Chrysler Australia is celebrating the 50th birthday of the Valiant Pacer nameplate with a special edition tribute car in the form of a Chrysler 300 SRT Core pictured here in Wild Yellow.
“We’re excited to bring to life a modern interpretation of an Australian classic, the Chrysler 300 SRT Pacer tribute car,” said Guillaume Drelon, Director of Product, Chrysler Australia.
But first a quick stroll down memory lane. The Pacer nameplate was first introduced to Australia in 1969 on the Adelaide – built VF-series Chrysler Valiant saloon as a ‘muscle’ offering for Aussie petrolheads.
The ’69 Valiant Pacer didn’t have a V8 but rather a 225-cubic inch Slant - 6 motor which (in the Queen’s English) translates to a 3.7-litre straight-6 engine with a dual-barrel carburettor mated to a 3-speed manual transmission. The Pacer made 130kW and had a claimed top speed of 180km/h. The brakes were drum units all around, although disc brakes were offered and so was a limited-slip differential.
The Pacer tribute seen here however isn’t packing a six-cylinder engine but rather a booming 6.4-litre HEMI V8 with 350kW and 637Nm paired to a TorqueFlite ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. The tribute is wrapped in classic Wild Yellow and swaps out the original ‘Pacer 225’ decals for ones that read ‘Pacer 392’ (392 representing the cubic inch capacity of the 6.4-litre powertrain).
The rest of the Pacer tribute is a standard 300 SRT Core variant with 20-inch alloy wheels enhanced with the striking red stripe seen on the wheels of the 1969 Pacer, Brembo brakes, a limited slip differential, sports suspension, an active exhaust and a tuned steering system with paddle shifters. Inside there’s SRT fabric seats, an 8.4-inch touchscreen featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It also displays SRT-specific performance information.
Chrysler Australia says a limited run of cars based on this concept is expected to be released soon. Stay tuned as we bring you more updates on the Chrysler 300 SRT Pacer tribute.
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