1 1:1:Car of the show for me was
Louie Demetriou’s triple-black
’68 Charger. I can only dream of
rowing through the Hurst-shifted
gears of the New Process four-
speed that bridges the 512ci big-
block and Dana 60 rear. “I found
this by accident when helping my
brother search for a ’67 Mustang,”
Louie said. “It was an emotional
build for me; our mum Anna had
recently passed and she was
always telling me to live life to
the full and enjoy myself, so I’ve
dedicated the car to her. Now that
the bugs have been ironed out, I’m
clocking up the miles and doing
just what she said”
2: Over 10 years, Kosta Contis
created this awesome Viper V10-
powered CL ute out of his old
work hack. “I was keen to build
something different and had some
scale diecast Challengers and
Chargers with V10s, so I figured it
would fit!” Kosta said. A standout
interior and custom bodywork
offer a refreshing nod to street
machines of the past, and Kosta’s
efforts were suitably rewarded
with a Top 5 Australian spot and
Editor’s Choice award3:: Mopar tech legend Richard
‘Rick’ Ehrenberg loves Aussie
Chryslers and flew in from the
States to attend COTM as a special
guest presenter. A highlight of
the event was his Friday evening
seminar, which he followed
up with an impromptu visit to
the local cruise spots where he
checked out a heap of cars and
happily discussed all manner of
Mopars with some lucky owners1 1::Car of theshow formewas something differentand hadsome
But I was happy to talk the talk, and being a CL panel van tragic I
was immediately drawn to the survivor-spec Impact Orange Drifter
van owned by John Lodge, who wears his passion on his sleeve- literally! But hang on, there was more: he also brought along a
matching orange Drifter ute and Drifter Charger! “I bought the van,
then found the ute soon after,” John said. “Then I realised I was on
a hat trick and put the feelers out for a matching Charger.” Each car
is super-rare and collectible in its own right, but the three together
made for an impressive sight.
As the sun set on Friday evening, the Albury main drag took on
a whole new persona. I swear I’d jumped into the DeLorean and
shot back 20 years to the glory days with the amount of awesome
street cruising on the go. All sorts of Chryslers mixed it with a motley
collection of local hot rods and street machines – seriously a sight
for sore eyes. A handful of blown rides and ultra-tough streeters in
the mix were just icing on the cake.
One car I was particularly taken with was a tidy and suitably
number-plated VH 770 Charger sporting the nose-down/arse-up
sniffer rake along with chrome tramp rods – it just looked tough.
This is my style to a T, but I definitely wasn’t expecting its owner,
Joshua Savvoudiou, to be a bloke in his early 20s: “I just love the
old-school look but most people don’t seem to get it,” he said. “My
dad, Telly, and uncle, George Haridemos have owned Chargers for
years, so it’s in the blood.”
A peek under the bonnet revealed an engine bay superbly
detailed with plenty of chrome and braided hose to tie in with the
80s-inspired exterior. I did a double-take when I spied the carbied
twin-turbo Hemi set-up. “I usually run a triple-Webered 265, but that
gave up the ghost a few weeks ago,” Josh said. “This is one of my
dad’s old motors he and his friend Gary were developing back in
the 80s. It’s been a mad thrash to get it swapped in and tuned, but
it’s been worth it to make it here and have some fun.”
SM photographer Shaun and myself enjoyed some bench racing
with Josh, Telly and George, along with VH E55 owner Chris Evans
and fellow Charger turbo fan Michael McLean, who all hail from
Canberra and regularly cruise our nation’s capital as an ‘unofficial’
club. “We’re all mates who like to keep it about the cars and not
the politics,” Michael said – a refreshing outlook, considering their
hometown. Michael’s orange VJ is a real surprise package, too (see
breakout, page 66).THE SPOTLIGHT AT THIS YEAR’S EVENT WAS
ON THE MODELS THAT BOOKEND THE VALIANT LEGACY IN OZ:
THE R- AND S-SERIES AND THE CL-CM RANGE
3333PHOTO: MICHAEL MCLEAN