Quite simply, the Aussie-developed Chrysler Valiant Charger is Australian performance royalty.
One of the ‘big three’ Australian manufacturers, Chrysler Australia – like General Motors Holden and Ford Australia – created a two-door fastback type coupe with shared floor/chassis, driveline and core styling from its conventional family car range.
Arriving in 1971, the good-looking Charger was Chrysler Australia’s fight to the might of the Holden Monaro and Ford Falcon Hardtop ranges, also fresh to the market at the beginning of the 1970s.
The particular Charger you see here is a 1972 R/T E49 – the pinnacle of the Charger range and intended to make the model compliant with, and competitive in, Australian motor racing. And soon, this car could be yours as it’s currently listed in RR Auctions’ February 2026 sale.
Built to compete at the Mount Panorama circuit, the race regulations of the era specified cars that raced at Bathurst be closely based on what was available new from the dealers’ showrooms.
Exploiting those race requirements a little, car makers developed special models with mechanical upgrades for better performance – such as the Charger E49’s three high-performance dual-throat Weber carburettors on its six-cylinder engine – to create road cars that were almost race-ready.
According to the present owner, this particular E49 Charger is one of just 149 (and just 10 in this specification and colour) created to satisfy these Aussie race rules.
Painted in the oh-so-70s Hot Mustard and delivered to Century Motors on Broadway in Sydney, this Charger was reportedly used on-track by the dealer not as a factory ‘Bathurst’ racer, but as a club/lap sprints car for weekend motorsport. We can already imagine its Webers warbling as it was blasted around the track.
There were three motorsport circuits close to Sydney: Oran Park, Amaroo Park and (in 1972) the soon-to-close Warwick Farm. Did this Charger lap all three?
Later wholesaled to – and sold by – Knights of Ivanhoe in Melbourne, this Charger was used until 1985 when it was reportedly taken off the road for an engine rebuild. Its last Victorian state registration label from that time remains on the car.
Apparently, this rebuild didn’t happen as intended; the car sat idle for several years until sold to a Melbourne enthusiast who gave it a thorough mechanical rebuild including the front suspension.
In 1999, the car was sold to a collector in Western Australia. Never registered in WA, the Charger was driven only a few hundred miles more before returning to Sydney in 2015.
The most recent chapter of this special car’s life was a cosmetic restoration including exterior paint in the original Hot Mustard hue by respected painter Ron Tarabay of Winners Circle Refinishers, who also project-managed an interior restoration. The engine bay paint and undercarriage was left original, providing the car with better-than-new impact with a big dollop of its factory authenticity.
This Charger E49 has lived in Sydney in the hands of its present enthusiast owner for a decade, with very occasional use/display on H-plates. If you want to be this iconic car’s next custodian, bidding closes on February 25, 2026.
