Thursday, February 17, 2011

Aussie Valiant Charger R/T Turns Up Stateside


Pop quiz: what�s the greatest sports car ever built in the Australia? Well, there are a few potential candidates. There�s the short-lived 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO nee Holden Monaro, for one. Then there�s the Ford Falcon GTHO Phase 4, the Holden Torana A9X hatchback and the then-futuristic Holden Commodore SS Group A. They�re all good cars, and all highly collectible.

Personally, I�ve always been a fan of the Chrysler Group's Valiant Charger R/T E49. The Valiant Charger was the short wheelbase version of the unremarkable Valiant coupe and the R/T�s homologation specials of their motorsport cousins.

The E49 was the last of the R/T�s, built primarily to win the 12 hour Bathurst endurance race. There were 149 of these legendary cars made, in colourfully named shades such as �Hot Mustard� and �Bondi Bleach�.

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