Bathurst rarity, maligned Minor go to auction

Australian supercars from the early 1970s continue to fire the imagination of car enthusiasts and speculators.

And, while the early focus was first on Ford's Falcon GTHO models, then on Holden Monaro GTS coupes and Bathurst Toranas, interest in Chrysler's Bathurst Chargers appears to be growing as well.

This should come to a head when Shannons wheels out possibly the most pristine racing Charger to be yet seen for an auction to be held at the Brisbane motor show on February 10.

The car is a four-speed manual transmission 1972 Charger E49 R/T model that has recently been subjected to a "comprehensive and sympathetic" restoration after being stashed away in good condition for 25 years.

With only two owners since new, the E49 is the rarest of all Australian supercars of the era with only 145 built at Chrysler's plant in Tonsley Park, South Australia

According to Shannons national auction manager Christophe Boribon, the Charger is one of the best in existence and is still fondly remembered by its original owner.

The fully documented 1972 Mercury Silver coupe was originally delivered in Queensland equipped with the small A87 Track Pack fuel tank, the A95 interior dress-up pack and G60 front door vent windows.

Shannons says the E49 Charger "retains its original interior, five dated and correct wheel rims and full undercarriage detailing."

Although Chargers never scored a victory during the golden era of Bathurst racing, the compact six-cylinder coupes were a bold challenge to the heavily V8-dominated field.

The E49's 4.3-litre six-cylinder "Hemi" pushrod engine was heavily worked with three twin-choke Weber carburettors and loving attention from Chrysler engineers and was claimed to be the fastest of all the Australian muscle cars of its era.

The four-speed transmission E49 followed the three-speed manual 209kW E38 model with 225kW, a special final drive ratio and the ability to accelerate from zero to 60mph (97km/h) in 6.1 seconds.

The E49 Charger is expected to bring a price somewhere between $220,000 and $260,000 at auction.

Somewhere further down the scale, but sure to create equal nostalgic interest is the black 1955 Morris Minor convertible that featured in the fondly remembered and long-running ABC sitcom "Mother and Son" starring Garry McDonald and the late Ruth Cracknell between 1984 and 1994.

The Series II Morris Minor convertible was a rarity in Australia, yet it became familiar as the chosen form of transport by McDonald's tragi-comedy figure Arthur Beare, regularly breaking down and sabotaging his numerous attempts at forming romantic alliances. Arthur's elderly mother Maggie, who was played by Cracknell, didn't help either.

The car was stored away by the ABC after the completion of the series in the mid-1990s and, according to Shannons, "remains in generally good condition, with very good paint and bodywork and a tidy interior."

The 1955 "high light" convertible is fitted with the more powerful 1.0-litre engine from the later Morris Minor 1000 model introduced in Australia in 1957, but will require attention to items such as hoses and belts to resume some form of reliability.

A point worth mentioning is that the Mother and Son car is a true factory-built convertible, not a local back-yard job in the manner of many a VW beetle or even the odd Morris Minor two-door.

The Mother and Son convertible has no reserve price but is expected to bring somewhere between $7,000 and $12,000 at auction.

To comment on this article click here