1971 Chrylser VH Valiant E38 'Big Tank' Charger Coupe

Description

Chrysler launched the new VH Valiant range in June 1971, including the fastback Charger which proved an instant hit - within 12 months of going on sale it was accounting for half of all Valiant sales. Although sold in both six-cylinder and V8 guises, the latter was aimed more at the mature, luxury buyer and the hottest Chargers in 1971 were the Six Pack cars equipped with the Road/Track pack. This included full instrumentation and an aluminium steering wheel, quartz-halogen headlights and unique body detailing with a blacked-out grille, vertical stripes behind the front wheel arches and another stripe wrapping around the rear along with the option of a black bonnet. The R/T came in a range of wild colours with catchy names like Vitamin C, Hemi Orange, Hot Mustard and Mercury Silver. Under the bonnet, the Six Pack's Hemi 265-cid motor was fitted with triple Weber 45 DCOE carburettors in two states of tune, namely the street-oriented E37 or competition E38. The E38 was essentially a homologation special to enable Chrysler to go racing, with a highly tuned 280bhp version of the hemi six under the bonnet along with various other modifications, including a dual exhaust system. The E38 Charger proved ferociously quick, recording a 0-100 km/h time of 6.4 seconds and could do the quarter mile on 15 seconds flat - times on par with the legendary Phase III GT-HO Falcon. After scoring a first up win at Oran Park in September 1971 with Doug Chivas, the Charger was looking good for the Hardie-Ferodo 500 at Bathurst the following month and although the Falcons dominated as expected, the new Valiant didn't disappoint - Leo Geoghegan put in a spectacular drive to claim sixth overall. The E38, along with the E49 that followed in 1972, is the most collectible Aussie Mopar muscle car ever made and its rarity - just 316 were built - has contributed to the sharp rise in values over the past couple of years.