PENTA STAR

ROB has a long history of running Chrysler products down the quarter, with his passion for racing kicking off in the late 1970s.

“The first time I raced was in an AP6 slant-six with triple Webers and fourspeed, around 1978, at a street meet at Adelaide International Raceway,” Rob says. “I replaced that car with my red VJ hardtop [pictured right], which I raced and also showed.”

Running in Super Gas and Super Sedan, Rob pushed the big two-door down to an 11.0, but he also went to town tidying it up. The coupe scored a Chrysler By Chrysler front and Charger tails, was shaved of all badges, and Rob even painted it himself.

“I showed and raced it for about 12 years and took it all over Australia,” Rob says. “I went to Summernats 3 and the Nationals in Wagga, and it won Top Coupe at the Victorian Hot Rod Show back in the early days – actually, it won heaps.”

The car was neat and tough enough to score two features in Street Machine

(Jan-feb ’90 and Oct-nov ’92).

The yellow VJ is no stranger to SM either, having first appeared in the August 2001 issue.

But Rob also has a super-spicy Mopar in his shed that will see him set a whole bunch of new PBS. “I have a 1993 Dodge Daytona full-chassis car, which is an ex-pro Stock car from the USA,” he says. “The goal is to go Super Stock with a 358ci small-block, as Mopar Performance did all its development with the 358s in the Pro Stock Truck class 10 years ago, before the class was canned. They were doing 7.40-7.30 back then!”