Valiants in their Veins
Rounding out Charger Week with a beautiful piece penned by Leah Hays.
Chris and Leah Hays
We’ve reached the end of Charger Week production. The final story is travelling down the assembly line, but we can promise that our Chrysler Valiant Charger celebration is going out in style.
Chris Hays had already been a great help in connecting us with Colin Colquhoun from Canberra. However, he wasn’t done yet. Earlier this week, Chris also dug out a brilliant account of growing up with a Valiant Charger written by his daughter, Leah.
Leah was kind enough to give permission for her story to be published for Charger Week and we’re thrilled to be able to share it here.
So, we’ll hand the keys to Leah.
I grew up with the smell of burnt racing fuel in my nostrils and the sound of high revving engines at the racetrack.
My Dad owned (and still does) a Valiant Charger... not just any Charger, but the E38 six pack racing version. We would regularly travel to Morgan Park in Warwick or Lakeside Raceway for club sprints and race track thrashes.
Sometimes my sister and I were allowed to go for a passenger ride with Dad in the Charger out on the track. It was the highlight of our weekend feeling that brutal acceleration and the sound of the screaming engine. My Dad was at one with that car and existed in another time zone for a short period of time.
A younger Chris posing with Chrysler Australia’s finest
So, when it came to getting my first car, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that it would be a classic. Valiants had been the one constant in my life, they just felt like home. The Charger had been just as much a part of my family as the average family dog. Nothing made me feel more at home than being in dad's garage. The smell of oil, grease and WD40, the radio belting out the keyboard intro to Riders on the Storm, the tinkling of a spanner hitting the concrete, and the endless string of profanities that worked their way out from underneath the car. It’s was really quite hilarious.
I always knew I wanted an old car, I wouldn’t have it any other way. But this car, well... she chose me. After reluctantly giving in to my father’s disapproval of buying anything that required his mechanical skills, I arranged the purchase of a baby blue Toyota Corona Station Wagon for $1500 that I saw parked on the side of the road.
I just bounded on up to the front door and asked the man living there if he wanted to sell it. Turns out he had a few too many cars on his hands and was keen to make a sale. He tried to get me to buy an old AP6 Valiant wagon he had parked out the front under a leaf littered car cover. I took a look but told him of my predicament before I could form an attachment to the vehicle. When he pulled out of the Corona sale at the last minute, my Dad saw how disappointed I was and decided to buy one of the bloke's other cars for me instead.
It was the Valiant.
I named her Nora the Explorer. She became a big part of my life and my adventures through my 20s. Unfortunately, the dreaded tin worm got hold of her and I reluctantly let her go after 12 years of ownership. That car will always hold a special place in my heart with so many memories attached to it. She has now passed onto the next owner and is currently undergoing restoration.
However, the Charger is still going as strong as ever and I one day hope to inherit it along with my sister.
Australian metal on the move
And so, that rounds out Charger Week. It’s been a lot of fun putting these stories together, and we must thank everybody who helped to make this possible.
We’re always up for a chat, and we’d love to hear what worked, what didn’t and what sort of stories you’d like to see next. You can drop us a line here.
Finally, it would mean a great deal if you could come over and say g’day on our Facebook and Instagram accounts.