1971 Chrysler VH Valiant R/T Coupe

Description

An Aussie muscle car icon, the Charger was launched in August 1971 as a fastback version of the VH Valiant to cries of "Hey, Charger!"(the phrase coined by advertisements for the new model) and was an instant sales success. Buyers couldn't get enough of the sporty newcomer and sales of the Charger soon accounted for roughly 50% of Valiant production. Not surprisingly, Chrysler wanted in on the success enjoyed by Ford and Holden on the racetrack and in the Charger they had the perfect vehicle for the likes of Leo Geoghegan to upset the establishment. One spin-off of the race programme was the development of a homologation special and thus the Road/Track high performance pack came about. Setting the R/T apart visually were black stripes wrapping around the tail spoiler (with the optional of bonnet blackout and vertical stripes behind the front wheel arches) along with a range of bold colours with names like Vitamin C, Hot Mustard and Hemi Orange. The grille was blacked out and featured quartz-halogen driving lights while styled steel wheels were also unique to the R/T, along with full instrumentation and a two-spoke aluminium steering wheel. The R/T was available with three engines; the 265-cid six, the E37 Street Six Pack or the homologation special E38 Six Pack. Of the 17,918 VH Chargers built, only 1,300 were the desirable R/T model and today they are amongst the most collectible of all Aussie muscle cars.