Our latest issue is in stores today! Inside is packed with as much local action as we could get our hands on. From dring lessons with Murph, to an in-depth tell-all interview with Bruce and Raelene Carter about theior massive trophy haul, and of course our top 24 cover cars unveiled.

Besides this, there’s some great cars, including Aaron Costello’s UNIT; a mental 800hp at the wheels Camaro streeter that he loves to pack the kids into and go cruising. There’s also a very tough 493ci Dodge Charger, injected ’37 Chev and cool custom Ranchero, as well as a concept that’s bound to create controversy.

Grab a copy in stores today, or by hitting the ‘shop’ button at the top of this page.

It all started with a few beers,” says Tony Galbraith of his immaculately presented Valiant. “I was talking with the guys about what I should do after retiring from speedway racing, and next thing you know we’re building a race car.”

With Tony’s driving pedigree, it’s not too surprising that CMC was the class the lads talked him into racing in, after all, besides the fact they’re cool cars, many of them spend more time going sideways than they do in a straight line, and that suited Tony’s driving style perfectly.

The more the guys talked, the more the build plan evolved, it’s just lucky that one of the guys doing the talking was Craig Hyland, owner and operator of Engine Dynamics. While the name would indicate the business to be an engine builder, the reality is that it’s really a one-stop car-building workshop, and that’s where the entire build would take place.

The thought of buying an existing car, or building something common, didn’t really appeal. Instead Tony, Craig and the rest of the crew wanted something different, yet competitive, but it also had to be easy to run at the same time. Having access to American-built Mopar race motors, the plan soon headed in the Mopar direction. Rather than expensive Dodges, hard to obtain and heavy Plymouths, the idea of building Valiant Chargers was floated. And by Chargers, we mean two of them, to race as a team and pool costs and resources along the way.

After meeting some interesting Valiant owners Tony finally managed to find a decent vehicle to base the build on. Friend Alan Kemp, aka Kempy, who would run the matching vehicle, struggled – finding rust bucket after rust bucket, so his build has been heavily delayed.

Once Tony’s car was back at Engine Dynamics, the build commenced, starting with stripping the car back to a bare shell, strengthening the chassis and removing any excess weight at the same time. A comprehensive cromoly roll cage was stitched in, which also added to the vehicle’s strength.

Having built many different race cars for a wide range of classes, Craig made sure to stick to the letter of the CMC rulebook, but also make the most of the available rules at the same time.

Although Tony wanted plenty of tail-out fun, a large focus was placed on setting the vehicle’s handling up to be as precise as possible. As part of this, custom A-arms were produced for the front and they are suspended with Afco coilovers. The leaf-sprung rear-end is assisted with a Watt’s linkage, and custom swaybars were also fabricated. With sticky Kumho rubber wrapped around the 17×10.5 and 17×11-inch rims and this suspension package, it should stick to the track as well as any other vehicle in the CMC field.

With the knowledge that a serious engine package would be installed, no compromises were made when it came to selecting brakes. Instead, 6-pot Alcon callipers now slow the front, while 4-pot items do the rear. There’s no brake booster to be seen, just pure leg strength and a floor-mounted pedal box.

Craig’s always got his finger on the pulse, and when the motors came up for grabs a few years back for a good price, he grabbed what he could. Not knowing the history of the R5 Dodge 358ci version selected to power Tony’s Valiant, it was pulled down and freshened up. Since the Diamond pistons, Callies crank, Callies rods and Bullet cam all looked brand-new, they were all retained. In fact, besides the custom oil pan that was fabricated to fit around the Valiant’s cross-member, the engine is essentially as it was imported. This includes the P7 heads fitted with titanium valves, and the custom carb, which is fitted to the Wilson intake manifold.

For reliability’s sake the team fitted a Johnson’s HTP dry sump kit, for which the oil tank is mounted in the boot. Speaking of which, the boot is an impressive sight, as alongside the dry sump is a massive fuel cell and equally as impressive fuel pump and surge tank arrangement.

Being a new car, rather than a rebuild of an old car, the team had the chance to do things right the first time, without cutting any corners, nor making any compromises. With this in mind, the decision was made to give the option to run in endurance events and potentially GT2 also. This saw the inclusion of twin-ignition systems amongst other items, for complete peace of mind.

An impressive custom dash panel has been created which, besides the usual Auto Meter gauges, has a few handy notes stuck on for Tony’s peace of mind. They’re a good reminder that besides being competitive, the aim is to have a bunch of fun, although in a car like this, we’re not sure how you could forget that, especially when you hear that engine fire into life.

The 700-odd horsepower package is backed up with a Jerico WC4 4-speed gearbox, along with a Quartermaster triple-plate clutch and steel flywheel. To get the power to the track, the team opted for a 9-inch diff with custom housing and fully floating hubs.

Knowing just how hard it is to source rust-free Valiant panels, the guys had A1 Fibreglass construct fibreglass replacements. These include the doors, hood and bootlid, along with a few spares, of course. With the whole lot coated in PPG Citric Orange by White Bros Panel Works in Hamilton, you’d be hard pressed to tell they weren’t steel, till you feel just how light they are.

By the time you read this, the car and Tony would have had their first competitive CMC outing. He’s quick to downplay his expectations, rightly stating that most of the competition has had far more seat time than him. Then again, we’ve seen how well he can drive a speedway car, so we’re pretty sure it won’t take him long to get the hang of things. Worst-case scenario, he ends up at the back of the pack. Either way, one thing is for sure, and that is he’ll be having a blast and a cold beer or two with some good mates afterwards.

1972 Valiant Charger – Specifications

Engine: R5 Dodge 358ci V8, R5 Mopar block, Diamond pistons, Callies Ultra rods, Callies Ultra crank, Bullet cam, Jesel belt drive, custom-built oil pan, Johnson’s HTP dry sump oil pump, P7 Dodge heads, titanium intake valves, titanium exhaust valves, Wilson intake manifold, custom carb, 2x MSD 6600 ignitions, 2x HVC coils, Moroso Blue Max leads, custom fabricated headers and exhaust, aluminium radiator with internal oil heat exchanger
Driveline: Jerico WC4 4-speed gearbox, Quartermaster triple-plate clutch, steel flywheel, custom diff housing, fully floating hubs
Suspension: Custom coilover front end, leaf spring with watts linkage rear, Afco coilovers, custom swaybars and mounts
Brakes: Alcon 6-piston front callipers, Alcon rotors, PFC pads, Alcon 4-piston rear callipers
Wheels/Tyres: 17×10.5 and 17×11-inch Vintage Wheel Works rims, 275/40R17 and 315/40R17 Kumho tyres
Exterior: Fibreglass doors, fibreglass hood, fibreglass bootlid, lexan windows, PPG Citric Orange paint
Chassis: Chassis stiffeners, lightened and strengthened
Interior: Racetech seat, Woodward steering column and wheel, Auto Meter gauges, roll cage
Performance: Approx 700hp

 Tony Galbraith – Driver Profile

Age: Bloody old
Occupation: Transport Company Director
Previously owned cars: Various speedway cars
Dream car: I think I might have it now
Why the Valiant?: So I could race at different tracks, and Eastern Creek in Australia is looking like a possibility next year. YeeHaa!
Build time: 2 years
Length of ownership: 2 years
Tony thanks: My wife Sheryl, Craig Hyland, David Hogg, Toby and Scott White, Stuart Erye, Kempy

Words: Todd Wylie   Photos: Adam Croy

This article is from NZV8 issue 85. Get your copy here.
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I probably don’t speak for everyone, but I know I personally waste a lot of time daydreaming about different cars. I build them in my mind with an unlimited budget and use the best parts available, usually from the same manufacturer as the vehicle itself. One of the things that I often envisage is the fitment of a late-model engine into an old classic body. The result is the perfect mix of old school charm and character with late-model reliability and horsepower. Cambridge’s Jason Skinner has similar visions. Although, the difference is that around three and a half years ago, he decided to make his dreams become reality.

A long-time Mopar fan, and more specifically a fan of the 1969 and 1970 Dodge Chargers, he started researching the possibility of dropping in a late-model injected Hemi into one of them. In theory, while the engine conversion itself was (more…)

For years this car has been almost like an urban legend, with rumours calling it a Dodge Challenger, a Plymouth Cuda, a Hemi this, or a Nascar that. Greg Murphy’s 1969 Dodge Charger truly does exist, and it’s even better than what the rumours make it out to be.

Being a serial car build follower, I’ve known the truth about it for some time now, constantly finding excuses to pop into West Auckland’s Moselle Panel and Paint, where the car has been in the build, to check on progress. Seeing cars like this come along is one of the perks of the job, especially when they’re being built behind closed doors we’re allowed behind.

Those with a good memory may recall seeing the car in the Moselle marquee at the Kumeu Car Show a few years back. Hidden at the back of their stand, you either saw it and realised what it was, or walked straight on past.

When the car was unveiled in its current form at the recent triennial American Muscle Car Club show, walking past wasn’t an option. Even those who’d seen the car many times before couldn’t help (more…)

Dodge will have a sting in its tail next week as it heads to the LA Auto Show. The iconic American manufacturer will be debuting its latest special edition the 2012 Charger SRT8 Super Bee. The hardcore Charger has been created for enthusiasts and the muscle car faithful and has plenty to excite Mopar fans.

Inspired by the original Super Bee series that was first introduced in 1968 as a member of Dodge’s Scat Pack performance group, the nameplate was then revived with the limited-edition Charger SRT8 in 2007. This new edition brings exclusive content inside and out to the 2012 Charger SRT8.

In terms of power, the Super Bee keeps the 6.1-litre HEMI V8 and five-speed automatic transmission. Power figures haven’t increased, but 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet are serious numbers. The Super Bee edition Charger will feature the 392 HEMI badge, which was brought back for the 2010 Challenger 392 model. (more…)

The December issue of NZV8 Magazine has just hit shop shelves so it’s time to get a fresh fix of all that’s happening on the kiwi V8 scene. The new issue comes fully loaded with feature cars, news and event reports so grab your copy before they sell out.

In this month’s issue we have two Buick his’n hers cover cars, one is a 1970 Buick GSX with a 396ci big block and its mate – a 1971 Buick Skylark. We also feature an chopped, tubbed and blown ’55 Chev custom with a 406ci small block. There’s a unique LPG-fed XP Falcon Coupe and a Nascar-powered Valiant Charger which produces 700hp. We have a special feature celebrating this year’s Chevrolet Centenary and a how-to guide to installing your own audio system. Our dream shed article sees us head to Wellington and we have three event reports from Bathurst 201, the SPCA charity show and the National Hot Rod Show. It’s a packed out issue. (more…)

Having 470 horsepower under the bonnet means you’re going to move with some gusto but when there’s 570 rabid ponies up front, things can get wild.

Chrysler knows the difference and is planning to step things up a notch with a new top tier of SRT vehicles with upgraded powerplants. If recent rumours prove true later this year, the Dodge Charger SRT8 and Chrysler 300 SRT8 will be made available with an Eaton-sourced supercharger. This blower will boost the output of these machines to somewhere around 540-570-horsepower.

The supercharger option may be a dealer install job and will be offered on 2013 model year cars. What’s more Chrysler may fit its new eight-speed auto transmission to its four-door sports cars next year. (more…)

Anyone who has turned on a TV in the last couple of months will have noticed the increase in the amount of police reality shows on our screens. Road Cops is one of the more memorable NZ-based shows and follows a similar theme every week of cops pulling up young guys in tricked out rides. What happens next is either breath-testing, writing out fines or giving them the dreaded pink sticker for illegal mods. It’s a bit of a laugh at the expense of other ‘car enthusiasts’, but you get the feeling that the Police just aren’t relating to the young guys as best they could.

Over in the States its a different story, where the cops may be less patient but the cop cars are cooler than ever. Want proof? Check out the video below of a beatboxing Police cruiser. That’s right, it’s a staunch Dodge Charger cop car that’s not afraid of dropping some mean beats.

Perhaps if the NZ Police had this sort of funky technology, routine road stops could run smoother. And any altercations could be sorted with a break dance battle in front of the flashing red/blue lights.

Be audibly arrested by this big beating law-keeper in the video below. (more…)

The Chrysler group has released a new video showing off its hardcore SRT8 range, the Charger, Challenger, 300 and even the Grand Cherokee star in this smokey clip.

There’s plenty of drifting and burnouts to break in the new stand alone SRT brand. It also gives enthusiasts the chance to hear the new 470-horsepower, 6.4-litre HEMI motor in action.

Check out the video below. (more…)

Aaron Jones may have sold his first muscle car due to lack of funds, but he’s gone on to create the Dodge Charger of his dreams.

Growing up as a muscle car fan these days has both its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, the internet has made finding parts a far simpler task than ever before. Hell, you don’t even need to actually talk to people, and you can do it while you’re pretending to work (apparently).

On the other hand, cars today are fetching a far higher price than ever before, but due to the internet we’re all well aware of what’s out there and it’s easy to fall in love with a car far outside your budget.

This was the situation Aaron Jones was in. Born a few decades too late to buy his dream Dodge Charger while they were going cheap, Aaron bought the next best thing, a VG Valiant. Owning such a car at a young age wasn’t an easy task. The maintenance required, the cost of upgrading parts and, ultimately, the blowout of a full rebuild got the best of him. While he didn’t want to let the car go, he simply couldn’t afford to keep it. (more…)

Over in the States the 2010 Mopar Challenger arrived last year and proved an instant hit. Mopar fans went crazy for the machine and with Chrysler only offering 500 copies of the model, they sold out rapidly. Now in 2011, the all-new Dodge Charger is filling up Dodge showrooms around America, and Chrysler aren’t going to miss a trick by not giving some special vehicles a Mopar makeover.

As a signal of intent, Chrysler has released a first teaser sketch of its forthcoming special edition model. The rendering shows off a black and blue color scheme similar to that of the Challenger, but the side stripes have been replaced with a stripe that stretches across the bonnet, roof and boot. The Mopar team has also dropped the bulbous hood scoop for the model, opting for a more streamlined appearance. (more…)

Over in the States fancy auction house RM Auctions has announced that the first ever Dodge Charger will go on auction at this year’s Automobiles of Arizona event held from January 20. That’s right, the first Dodge Charger ever built will be auctioned. This ultra rare piece of metal is the original 1964 Dodge Hemi Charger concept car with Chassis No. 6442103030. The vehicle is powered by a 426ci “Hemi” V8 engine packing a 600+ hp punch.

The Charger concept car comes from the Estate of John O’Quinn, was previously owned by collector Joe Bortz and was restored by Fran Roxas. The veteran Charger concept is now fitted with one of the original 15 Chrysler race Hemi engines. It is authentic and represents the first Dodge to wear the Charger name.

If you want it, you better have a plane ticket to Arizona and a sack full of cash because it’s estimated that this first ever Charger, will fetch between 750,000 USD and 1 million USD at auction. (more…)

The 2011 Dodge Charger was due for a refresh but no one really expected the first official image of the reworked model to be in full Police pursuit gear.

Chrysler is out to prove it’s a contender for lucrative American Police agency car contracts with its 2011 Charger Pursuit. Ford and General Motors have already introduced their next-generation police pursuit vehicles, and while the Taurus- and Caprice/Commodore-based cruisers will be tough competition for one another, the new Charger pursuit is no softie either.

The Pursuit is based on the new-for-2011 Dodge Charger, and will be available with either Chrysler’s 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 or 5.7-litre Hemi V8. The larger engine comes equipped with a Multi-Displacement System to shut off fuel to unneeded cylinders during lighter duty, improving fuel economy when cruising the beat.

Other special treats for the Charger on Police duty include things like heavy-duty anti-lock brakes, front and rear stabiliser bars, a two-mode police-specific stability control system and 18-inch performance tyres on ugly steel wheels.

Inside, the front cabin serves as a mobile command center, and Chrysler has got busy developing a police interface module to best integrate existing computer equipment. There’s also reinforced front seats, a column shifter to open up floor and console space and interior lighting in red and white to assist the use of night-vision equipment.

It’s one mean machine and American Police forces will be able to order the 2011 Charger Pursuit from next month.

Wild modification, mild rebuild or sympathetic restoration with a few tweaks here and there? Craig Wallen chose the latter path, and the results speak for themselves.

It was 1964, and Pontiac had just released the GTO, a car that would help shape the identity of the American vehicle forever. This new machine set the public into a buying frenzy, and became the first to be identified as a muscle car ” defined as an affordable, mid-sized, rear-wheel-drive and large-engined two-door vehicle. Although the GTO was the car that started the movement, it was perhaps not its brightest star, as other manufacturers scrambled to catch up throughout the late ’60s. Soon, now instantly recognisable machines like the Chevelle, the Road Runner and the Torino began to pop up in showrooms all over the country, but there was one particular machine that stood out from the rest: the Dodge Charger.

Smooth, hulking looks, a great choice of V8 motors and a very affordable price (around the US$3500 mark) saw the Charger rise to the top of the muscle car pack and into the hearts and minds of Americans.

This march towards icon status was accelerated by two pivotal moments in film and television: Steve McQueen’s classic 1968 film Bullitt, in which a jet black 1968 440ci Charger plays the part of the villain’s vehicle in what is widely regarded as one of the best chase scenes of all time; and, of course, the long-running TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, where a second-gen Charger played the part of the General Lee, one of the most recognisable cars in the world.

(more…)

A fairly decent 265 that’s still being run in so nothing too amazing. Has had all the common work done such as Large Valves, 318 Pistons, Double Row Timing Chain, Roller Rockers, Billet Cam, Enlarged Ports. It has an enlarged oil pan and runs Electronic Ignition instead of the standard points.

Superbowl commercials are big business in the States and the marketing team at Chrysler are getting amongst it during this year’s big game. This time around it’s the Dodge Charger that’s getting the big push.

The Charger ad is a very simple affair, with a jet-black R/T model sitting in a parking lot all by its lonesome. Dodge saved a bit of coin by just slowly zooming in on the nice-looking muscle sedan for the entire duration of the 30 second spot. No fancy CGI effects, no big budget stunts. Then they apparently blew all the money they saved by hiring TV show Dexter star Michael C. Hall to perform the commercial’s voice-over.

Check out the super ad below.

American aftermarket tuners SpeedFactory claims to have set a new record with its SpeedFactory 426 Charger. The car covered the quarter-mile in just 9.453 seconds at 145.38 mph.

The company is saying that this time is the fastest ever for a car riding on a Chrysler-built LX/LC platform, including the recently-produced Chrysler 300Cs, Dodge Challenger and the Charger.

Based on a 2006 model Charger, the tuner car is powered by a 426 HEMI with a V7 YSI supercharger that’s boosted power to 900 horsepower. Even with the interior stripped out, the car still weighs around 1700 kg.

“With the introduction of the Drag Pack Challengers, we knew that records would be broken, and to achieve this with a modified stock vehicle that still utilises the factory components makes this even more exciting to us and our partners,” said Mark Brucks, big boss at SpeedFactory.  “We believe there is more that can be done to produce even faster times.”

To see a video of the record breaking pass, click on the box below.

Dodge Charge SE plus with a 3.5L V6 engine

Surround yourself with comfort and sophistication

A Dodge Charger compared to a Formula 1 race car

Biante historic muscle car racing from Eastern Creek. This is round 2, 2007

7.2-litre Dukes of Hazzard Dodge Charger vs. 5.8-litre Starsky and Hutch’s Ford Gran Torino

Slightly risque banned Dodge Charger 500 commercial

Step back in time a quarter of a century to the 1982 Chrysler Car Club Convention held at the Chrysler Proving Grounds in Chelsea, Michigan. Check out a F6 Spring Green 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona as it loses control on one of the smaller banked curves at the Proving Grounds. There was a happy ending though as the car merely spun out down on to the lower apron of the banking.