Valiant Charger E49

On this episode of Grassroots garage we have Paul's 1972 Chrysler VH Valiant Charger R/T E49
The E49 is one of the most iconic and rare muscle cars made in Australia, aficionados will note the big tank conversion completed in the 80's by Paul. There were only a hundred and fourty-nine of these cars, most stamped A87, denoting the Track Pack, twenty two were stamped A84 - which denoted the Track pack and 35 gallon fuel tank.
This very special car was produced at Chrysler’s Tonsley Park plant in South Australia. The E49 featured a 4.3-litre straight-six engine with triple Weber carburettors that delivered 302 horsepower to the rear wheels. It was quick enough for Wheels Magazine to say that "The Valiant Charger R/T E49 is the fastest accelerating Australian muscle car of all, capable of turning the standing quarter mile in 14.1 seconds and clocking 0-60 mph in just 6.1 seconds - no mean feat for a six.”
With Triple webers feeding the mighty straight six it's easy to see why the E49 achieved cult status among Aussie muscle car enthusiasts due to its performance and rarity.
The new BorgWarner four-speed manual transmission was a game changer for Bathurst racing. Chrystler pulled out and yet the two E49's ran third and fourth outright with no factory support! This just shows how much potential there was with some more R&D.
We once again want to thank Paul for sharing this beautiful example of Australian Motoring history with us.

[@Leftfield71]

I think the E49 was the most beautiful looking car ever produced in Australia, it's a stunner from any angle and the Six sounds fantastic as well. Beautiful car, great story, thanks Paul and GG for sharing.

[@freeagent8225]

Could not agree more, my favourite Aussie car😅.

[@BikefromDownUnder]

Cool, I had RT E38 A84’ Track pack , 6 pack, with big tank, 1:16 steering ratio, finned rear drums etc. bought in the 80s for $5000. Also a rare 340 e55 charger, all long gone, yes I cry all the time about them

[@GrassRootsGarage]

oh I wish we could turn back time

[@Eric-kn4yn]

​​​​@@GrassRootsGarage 1:16 ratio steering is close ratio for more direct steering perhaps heavier feel no p/ steering

[@timothylanders3189]

Similar story to mine ;)

[@johnnybgoode6466]

Gidday Mate from NewZealand, yip these chargers have a huge following and as Paul said a lot of people gravitate to them at car shows just because they were so different from Ford and Holden... great videos of Paul's cars!

[@GrassRootsGarage]

Thanks Johnny 👍👍

[@lukesm5747]

Fantastic car . Fantastic owner. Fantastic story. Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing.

[@GrassRootsGarage]

Glad you enjoyed it 👍👍

[@alwynemcintyre2184]

I worked at the Chrysler plant until it died in 2008, in '73 I remember seeing 6pack sedans, wagons and utes

[@barrycuda3769]

So basically you could order what you wanted ? . Iv'e got my Dad's old VH Ranger XL ( NZ ) which was bought new by the local council for the town clerk, but despite it being the base model Ranger, it's got an auto trans, adjustable mirror, carpet , heater , radio , split bench seat, 245 with 2 barrel ( we didnt have the 215 in NZ)I suppose they wanted to go cheap , but still give the town clerk some comforts.

[@denniskritsinelias3528]

Didn't Chrysler In Australia sold out the factory in 1981

[@barrycuda3769]

The Chrysler factory had been producing Mitsubishi's and Valiants for a number of years, not sure how long , and the last Valiants were in 1981 , then it was just Mitsubishi's.

[@alwynemcintyre2184]

@@denniskritsinelias3528 no Chrysler america sold all there non American subsidiaries like Chrysler Australia, Chrysler UK, Chrysler France. So they could get loans from the American government, so they could stay afloat because they were hemaraging money. The American government's deal was we'll save your American assets but we won't save your overseas assets so you need to sell them or we won't save yo

[@alwynemcintyre2184]

@@barrycuda3769 Chrysler America sold it's Australian assets to Mitsubishi, the deal was finalised and annoused in 1980. By then Chrysler America and Mitsubishi had been in partnership since the early '70's.

[@sykcnt8012]

Such a timeless shape, still looks fkn awesome 52 years later.. Thank you Paul, love these stories from enthusiasts, Would love to see your other Aussie Muscle cars?? Much appreciated

[@GrassRootsGarage]

Glad you enjoyed it, we’ll try and bring you some more 👍👍

[@keithhummel6660]

I second this, more please for sure!! Love from America 🇺🇸

[@daniellebcooper7160]

Thanks for sharing your cars with us Paul. cheers.

[@maxr4448]

American here, I think these cars are awesome

[@elephantgiftstore]

I still think the VH Charger has the most beautiful backend of any car. The angle of the sweep, the grills behind the windows, the inset rear window, the built in spoiler, the lights... but the centered fuel cap was the icing on the cake.

[@terrydate254]

Great story about an awesome car. Thanks for this. A sensational part of Australian motoring history. The way those cars were built to win races (1 in particular) will never be repeated. I thank the horsepower gods for people like Paul for preserving these beasts.

[@roberttaui]

Great cars mate I'm from NZ my most favourite car the R/T E49 4 best looking car back then and still is today

[@perpetualgrin5804]

My best drive ever was in a 265 Charger 770, Mildura to Melbourne. Got 16mpg, the engine loved it and at the end it felt like a new motor. My favourite Aussie car with the 380 next. Always loved Adelaide's finest😅.

[@davidnewton3485]

Thanks for showing this bringes back alot of memories . i owned an E55 vj with the high comp steel crank from factory but everone will think im lieing lol .. The 55 was to come with the six pack from memory but super car scare ruined everything.

[@BikefromDownUnder]

I had an Rt e38 a84 track pack, the apprentice motor mechanic I bought it from put a vj E55 340 init, and nitrous, 4 speed. I also had an original VJ E55 340 All sold long ago 😂😂😂😂

[@indykartsindoorgokarting6711]

In Wellington NSW in the very early eighties was a guy who owned an original Valiant ute that was about 30cm shorter than the standard ute (the length was missing between the cab and the rear axle so it looked really strange). Apparently it was one of the factory test mules for the shorter wheelbase Charger. I would assume it's still around as the owner even then, knew how special it was.

[@area51isreal71]

Thank you for posting that. I loved the Phase 4 story but this has topped that. I read that David Brown was allocated 22 million dollars to produce the VH Valiant and he somehow skimmed off enough money to produce the Charger. The fact that the VG Pacers , E38 and E49 Charger track packs existed was a miracle considering their financial position. Luckily for us they saw daylight. I reckon the Phase 4 and the proposed V8 XU-1 would have been great. But the E49 and E38 Chargers showed much more innovation though. Thanks again for posting this, and thanks again to Paul for sharing this beauty.

[@thomasraftery409]

The stillborn E55 V8 would have been something too.

[@area51isreal71]

Yes, but the E55 kind of saw the light of day in the form of a luxury auto 770 version. So much has been said and written about this car and weather it was meant to go racing. Leo Geoghan reckons it was too nose heavy and the program was cancelled. Bob Ellis reckons that it was going ahead. To say any more will probably invite plenty of arguments, but the E55 770 was watered down with a restrictive carb, camshaft and single exhaust. Pretty reflective of Chrysler's reaction to government outcry about such cars. Interestingly, Modern Motor magazine in February 1973 pitted a HQ 308 4 speed GTS coupe against an XA 351 GT 4 speed coupe against a VH E55 Charger. Despite Chrysler's efforts to water down it's performance the E55 made a pretty good account of itself. Top speed for the Monaro was 119 mph, the Falcon 128 mph and the Charger at 122 mph. The quarter mile had the Monaro at 16.3, the Falcon at 15.8 and the Charger at 16.1.

[@landauneo]

So good seeing this and the Phase 4 .Thank you Paul .

[@timothylanders3189]

Back in '85 in Brisbane, I purchased an E38 Trackpack in Hemi orange. Tad closer to red than yours. The 3 speed was changed out also for a 4 speed B Warner. Purchased in Nerang for $4,500 from memory in show condition. Oner slight difference was it had had the engine rebuilt with low comp pistons & triples removed for a water-injection, draw thru Garret turbo set up. It was extremely quick through gears but had terrible lag & not enough fuel in the upper rev ranges. Waht I would've given to own the 49. Rebuilt engine back to original R/T comp specs & purchased some original tripple webbers. Let's say, I sold it soon after...

[@perpetualgrin5804]

Not only is the car great but so are the names for the paint, great imagination 😅.

[@lezbarker2673]

This is what cars should be. A Valiant charger is my dream car. My daily driver is a Chrysler Valiant AP6 made in 1965 I love it but the charger is in my heart as my Dad escaped from prison in the early 80’s stole an orange charger and picked me up from school when I was 10 and I just remember him flooring it and I was just sucked back into the back seats. As we took off for a 6 month run from the law. No computers back then so you could drive around and the police had no idea if a car was stolen they had to actually call in the plate. Nowadays they have a camera that sees hundreds of plates and the computer reads them and you can’t drive around in stolen or unregistered cars anymore. My AP6 is worth almost $50,000 now so I’ll never be able to afford a charger. My only chance is to get a good solid driver with a bit of rust hopefully not too much and then get it rebuilt if it takes about a year I could hopefully pay it off as it’s rebuilt. I love the vitamin C orange. Cars today are just so ugly. I drive my valiant around and kids point people and wave. I love talking to older people who tell me how they had one and then others like me who remember their parents or grandparents owning a valiant and we always get to chatting at the service station or at the car park. You get people asking to take photos it just makes people smile. I really believe the saving of old cars is the best way to recycle you don’t need a new car every year or two and you especially don’t need a useless EV. Love the classic cars. They go up in value not down as well.

[@philc4520]

Car is totally sick. Full of personality & character.

[@mickbrenton]

That is one beautiful motor car!!!!

[@ickisdogg3779]

I had one back in the mid 80's, was E49 but had the normal tank, was traded in where I worked, nobody wanted it, made a offer and drove it home, spent money getting it tuned, went like a rocket, pity it was rusty, sold it as a parts car to dude from Canberra, those old cars had soul and you better be a decent driver or they'll bite you back, was the Magenta colour, Brother called it the purple pig.

[@michaelbutler1557]

Beautiful cars the Valiant Charger. Being a sixties child I had the pleasure of driving a few.

[@karljokkerlukkas_974]

Beautiful machine!!

[@jimclarke1108]

E49, A9X, GTHO3. Amen

[@ACDZ123]

Is that the holy trinity ?😅

[@jimclarke1108]

@@ACDZ123 Um WTF?

[@ACDZ123]

@@jimclarke1108 well you said amen ffs 🤦‍♂️ went over your head obviously

[@elmonteslim3711]

When I was a kid no one cared...now they are Legends. Who knew right?

[@brucelamberton8819]

It's a pity they never brought out the E55 with the 340 V8. That was a great engine, with big-valve heads and a great port design, and with the "6 pack" (triple 2-barrel carbs) produced even more power than the 351C 4V motor fitted to the GTHO Phase 3. I would have made for a very interesting Bathurst.

[@raviscott4853]

They did. E55 was the engine option code for the 340 c.i. V8 and was released in the VH Charger 770 SE.

[@bombora69WA]

Paul has great taste.

[@joedennehy386]

I wanted one of these so badly as a teenager, up there with a Ford Gtho 1972 351 shaker, or a monaro. I now know that they had great engines, but in 2023 they are 50 year old technology, like a 14inch black and white tv. I have a 304 hp 2013 mercedes 350, avantgarde, full leather 18" mags, tiptronic, 245, 40 r 18s. You are celebrating an icon, which is old time technology. Like noahs Ark

[@GrassRootsGarage]

thanks for the comment mate!!!!

[@ceedoubleyou]

only ever saw one in the wild, coming out of Wellesley St into Queen St, Auckland, late 70's, but every year at the Ellerslie Car Show, there's usually 2-3 examples, from the local car club on display.

[@craigyirush3492]

The perfect owner for a rare car like this! Latest issue of ‘Classic and Sports Car’ has a piece by the great Mel Nicols. It’s the story of him and Peter Robinson picking up a three speed one of these and driving it from Chrysler in Adelaide to ‘Wheels’ office in Sydney. They loved the six with the Webers! And said it sounded better than a Ferrari V12. Piece has a period Chrysler ad showing the triple Webers with velocity stacks and the headers below glowing red. Beautiful! Ps funny they called it a Charger; looks more like the smaller American Challenger.

[@malcolmyarnold6172]

Very nice ❤❤❤❤it would love to own it You won’t get shot for dreaming I hope

[@jesus_built_my_hotrod]

bloke has a great collection, be great to see a vid on the porsche

[@GrassRootsGarage]

We’ll try 🤙

[@resi-]

an I6 muscle car is so cool to me

[@richardw64]

Very, very nice.

[@johntomich4379]

Thanks

[@ChrisSmith-nw7be]

HEY CHARGER !!!......Magnificent!

[@GrassRootsGarage]

Cheers 👍👍

[@electricblade3]

Ive been loving the content with the phase 4 and seeing my uncle (Andy) in the 1st part was amazing id like to see your opinions on his collection i love his purple monaro and xc cobra but like to see your opinions on them

[@johnstopford9633]

V8 killer very nice :)

[@JohnH1]

I remember the R/Ts I was a bit of a Chrysler fan at the time the 3-speed was a problem. I owned a Pacer Hardtop in 77, I was told by a Chrysler mechanic it was a Bathurst car, as it was fitted with a slightly bigger carby and different headers, it went well XU1s were easy :) Like Ford Chrysler got rid of excess parts by building limited edition cars and selling them with little to no fan fair. When the VJ Charger was released it was possible to get the 6 Pack option which was the 4.3 "Hemi" with triple Webbers 4 speed, LSD, stiffer suspension and sports dash, I don't remember it being the full R/T it was the 770 dash. As far as I can remember the 36-gallon tank was not available. I heard rumours about the E55s, but I have never seen any proof myself. One rumour was that a hand full of E55s could be bought with a more powerful 340 than was advertised supposedly being the Bathurst-tuned engine, but as I said I have never seen one.

[@jamesgovett3225]

You say that you had a Pacer hardtop with a larger carby and slightly different headers I’m reading between the lines here but was that a VG Bathurst model badged 4BBL which had a four barrel carb, I know they raced 2 barrel cars too but I remember when I worked for a Chrysler dealer here in Melbourne I had the chance to buy a 4BBL model but like an idiot didn’t go ahead with it

[@JohnH1]

@@jamesgovett3225 Mine was the two-barrel version, It ran a 16.2 at Castlereagh drag strip with the standard Goodyear tyers and topped out at around 127mph. The four barrels would do it in the high 15s I think.

[@erroneouscode]

As I recall the 340's were imported way back in 1968 so Chrysler Australia sat on them for quite some time. I don't know that any of them were in a higher state of tune than others. So, if they were not it would have been up to CA to massage more into them. Oddly enough by the time they got around to using them they were either going, or gone out of production in the states. Had they been used on the track and been successful CA would have had to turn to using the 360 as supplies of the 340 dried up. That in itself would have presented a big headache considering the state of tune of those engines in comparison. I've also always wondered whether the lack of a 4 speed for the E38 also affected/delayed the plans for using the 340V8 because it's very doubtful they would have raced the 340V8 with an auto trans. There were some odd SOA cars back then. I remember pulling into a servo for fuel around 1982 with my 318V8 VJ Regal wagon and chatting to a guy on the other bowser who had a 360V8 5.9L equipped VK Regal wagon. It was actually the unexpected badge I spotted on the guard that started the conversation.

[@lezbarker2673]

People forget that the Valiant Charger was winning Bathurst in 1971 I think and on the last lap it got a flat tyre. Well that’s what my Pop used to tell me and I believe him. He said they were gunna build a V8 for the next year but as they didn’t win Bathurst they lost interest or some clown in charge of the racing program decided on dropping it to save money. Not understanding Aussies and their love of V8’s and racing cars. Sadly instead of 100,000 Valiant’s getting made they’d only make half that so we could or should have lots more on the road.

[@V8AmericanMuscleCar]

Beautiful ride. ❤

[@GrassRootsGarage]

It really is!

[@Peter_T123]

Awesome video keep them coming please

[@GrassRootsGarage]

Thanks! Will do!

[@mikevanblommestein5726]

Does Paul also own the Green Phase 4 GTHO? What a great custodian for these iconic Aussie cars

[@GrassRootsGarage]

Yep same Paul from phase4 A true champion and great custodian

[@markalan1two]

he must have been selling those teeth he pulled ehh!!😄@@GrassRootsGarage

[@leongt1954]

The Charger was light in the front end and at high speed if you hit a bump in the road the front moved sideways

[@petergiourelas3753]

Best of era

[@GrassRootsGarage]

how good are they!!!!!!

[@JoshPhoenix11]

Shame its not the original paint.. There were 2 versions of the 4-speed boxes, the Bathurst Chargers had the closer ratio 4-speed box option.

[@Eric-kn4yn]

No power booster for brakes it was suppose to minimize brake lockup before ABS.

[@richardnovak9910]

Made in Australia or American. Best cars.

[@Michael_MJ]

She's a beaut.

[@shalininaicker]

I wonder how many are still going ?

[@GrassRootsGarage]

maybe someone has the low down?????

[@user-jc8cc4ch6w]

My fathers best mate owned 1 exactly the same what are they worth nowadays

[@bradcoulter1316]

Had better brakes might’ve won Bathurst one of the sexiest muscle cars of all time why didn't they have drop tank for lower centre of gravity shame they pulled out of Oz hemi magic so good so underrated

[@kevinmoor6408]

Faster than a Phase III GTHO over the quarter mile. The 265 was an elephant engine.

[@warrenmintz5227]

I wonder how much power that engine could make with a blower setup?

[@GrassRootsGarage]

maybe someone has already done it?

[@rtcharger7484]

@@GrassRootsGarage They get 450HP out of a N/A Webbers..

[@GrassRootsGarage]

@@rtcharger7484 Thanks for the info 👍

[@keiracurro8407]

Dad says the in a straight line charger was faster than Lh torana with 5.0 litre, also the 351's, (with good tyres) i will have to ask again.

[@GrassRootsGarage]

maybe we should start a debate in the comments!!!!!!

[@barrycuda3769]

What size and brand of tyres did the E49 come with? 205'x 60x14 , I imagine .

[@GrassRootsGarage]

we are not sure. maybe someone can help out in the comments?

[@barrycuda3769]

@@GrassRootsGarageI've since researched it and it seems they came with ER 70 H 14's ,which I think is 205 x 70 x14 .

[@Eric-kn4yn]

​​​​@@barrycuda3769 dunlop wildcats or aquajets ER70x 14inch 7inch alloy 6inch steel sports rims

[@Eric-kn4yn]

215 CI hemi sucked underpowered the 245CI 265CI hemi's gave valiants the winning edge.

[@brianandglendaharkin9457]

👍🏻🇦🇺💯

[@mickeymouse1697]

MOPAR OR NO CAR

[@alwynemcintyre2184]

302 hp to the rear wheels?, don't think so 302 hp to the flywheel was more like it.

[@mickeymouse1697]

302 HP at the rear wheels is underrated

[@alwynemcintyre2184]

@@mickeymouse1697 don't think there were any cars in 1972 with a 6 cylinder engine that had 302 hp at the rear wheels

[@TheWombat2012]

Did I hear him right?? He’s got a Phase IV?????

[@GrassRootsGarage]

100% correct

[@gavmansworkshop5624]

It's not the colour mate. My untouched, amazon green CL Charger my father bought brand new when he was just 19, still turns heads when I roll up anywhere in it. Plastick still on the back seats etc 👍

[@mickeymouse1697]

Want to sell the Car ????

[@GrassRootsGarage]

Unfortunately not for sale cheers 👍👍

[@saltydog888]

Everything has a price good luck

[@mickeymouse1697]

@@saltydog888 whats the price

[@GrassRootsGarage]

based on previous E49 sales I'd suggest the offer would need to be north of $250k . Based on discussions with Paul I'd suggest he would politely decline the offer.

[@saltydog888]

@@GrassRootsGarage A9X territory but I don’t blame him some things are priceless👌🏽

[@Eric-kn4yn]

E 55 more power but no more brakes not good