Chargers, Chargers and more Chargers with Andrew Clark
A three-decade-long obsession that’s as strong as an Adelaide-built Chrysler Hemi six.
Andrew (left), fellow Chrysler enthusiast Peter (right) and Rusty the Kelpie (far left)
If Chasing History Charger Week has taught us anything, it’s that there are plenty of fans of the roaring two-doors from Tonsley Park.
However, when it comes to the Chrysler Valiant Charger, it’s hard to find a more passionate fan than Andrew Clark from Newcastle. Having owned just shy of 70 Chargers since the early eighties, Andrew has never lost the love for them.
We had the pleasure of meeting Andrew late on a Saturday afternoon in September to chat about his great passion for the Australian-built Charger.
Growing Up
You might not have picked it, but there wasn’t a Valiant to be found in the Clark family driveway in Andrew’s younger years.
"I was brought up in Charlestown, which is a suburb in Newcastle. Growing up, my dad had a few different cars. He had an XW Falcon Futura model. It wasn’t anything special, just a six-cylinder. He also had a Holden LJ Torana and a Hillman Minx.
The Spark
Andrew didn’t care much for cars through school, but a giant-killing VJ Valiant hastened his interest in all things automotive.
“My very first car was a HQ Holden. Dad bought it for me. It was Balmoral Green with a white roof, 202 engine and a 3-speed manual on the column. It was just a car to me. I didn’t hot it up or anything.
“I didn’t develop an interest in cars until I was about 17 when I started racing speedway. Around that time, I was in the stock car division. We raced old cars like Holdens, Fords and Valiants. I started off in Holdens and after about a year, I started racing a six-cylinder VJ Valiant sedan. Almost immediately, I started to win races. That’s what got me into Valiants.
“They went very well, so I decided that I wanted to get one for a road car. I opted for a Charger. There were heaps of them around back in 1983. They were very cheap, because nobody really wanted them. You could take your pick at what you wanted and get a perfect one for well under $5000.”
The First
And so, the hunt began! It didn’t take long to find one in the Newcastle used car market.
“My first Charger was a Stellar Blue CL 770 with a 265 Auto. I picked it up for about $800 dollars. It was a bit rough, even though it was only eight years old. It just goes to show that they weren’t very well looked after back then. They were seen as just a car, and Valiants didn’t have a great name at the time. I just drove it around while I was looking for a good one. It didn’t take long, because there was so much to pick from back then.”
White Knight
Andrew recalls a miraculous change of direction on the way to secure a different Charger.
“I had just dropped my girlfriend off at work and was heading to an outer-suburb of Newcastle to put a deposit on a Charger I had looked at a few days beforehand. It was a white VH with a red interior.
“On my way to put this deposit on, I spotted an old guy driving the other way in a special edition ‘White Knight’ Charger. I remember thinking, ‘hang on, that looks good’. It wasn’t for sale, but I did a U-turn and followed him all the way to work!
“When he pulled up, I said g’day and asked him whether he would consider selling it. He was in his mid-sixties and said to me, ‘well, I’m retiring next year, and I was going to sell it then.’ It was immaculate, as he had only had it for seven years. He had bought it new here in Newcastle and it had log books and all.
“He said he would have a talk to his wife that night and to give him a ring. When I spoke to him, he said he had spoken to his wife and they were prepared to sell it straight away. He wanted $3000 and that was no problem.
Andrew’s White Knight Charger in all its glory
“It’s funny how these things happen, because he later told me that he hardly ever drove to work, as the guy he usually went with was sick. That’s why it had such low kilometres when I bought it.
“When I went around to his place to pick it up, I realised that you wouldn’t want to drive it every day! He had this tight single garage and a really steep driveway down to the garage which was so narrow. Getting it out of the shed took about 10 minutes. I thought, ‘no wonder he hardly ever takes it out. It takes so bloody long to get out of the shed!’
“I laugh a little bit about that situation, because I hope the bloke who was going to sell me the other car isn’t still waiting for me! I was just so excited with the White Knight that nothing else mattered. The rest is history and I still have the car.”
The Daily Driver
Andrew put the White Knight Charger to work immediately and the odometer ticked over like it never had before.
“When I bought it, I had just started a job on the railway doing track work. Still living at home, I was driving it up to Muswellbrook which was about 75 kilometres each way. I did that for about five years and then ended up in Maitland, which was much closer. I went everywhere in that car including interstate trips and car shows.
“The markings on the car are all factory. A lot of people think I put decals on and did it up with the spoiler, but that’s how the White Knights came out. Of all the Chargers I’ve owned, that’s my sentimental favourite. I daily drove it for a long time. It has almost half a million kilometres on it now.”
White Knight parked in Lochinvar, New South Wales
Retiring White Knight
After almost three decades as a daily driver, White Knight eventually needed a freshen up.
“In 2014, I decided to retire it as a daily driver. I pulled it off the road to get it painted, the gas removed and basically, as close to original as possible. However, just after I dropped it off at the panel shop, I had a minor medical problem. That slowed things down and it ended up being at the panel shop for almost a year.”
Why Chargers?
We couldn’t help but to ask Andrew what he loves about the Valiant Charger.
“I love the shape of them and the fact that they’re a two-door. There’s something about the way the back drops down to form a built-in rear wing. It’s a complete obsession that I have never lost.
“A lot of my mates had a similar obsession with them and then grew out of it. I still feel the same way as I did 30 years ago and always jump on the computer to go through my photos. I don’t think I will ever lose the love for them. I would have felt it by now.
“Having said that, I don’t like doing the big restorations anymore. I don’t mind maintenance and minor things, but I don’t enjoy doing the big jobs on them now. But as far as going out and driving the cars, I haven’t lost the love for that one bit.
“I am very proud of the cars. It’s a shame that so many were wrecked, but back then, they weren’t worth anything. If we knew then what we knew now, we would have preserved them. I’d also be millionaire, probably!”
Topping up the fuel tank
The Siblings
There have been a few. That’s all we’ll say.
“After picking up White Knight, I sold the CL almost straight away at the auctions for $1100. That was $300 more than I paid for it. I watched it go away on a truck and I have never seen it since. I know the body number, I know the details, but I have never seen it.
“I have kept a record of all the Chargers I’ve owned including the body numbers for all of them except the first three that I raced in speedway. I forgot to keep those body numbers, but I’ve recorded all of them since them. From that first blue CL until now, I have owned 69 Chargers. Most of those were rusty ones that went on the speedway. I have photos and details of nearly all of them including what I paid for them, how I used them and what I sold them for.”
The Cousins
Andrew has also held the keys to a couple of other models from Tonsley Park.
“In terms of other Valiants, I had an orange CL ute. I have also had a couple of sedans, but nothing I have held onto for a long period of time.”
The Rivals
When we chatted with Andrew, his partner Julie had just left for Canberra in a Torana for a Holden car show. Since meeting Julie three years ago, Andrew’s appreciation for seventies Australian motoring has only deepened, albeit from a rival brand of the era.
“I have been learning a lot more about Toranas having been with Julie for three years. Julie and her ex-partner had a Holden collection and when they separated, she was able to hold onto her Toranas, one of which has been in a few magazines with a previous owner. She had her first drive of it only recently after owning it for a couple of years.
“Julie also loves the Chargers and always has. Between us, we have a bit of a collection of classic cars. We both like to keep them original.”
Keeping the seventies alive in Hawks Nest
Riding shotgun
We finished off with a quick chat about another delight in Andrew’s life, but with four legs instead of four wheels.
“One of our dogs is really spoiled. He comes nearly everywhere with me. He even comes over to Adelaide with me in the Charger. His name is Rusty and he’s a Kelpie. We have three other dogs, but he’s the one who comes around with me on road trips in the Charger.”
Rusty the Kelpie is also a Charger fanatic