Adelaide Chrysler Festival 2018 – gallery

A Mopar show in the coolest conceivable location - the ex-Chrysler/Mitsubishi Main Assembly Building in SA

Share


IAIN Carlin looks spent. “I think this is the best show we’ve ever done,” the Chrysler Club of SA president sighs as he leans against the bootlid of his tidy brown VF Valiant sedan. “I’ve been talking to people and normally you’ll get one or two complaints, but today I’ve not heard a single gripe.”

chrysler valiant chargerThe people have spoken; the 2018 Shannons Adelaide Chrysler Festival has been a resounding success. The unique ambiance has been unlike anything we have experienced; after all, it’s rare for a car show to be held in the preserved remnants of the factory that built so many of the vehicles entered. The South Australian Government now owns the ex-Chrysler/Mitsubishi Main Assembly Building facility, transforming it into the Tonsley Innovation District, offering incentives for tech businesses to set up shop under the expansive main roof.

Iain explains how the show came about: “The club got involved in a project to put together a Tonsley-themed timeline display here – massive steel pictures detailing the history of the area, from farmland to factory. Then last year we held our annual membership day here; that really was the big test. Renewal SA couldn’t have been more helpful; as far as government departments go, they were so easy to deal with. They didn’t even want us to pay!”

Chrysler Adelaide FestivalThe free venue meant the club could pass on the savings, with no entry fees charged for spectators and entrants alike. “We set ourselves a target to make this as easy as possible: no entrant numbers, no forms, no judging, no trophies and no plaques. And I’ve not heard one person complain about any of that, either.”

Iain isn’t wrong; the zero-pressure environment has made the Shannons Adelaide Chrysler Festival a refreshingly social event. Sure, the chamois have been out, but with no sheep station-sized trophies on the line, owners have been willing to kick back mid-polish and talk Mopars or no cars.

Chrysler Adelaide festivalMoments after we’d entered the venue earlier in the day, snapper Alastair and I had lost each other; he zoned in on a zombie-hunting VJ Valiant coupe, while I followed a trail of hot Chargers lined up along the northern wall. The rich seam of Aussie metal continued, yielding an immaculate AP3 Wayfarer ute and a rare CM Valiant GLX in similar condition. The sun filtering through the factory’s sawtooth roof danced upon the scintillating brightwork adorning Chrysler Australia’s finest, but even the most ardent Valiant nut knows that when it comes to chrome, nothing compares to the USA. Venturing deeper into the show, I was almost blinded by Simon Cole’s 1957 Chrysler Windsor, its massive, cheesy grille glimmering in the natural light as his son Phoenix danced to the live music that floated above the vinyl and steel.

Cover bands Crossroads, Katfire and The Groove provided a sonorous background soundtrack, audible throughout the open walls of the old factory; with local radio station Coast FM filling in the gaps, broadcasting live from the show.

Chrysler Adelaide FestivalClassic covers are good, but Frank Bergamin’s big-block Dodge Charger (SM, May ’18) rocked the building’s very foundations. People were drawn to the noise like birds to a freshly washed car; Alastair and I were no different, reuniting over the menacing black machine.

As we marvelled at just now much the place still looked like a factory, two former Chrysler/Mitsubishi workers were discussing how much it had changed. Colin Shaw started with Chrysler in 1977, leaving Mitsubishi in 2017, well after local production had ceased. “Back in the Chrysler days, they’d be parts stillages piled three or four high either side of the assembly line, so it didn’t feel as open as this,” he recalled. “I worked in here at the end of the line, gassing up the air cons and testing them. That was a great job in summer.”

Chrysler Adelaide FestivalGeorge Apostolidis also did a fair stint at Chrysler/ Mitsubishi, following in the footsteps of his father, cousin and uncle, who worked at the factory for a total of 75 years between them. “I was on the chassis line, installing differentials and tying them up to the tailshafts, then moved to other areas.” George pointed to a cladded office perched high in the roof, accessible only by a flight of metal stairs. “The superintendent would be up there. Sometimes you would look up and he’d be looking back, peering through these big binoculars. He was always checking we weren’t slacking!” he laughed.

The day blurred on, with mint-restored Rootes Group rides parked next to survivor-mileage Mopars, sharing in kind the very factory floor from which they had risen. From Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth to the more esoteric DeSoto, Imperial, Simca, Hillman and Sunbeam, there was a machine of every marque. Naturally, the Valiant proved to be the most popular model, with examples representing every variant, from the original R-series to the second-last Valiant ever built, a CM that rolled off the line on 28 August 1981.

Chyrsler Adelaide FestivalIt was easy to get distracted; by the time we’d pinned Iain down for our chat, the cars were filtering out. There will be other Chrysler shows, but it’d be hard to imagine any quite so special as this one.

Returning to our conversation, Iain concludes: “It was more arse than class to jag this venue; the right time, the right amount of cars, everything.” He says he’s open to having the event at the Tonsley Innovation Hub again next year, but by then the old factory will have more tenants and less space. “We advertised it as a one-off; it may well stay that way,” he says.

As the sound of dozens of Hemi sixes cranking up fills the building for the first time in 37 years, Iain flashes us a weary but satisfied smile before starting his slant-powered VF sedan. Selecting Drive, he muses: “It’s just been a perfect storm.”

PLEASURE CRUISE

The All Chrysler Day at the former factory was only part of the festivities, with an informal cruise, lunch and drinks (in that order) on Friday and the ever-popular Mopar Mega-Cruise on Saturday night. Photographer Alastair and I got amongst it, driving an AP6 sedan borrowed from Simon and Emily Cole (thanks guys). It was amazing to get in there and chat to Chrysler fanatics from all over the country, then take to the streets in a machine built right here in Adelaide. Pacers and Chargers lined up against customs and projects, restoration queens shining next to survivor-spec patina monsters.

US tin is always a favourite; surely the ’Cuda (far left) must rate as one of the toughest muscle cars on the planet, with their wide stance and hockey-stripe signage giving away everything, 340 or 383 proudly emblazoned on the side. Sleepers they ain’t!

Chrysler Adelaide FestivalThe old jiggers were thin on the ground, but a 1934 Plymouth roadster stood out, bright red over yellow wheels, and we also spotted a 1938 DeSoto (top left), sitting proudly at stock height, with zero mods aside from blinkers and peep mirrors. The same couldn’t be said for Alison Purdie’s Maxwell (left); the rare 1925 pick-up was rodded by her uncle John in 1966 and purchased by her dad in as-is condition in 1993. Running 1959 Chrysler Royal running gear, it has to be one of the older surviving rods in SA.

SHOW ME THE WAY

chyrsler wayfarer uteFather-and-son duo Winston and Rustin Chivell brought Winston’s one-owner VE Wayfarer ute along (above), attending both the cruise on Saturday night and putting together a pretty good display for the Sunday show.

Chrysler wayfarer ute“I bought it brand new,” Winston said. “It was built for the police accident appreciation squad, who used to go around measuring up crash scenes and weighing trucks and stuff like that.” That explains the Celtic Blue paint, optional 160hp slant, 904a Torqueflite and genuine Chrysler sun visor, but doesn’t reveal why it sports such a low body number, yet sat around unclaimed, not selling until the VE’s run was almost up.

chrysler wayfarer ute engine bay“It was always my main car; all the paintwork is original and I used to use it around my farm,” Winston said. “I’ve got about 160 classic tractors and 200 vintage engines; I brought most of them home behind the Valiant.”

chrysler wayfarer ute trayThe ute was retired in 1992 when it was replaced with a Falcon, but being on acreage, the family had room to store the historic Valiant until Rustin awoke it from its slumber 22 years later. “I had the motor rebuilt and fitted a US-sourced twin-carb intake and period alloy wheels,” Rustin said. “I wanted to make it look like an original service ute. The dealer who sold Dad the car had one, so we replicated that; I even tracked down the old dealer principal; he was still alive!”

chrysler valiant1. Impact Orange is pretty in-your-face for a basic 245-powered CL Valiant sedan, but it certainly attracts some looks. Owners David Coombe and Michael Ebrey get it out whenever they can. “We’ve owned it for three-and-a-half years,” David said. “The paint is fairly original. I put air con in it and repainted the rims; other than that, it’s basically as-is.” Note: This is not what car dealers mean when they talk about ‘safe colours’!

chrysler valiant charger2. Another unrestored, survivor-spec beauty! This Hot Mustard E37 VH Charger R/T sports around 70 per cent of its original paint and stands as one of only 134 E37s built. Sold by Clem Smith Motors in 1972, Clem signed it in 2013, alongside scribbles from fellow Charger racer Leo Geoghegan and racing program head John Ellis

chrysler adelaide festival3. I love an oddball, and the festival had plenty. A rare, Australian-delivered Sunbeam Rapier and a Scottish-assembled Humber Sceptre represented the Rootes Group’s Arrow platform, better known to us as the Hillman Hunter

chrysler centura4. The Simca-based Centura is not for everyone, but this 1977 KC model, one of just 2792 built, is unrestored and heavily optioned, featuring a fourspeed manual, 245ci Hemi six and factory air con

chrysler adelaide festival5. Across the way, the Simca crew integrated its national rally with the festival, displaying Aussie-assembled Arondes and Vedettes. Fun facts: the Aronde wagon was Australiandesigned, and the Vedette, despite being a Chrysler product, ran a Ford flathead V8. Sacrilegious!

Iain Carlin6. Iain Carlin was instrumental in bringing the event together. His beautiful VF Valiant sedan sports Mahogany brown duco deep enough to swim in – assuming you like swimming in brown. “It caught fire in 1994 and burnt out the interior,” he said. “While it was stripped, I gave it a $1000 respray and put a new interior back in.” Instant awesome!

chrysler valiant7. Before Holden and Ford released Lowndes, Ambrose, Ingall or even Goss special editions, there was the Stirling Special. Simon Smith’s VG coupe is one of about 143 built and nine known to still exist. “I bought it off a guy who worked at Chrysler, but it was originally built for chief engineer Walt McPherson,” Simon said. Former Chrysler guy Tony Richards, who test-drove the cars with Sir Stirling Moss himself, supplied Simon with key historical info

1940 dodge sedan8. Jim Alevi’s avocado-coloured patina-spec 1940 Dodge sedan stood out thanks to its cool-factor overload. “I’ve only had it about 12 months; just cruising it around,” he told us. “It’s been through a few owners – I’m trying to chase down as much history as I can. I was told that it’s an ex-military car out of Peterborough, so that may explain the colour”

Comments