[imagesource:collectingcars]

Keen to own a piece of South Africa’s automotive history? Then this one-off version of the VH-generation Valiant Charger, developed by Keith Anderson of the Chrysler dealership, Anderson Brooker Motor Enterprise in South Africa, is for you.

It was intended as a pre-production prototype, leading up to a limited-production run of locally made V8 Chargers. Sadly, the production run never materialised, although magazine reviews were overflowing with praise for the car at the time.

It is a pity, as the Valiant Charger V8 was one of the handful of V8 cars for sale in South Africa at the time, so if it had made it to production it probably would have sold relatively well, noted Silodrome.

Image: Collecting Cars

A bit of history: This unique vehicle was based on the South African Valiant Charger, which differed from its Australian namesake and was derived from the North American Plymouth Duster/Dodge Demon. Unlike the standard South African model equipped with a 225 cubic inch slant-six engine, Anderson’s prototype featured a V8 engine, aiming to gauge interest for a potential production run.

Anderson’s initial modifications included swapping out the original engine for a beefier 383 cubic inch V8, pairing it with a TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission, and then going on to widen the wheels and drop the suspension.

Image: Collecting Cars

Image: Collecting Cars

Image: Collecting Cars

Technicar magazine gave the car a thumbs-up in January 1973. But Anderson wasn’t done.

He upped the game by boring the engine out to 390 cubic inches and adding some performance tweaks, which shaved the quarter-mile time down from 15.3 to 14 seconds.

Even though the prototype performed great and got a lot of praise, the 1973 Oil Crisis threw a wrench in the works. With gas prices soaring, people lost interest in V8 sports cars. Because of that, the Valiant Charger V8 never made it to production. Anderson’s creation remained the only example of what could have been a successful line of V8-powered Chargers in the South African market.

Image: Collecting Cars

Image: Collecting Cars

Now, this one-of-a-kind Valiant Charger V8 prototype is up for sale in Johannesburg via Collecting Cars, listed as a private sale.

It’s got just 8,531 kilometres (5,301 miles) on it and still rocks its original silver paint, chrome trim, and black vinyl interior. The car comes with a treasure trove of historical documents, including magazine road tests, letters from Chrysler, and the original registration papers. It’s currently rolling on 17-inch alloy wheels, but a new owner might want to swap those out for period-correct ones.

The car has been with the seller for eight years, but it looks like it is time to have someone else’s hands take the wheel.

[source:silodrome]