BROTHERS INLAW

Holden HQ Kingswood/Chrysler Valiant VG Coupe

Holden HQ Kingswood/Chrysler Valiant VG Coupe

Growing up in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne, both Rob and Eamons family members drove Holdens and Valiants. Rob’s brother has an HQ Holden which has been heavily modified and his father chauffeured the family around in the ‘Italian limousine’ a VG Valiant, while Rob and his mates would scour the local area for cheap ‘Australian made’ cars to have some fun with – but these were far from dream cars.

The cars defined their friendship and the group of car enthusiasts would find themselves either under cars, changing gearboxes or tappets or cruising the streets of Clifton Hill and Broadmeadows. [Very Bruce Springsteen, ‘Racing in the Streets’ vice!]

Playing around with cars at a young age set Rob on a path of lifelong appreciation for them in general, but his formative years in the 70’s and the 80’s riding around in the family Valiant also imparted a bit of favouritism. Today both Rob and Eamon are something of car aficionados when it comes to early era Australian muscle cars for which they credit their childhoods. “Driving around in their parents Valiants and Holdens is what helped spark their interest in these cars from a very young age”. They both knew back then that when they grew up, they too would own one of these classic Australian marques. It’s not an uncommon statement for a kid to make, but these declarations of footstep-following rarely last beyond the next youthful infatuation.

Years later Rob and Eamon, after settling down with a house and a family, both managed to capture a reminder of their youth with the purchase of Rob’s HQ Holden [with a 355 hp LS1 engine as a later addition] and Eamons VG Valiant Coupe [with an aftermarket V8 318]. Rob, who had owned Holdens before including an original HQ and an EH Holden recalls fellow HQ devotees stating that, “once people own an HQ they never consider owning anything except an HQ!”.

Eamon similarly, was looking at purchasing a Holden [HK Coupe] but given the already escalating price of these models, settled for his more affordable, yet equally desirable Valiant Coupe. Whilst Rob and Eamons vehicles have both appreciated in value they would never be interested in offering the cars for sale.

The vehicles are not trophy cars and the owners both make it a point to drive the customized vehicles as frequently as possible [Robs Holden was a daily driver before the installation of the LS1!].

They often find themselves taking the cars for visits to family members, where they collectively are able to share stories of their respective memories behind the wheel. As they shared some of these with us, Rob and Eamon both said their favourite part about the pair of Australian classics is not only the underestimated touring experience of these large, substantial cruisers, but the fact that these cars have managed to become a family heirloom.

As such, Eamon has made a point to ensure that his Valiant is not only enjoyed often, but carefully maintained in its original form – one might be tempted to swap in some further mechanical modifications or play around with some aesthetic personalization’s, but its ultimately going to remain in the spec that it was in when he first purchased it.

Eamon contemplated the option of modifying the Valiant slightly by adding new wheels/rims to the vehicle, adjusting the ride height to make the stance more aggressive and changing the colour of the car to a vibrant purple!

Whilst the Valiant’s existing and original colour is an off-white paint specification, Rob agrees with the research which indicates that the ‘popularity of black, silver, grey, or white cars can seem boring on the surface’. The intense purple paint jobs of the 1970’s which were synonymous with many of the American carmakers models including the infamous Dodge Challenger and various Plymouth and Chrysler models, created a cult-like following that intensifies with every passing year. The colour was fitted on enough cars to still have an impact to this day and to influence and sway car lovers such as Eamon to consider changing the originality of their vehicles. Eamon hasn’t changed the colour of his Valiant but it might be on the cards at a later date!?

Rob however has a different take on this – being a hands-on type of guy he appreciates the opportunity to make changes, upgrades and modifications to his Holden. From the original 253 V8 engine and unimpressive old fashioned auto transmission, Rob has made various and quite dramatic alterations to the Holden.

From the installation of a hefty LS1 engine [which causes the vehicle to lose traction at the slightest touch of the accelerator!] to the upgraded transmission, which at a cost of around $4000.00 can safely equip and handle up to approximately 800hp coming from the engine. Items including the differential and the braking system have all been upgraded to cope with this increase in power.

One thing that Rob and Eamon both agree on is that they will eventually pass their cars down to the next generation of their subsequent family members so they can add their unique experiences to these cars long and full story, but for the time being they’re still busy with their own chapter!