Chrysler widened the Charger's axle beyond any American A-body, running a 5x114.3mm bolt pattern the US wouldn't adopt until 1973.
Median 166 hp across 106 similar cars
Lead trim: Charger 3.5 215 six (140 bhp) · up to 230 hp
Chrysler Valiant Charger VH1971–1973
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Chrysler Valiant Charger VH yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactChrysler widened the Charger's axle beyond any American A-body, running a 5x114.3mm bolt pattern the US wouldn't adopt until 1973.
The Chrysler Valiant Charger is a two-door hardtop coupé introduced by Chrysler Australia in 1971 (produced to 1978), a short-wheelbase version of the contemporary Australian Valiant sedan, marketed as the Valiant Charger in the VH and VJ series and as the Chrysler Charger in the later VK and CL series. It is based on the US Chrysler A-body platform, with virtually identical front suspension but widened fenders and a wider rear axle, giving a track wider than any US A-body and allowing much wider wheels, on the 5-on-4.5 in (5x114.3 mm) bolt circle Australia used before the US did in 1973. It was extraordinarily popular in the VH series (at one point 80% of all Australian Valiant production), won the 1971 Australian Wheels Car of the Year, and was assembled from imported kits in New Zealand. The VH range comprised the Charger, Charger XL, Charger 770 and Charger R/T (Road/Track), the last continuing the VG Valiant Pacer's performance image and becoming Chrysler's platform for production car racing; the range as launched was Charger 3.5-litre (215 cu in) 140 bhp, 3-speed manual, $2795; XL 4.0-litre (245 cu in) 160 bhp, $3195; R/T 4.3-litre (265 cu in) HP 218 bhp, $3395; Charger 770 with the 265 HP (203 bhp) 3-speed automatic, $3625, or a 5.2-litre (318 cu in) 2bbl V8 (230 bhp), $4105. The E38, E49 and 340 V8 (E55) variants are catalogued as their own generations. The VH was superseded by the VJ in March 1973.
Collectors Spotted in the Chrysler Valiant Charger Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Chrysler Valiant Charger yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
5 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charger 3.5 215 six (140 bhp) | 1971–1973 | 3.5 L | 140 hp | 199 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Charger 770 4.3 265 HP six auto (203 bhp) | 1971–1973 | 4.3 L | 203 hp | 262 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Charger 770 5.2 318 V8 2bbl (230 bhp) | 1971–1973 | 5.2 L V8 | 230 hp | 340 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Charger R/T 4.3 265 HP six (218 bhp) | 1971–1973 | 4.3 L | 218 hp | 273 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Charger XL 4.0 245 six (160 bhp) | 1971–1973 | 4.0 L | 160 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Internally slated as the VL, this Charger was renamed CL at the last minute to match Chrysler's new corporate naming across the range.
The VK dropped Valiant script for Chrysler badges alone, the moment the car quietly stopped being a Valiant at all.
When the imported 340 V8 ran out mid-production, Chrysler simply raided the long-wheelbase Chrysler by Chrysler sedan for its 360 V8 instead.
The E49 Charger's straight-six made so much torque off its seven-bearing bottom end that no production six-cylinder matched it again until Porsche's 911 Turbo arrived in 1975.
Chrysler's factory withdrawal from Australian touring car racing at the end of 1972 effectively ended the R/T along with the VH series.
The 340 V8 in this SE only existed because a Bathurst homologation ute test at Mallala went badly and Chrysler had 336 engines to unload.
Chrysler widened the Charger's axle beyond any American A-body, running a 5x114.3mm bolt pattern the US wouldn't adopt until 1973.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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