CLUB TALES
GO TO SHEPPARTON
“IT’S NOT FOR SALE. I’LL KEEP TINKERING WITH IT… IT’S TERRIFIC FUN”
Restored Vehicle Club and drives the car to events often. In fact, we first met Brian and his Charger on a club run, parked among hundreds of cars on display – with thousands of people around them – at the Maitland Steamfest in the NSW Hunter Valley.
“It’s a club car on Historic plates so of course I don’t use it every day,” he says of his Charger. “I have a Ford Territory for that. The Charger has been on historic plates for about 10 years and now I’m on the 60-day logbook [permit scheme] so I can drive it plenty of days.
“Our club has runs once or twice per month so we get to go on some good runs: from the NSW Central Coast such as [beach-side] Terrigal, to the areas around Port Stephens and a few hours away to Merriwa,” he says. “We have about 80 members and 150-odd cars. I’ve been in the club for about 20 years.”
No trailer sailor, this cool old Charger carries the marks and scars of a life well-lived. Apart from liberating the factory chrome from under its layer of ‘custom’ yellow paint 25 years ago, there have been a few touch-ups to the original Lemon Twist paint over the years (and no doubt there will be a few more) but the original oh-so-70s side-stripes have survived all those hot Aussie summers. However, the cloth on the front seats didn’t, so the original pair has been replaced with another set.
“I’ve done just about nothing else to it in those 25 years,” he says of his classic Aussie time-warper. “I’ve done nothing to the engine.” In this case it’s a 318-cubic inch (5.3-litre) V8 fitted with Chrysler’s innovative (but often troublesome) ELB – Electronic Lean Burn – system that used 1970s space-age electronics to make these engines drink less fuel. Behind that V8 is a cruisy auto and standard BW diff.
“Almost every time I drive it, some bloke comes over and says, ‘It needs a bit of work, I’ll give ya 10 grand,’ or some-such,” says Brian. “But it’s not for sale. I’ll keep tinkering with it… it’s a terrific fun club car.”