Chrysler fans in the United States are well versed in the history of their favorite manufacturer, but what some may not realize is Chrysler's tentacles reached beyond our borders, and some of the hardware built was unique to foreign markets. One of Chrysler's largest foreign operations was based in Australia. While the horsepower wars were in full swing in the United States, the players in the Australian automotive market-GM (operating under the GM/Holden banner), Ford, and Chrysler of Australia-were all vying for the honor of producing the most enticing performance vehicles in their own marketplace. Central to the program for Chrysler of Australia was producing a suitable powerplant.
While Chrysler of Australia had been producing vehicles equipped with the engines directly derived from U.S. models, most commonly the Slant Six and a smattering of 273 V-8's, legislation enacted in Australia in the late '60s required a higher level of locally produced content in automobiles manufactured in Australia. Chrysler of Australia sought to develop an engine that could be used to fulfill this requirement; the result was the introduction of the Hemi 6 six-cylinder powerplant. Six cylinders for a Hemi? That's right. While stateside, six-cylinders were generally seen as economy powerplants, and big V-8s dominated the performance marketplace, the frame of reference in Australia at the time was quite different. The broader marketplace was much more accustomed to the straight-six as a suitable passenger car powerplant, and, in contrast to the common British four cylinders of the era, straight-sixes were considered a hardy "donk."
As Chrysler was rolling undisguised race cars off their assembly lines since at least the early '60s in the United States, the Corporation's independently managed subsidiary in the southern hemisphere, Chrysler of Australia LTD, was contently pumping out staid and conservative vehicles. Although there was a scattering of Australian machines that whispered a hint of performance in the early '60s, notably the R-series Valiant, musclecars in the American tradition were all but absent on Australian production lines. In that era, Australians lived in a much more conservative and frugal world than their American brothers, and that was evident in their motor vehicles. Economy and practicality were major concerns in the Australian automotive market.
The Australian automotive scene took a drastic turn in 1967 with the introduction of the Ford GT Falcon. Built around Ford's XR-series Falcon four-door sedan (Australians didn't have the same hang ups about musclecars with four doors), the GT featured a 289 V-8, floor-shifted four-speed, bucket seats, was all wrapped up in GT Gold paint, and was adorned with special emblems and stripes. The GT took the Australian streets by storm. Backing up the go-fast street image, the GT took the checkered flag at Australia's premiere motor sports event, the Bathurst 500 production car road race.
Back at the Chrysler camp, things remained relatively placid. On the streets, the Chrysler banner was being waved by an ever-growing number of "hotted-up" older Valiant Slant Sixes. Given the growing market for performance-orientated machines, Chrysler decided to step into the musclecar fray in 1969. Following the theme established on the streets, Chrysler's plan was to produce a factory high-performance version of their Valiant six-cylinder in a package that would appeal to the youth market. The result was the introduction of the Valiant Pacer, built around the VF-series Valiant four-door sedan (unlike the U.S. automakers, the Australians designated their car models by series, rather than model year).
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