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Chrysler Valiant Pacer and Charger |
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By the late 1960’s it was clear that the
young people of the day were keen to get behind
the wheel of something a little more spirited
than the average family sedan. Holden’s
Monaro and Ford’s Falcon GT were quickly
garnering stellar reputations, particularly on
the racetrack; it was evident to even the most
casual observer that Chrysler desperately needed
a sports model in its line-up if it wanted to
capture the hearts and minds of young, and young
at heart.
Based very closely on the
US Dodge Dart, the Pacer was the right car at
the right time, menacing, powerful and most importantly,
a great drive. Identified by a black and red
grille treatment, red paint-filled boot lid moulding,
sports style (albeit fake) mag wheel covers,
narrow waist high body striping and Pacer 225
insignia, the first Pacer was powered by a high-compression
version of the 3.69 liter “Slant Six” engine
(the compression being raised from 8.4:1 to 9.2:1).
With the fitment of a two barrel carburetor,
the engine was good for 130 kW (175 bhp) and
offered truckloads of torque, making it extremely
tractable, while later versions would benefit
from the awesome power of the Hemi engines. Then
with the release of the VH model came the wonderful
Charger – as
keenly sought today as it was back in the early
1970’s.
The stunningly beautiful two-door design set
the benchmark for Australian design, and under
the skin the Charger was just as well sorted – balanced,
powerful and always fun to drive, and be seen
in, it should have paved the way for Chrysler
to be the biggest of “The Big Three”.
But a hero car alone does not a profitable company
make, and despite the brilliance of layout, design
and brawn it, along with the rest of the Valiant
range, would remain somewhat devoid of technical
innovation throughout the 1970’s, allowing
other far less spirited sporting pretenders to
usurp the King. There was a time when the Charger
accounted for 50% of Valiant sales, but
by the time of the CL series this had dwindled
to just 8%. But there are still plenty of baby
boomers out there that say…"Hey
Charger". Also see Chrysler
History |
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