30 Years of Charger

CHARGER......30 YEARS ON

ON January 19th 1961 Chrysler Australia launched it's first Valiant, the R Series. They were produced at Keswick in South Australia. Then, just before the end of the S series, Chrysler moved to Tonsley Park. Chrysler Australia's engine plant was at Lonsdale and is still used today at Mitsubishi. Soon after the R Series Model, other followed. All models were based on the Chrysler Corporation in America. Chrysler Australia made small cosmetic changes and altered the names of the cars. All Chrysler Australia's cars were based on American "A Body" cars and the engines available were the famous American Slant 6 225 and the 273 V8 in the early days. Because all Australian Chryslers were based on American "A Bodies", the only way you could get a big block was if you imported a Chrysler from America.

Through the years, Chrysler became so successful, they looked eagerly towards the future. The directors of Chrysler soon looked for a totally Australian production car that was designed in Australia using Australian manufactured parts. this was a bold step indeed by the Chrysler Corporation, but, wanting to achieve another first, Chrysler Australia would have to call on the Chrysler Corporation in the USA for help in the engineering departments well as travel to Italy for precision work on the new triple carburetor design. Which meant that Chrysler Australia had bigger plans in mind than just a standard production car in mind.

We all know in the beginning that car manufacturers like Holden, for example, always proclaimed their cars were Aussie true blue, but just take aspect of the Holden Monaro, where in fact they used a Chevy V8 engine. Well, that just shoots holes in their claims, and then there's ford, well, we know that they played the same game as the Chrysler Australia did in the early 60's and 70's and that's basically use American bodies, change a few badges, change a few body lines, and maybe turn two doors into four doors and four doors into two doors. Basically you still had an America vehicle that just happened to be produced here. Well now Chrysler Australia was just about to change all that.

THE LEGEND BEGINS

In 1971, Chrysler Australia created and launched a legend, that became Chrysler's most popular, talked about production car on the road and track. Yes, this was the VH Valiant Charger, by Chrysler.

In August 1971, the VH Charger made its debut and Chrysler Australia was accredited with Australia's most sought after award, "Car of the Year", presented by Wheels Magazine for leadership design, engineering and performance. But his was not Chrysler's first in winning this prestigious award. This momentous occasion goes to the 1968 VE Valiant range of cars. But still, nevertheless, a major victory against the other car manufacturers. with this award fixed on Chrysler Australia's Dealers walls, all the years of uncertainty that goes with planning and development of a totally new all Australian vehicle was beginning to pay off in sales figures and in fact, Chrysler could not, in the beginning, keep up with the public's desire for the Charger. And Soon, the production line at the Tonsley Park plant in South Australia doubled to meet demand.

All Chargers that were fittest with a Hemi 6 cylinder engine were very special because they used totally Australian manufactured parts that also had been developed in Australia whereas the Chargers fitted with the optional V8's were obviously American small blocks, so not totally all Australian.

Now even us diehard Chrysler enthusiasts would be very naive to think the 6 cylinder Hemi range of Chargers were in fact totally designed and manufactured here in Australia. There is at least one small part on an R/T 6 pack and track pack which definitely was not designed or manufactured here in Australia. That being of course the triple 45mm Webbers that are standard equipment on all 6 pack and Track pack Chargers. But who's going to be picky, after all it was only a small white lie......

The Charger range came with very basic needs, right through to the luxury and exotic performance packages. Some of the performance packages through the years in engine performance are as follows with all 6 cylinder Hemi engines.

The smallest of the hemi 6 cylinders was the 215 with 140 horsepower. Then came the 245 with 165 horsepower, then the 265 with 203 horsepower, then the 265 performance engine with 218 horsepower. Then you had the E37 Engines that came with 248 horsepower, the E38 engines came with 280 horsepower, the E49 engines came with 302 horsepower, and the E48 engines came with 248 horsepower.

with the V8 small block engines the 318 engine came with 230 horsepower, the 340 engine came with 275 horsepower, and the 360 engine came with 255 horsepower.

As you can see, Chrysler's Charger came with a little horsepower for your normal run of the mill family car right through to the full race applications.

Through the years, Chargers were used as daily passenger vehicles, right through to some applications in Australian states where they were used as police vehicles, and of course, the legendary race cars, or Bathers specials. They of course known as the "6 pack" or "Track Pack" Chargers.

The most basic model of all Chargers was optioned with the 215 motor and, wait for it, drum brakes all round. Now, as mentioned, the horsepower ratings were 140hp. You may say that model was down on horsepower compared with other 6 cylinder Hemis in that range, but hang on, General Motors Holden's biggest six cylinder only produced 160hp with their 202 engine, and Ford biggest 6 , which was a 4.1L could only produce 140hp. So even Chryslers basic 215 engine in a Charger was just down on the Holden's XU1 and on par with Ford's 6 cylinder. So, Chrysler's 6 cylinder 215 just performed with the lot of them, and they hadn't even started to compare Chrysler's other seven optional 6 cylinder engines.

So now after looking at all the facts, we can see all the facts, we can see that Chrysler's supposedly low performance 215 engines, really was up there with the best of them, but because us Chrysler enthusiasts have been spoilt with all the other performance 6 cylinders, we look down at that particular engine as a poor performance engine.

CHRYSLER'S TRUE INTENTIONS FOR THE CHARGER

Now we move on to the mightiest of all Hemi 6 cylinders, the 6 pack chargers. The 6 pack engine was offered as an option in 770 Chargers and was standard equipment on all E37's. This particular engine was fitted with the Triple 45mm side-draught Webbers but was more suited to the street than the race track application.

For this first exercise, we will go straight to the E38 and E49 6 pack Track packs. The E38 Charger was Chrysler's first true race oriented and all out assault on the Australian Series Production Class races. The E38 Charger was remarkable piece of engineering for Australia's first production car that was solely buit and designed in Australia. In 1971, the E38 Charger was the fastest accelerating 6 cylinder car that went down the quarter mile in a staggering 14.8 seconds. Which, till this day, was only beaten by her offspring, which we'll mention later on. If one was to compare the LC XU1 Torana, which ran low 17's or even if you said they ran low 16's that wouldn't help you. The E38 Charger was far quicker down the quarter mile than anything the General had to offer. Even if you take the mighty XY-GTHO Phase III, with a fully imported V8 engine, with 351cubic inches and at least 340 horsepower, not the 300 claimed by Ford, it could only manage 14.6 down the quarter mile. Now the facts that the XU1 was coupled up to a 4-speed gearbox and so was the GTHO, but the E38 was coupled up to a close ratio 3-speed gearbox. So who would of thought that Chrysler Australia could have got it so right. If not for the crippling 3-speed gear box and the fact that Borg-Warner, Australia, at that particular time, did not produce an Australian 4-speed gearbox that could be coupled up to the E38, the E38 still went like a shell, and to think, that if it did have the 4-speed gearbox, it surely would have out-accelerated the mighty HO Falcon. However, that was not meant to be, the E38 had to settle for second down the quarter mile, but still, in 1971, she still remained Australia's fastest accelerating 6 cylinder production car.

Chrysler's last attempted to take the mountain. In 1972 Borg-Warner, finally produced a 4-speed gearbox and Chrysler Australia was finally able to introduce the 4-speed to all the Chrysler range of vehicles, including the new revamped E38, which was renamed in 1972, the E49 6 Pack Track Pack Bathurst Charger.

This Chargers main advantage over the E38 was, one, the if ratio, which was now 3.5:1, which was an option on all E38s, but due to the close ratio 3-speed gearbox nearly all chose the 3.23:1, but Leo Geoghegan recommended that for Bathurst the 3.5:1 would be more suitable.

Also was the cam size, the E38 ran a 30/74 cam and a new E49 ran a staggering 48/88, now that's big. Also the last major change was the close ratio 4-speed gearbox, with this the E49's new modifications made her undoubtedly Australia's fastest production car over the 6 cylinder and the V8's. She managed a very best of 14.4 seconds down the quarter mile. also the E49 lays to claim to be able to go from standing start to 100 miles per hour in 14.1 secs. Your mighty GTHO PhaseIII can only do the same in 15.2 secs. As you can see, obviously slower than the E49 from naught to 100 miles per hour.

the figures speak for them selves and the R/T E38 and E49 6 Pack Track Pack chargers were phenomenal super cars for their time and still are to this day.