fully blueprinted 4.3 litre straight six. This powerful engine produced 302bhp and drove the car through a 4 speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels.
1972 saw the introduction of a new classification system at Bathurst which split the field into 4 classes based on a sum of their engine capacity in litres multiplied by the retail price of the car. This sum gave each car a total of Capacity/Price (CP) units. For example, a car of 1.5 litres capacity which cost $3000 would have a CP rating of 1.5 by 3000 which totaled 4500. The classes were defined as follows: Class A - Up to 3000 CP Units; Class B - 3001 to 9000 CP Units; Class C - 9001 to 18000 CP Units; Class D - Over 18000 CP Units. The E49 Charger was classified in Class D, while the smaller engined Holden Torana XU-1s were in Class C (one of which driven by Peter Brock won the 1972 Bathurst 500).
Classic Carlectables made this fine model of the Chivas/Beck 1972 Valiant Charger. The exterior is accurately reproduced with good quality paint and tampoed graphics. The straight six engine is superbly recreated and sits in an authentic looking engine bay. Interestingly due to the design of the real car, the hood of the model would have been difficult to open (as the leading edge does not extend all the way to the front of the car) if not for a neat button on the underside of the model which pops-up the hood slightly when pressed allowing it to be opened easily. A similar button at the rear end allows the boot to be opened easily as well.
The weakest part of this model I feel are the brakes and wheels which look a bit plasticky to my eyes. It would be nice to see this model updated with brake rotors/discs with a realistic metal finish (as seen on models from makers such as AUTOart and Kyosho). The interior however would be hard to improve on with soft feel seats and real fabric seatbelts. Australian Touring Car rules prior to 1973 allowed for very few modifications to the racing cars when compared to the street versions, hence this car has a standard road car interior apart from a roll cage and a racing harness for the driver.
Overall I think this model is a quality piece and definitely has a place in any collection with an interest in Australian cars. A nice job by Classic Carlectables.
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