ON THE ROAD AGAIN

ONE FAMILY'S TREASURED HEIRLOOM FOR ALMOST 60 YEARS, THIS VC VALIANT IS FINALLY BACK ON THE STREETS AFTER A MULTI-DECADE SLUMBER

- IAIN KELLY

OLD cars that have managed to survive everything the decades could throw at them are worthy of all our admiration. One such car has been under the custodianship of a South Australian family for 59 years now, and has recently reemerged as a beautifully built street machine.

Ralph and Antonia Belperio's '66 VC Valiant has been a family fixture since it rolled out of the dealer's lot, though its path to the award-winning streeter you see on these pages involves a three-decade-long slumber.

"The Valiant was delivered new by Motors Limited in Gilbert Street, Adelaide, to my father-in-law Gennaro Piacquadio on 22 July 1966," says Ralph. “It was used as his daily driver and workhorse for 22 years until September 1988, when the old slant-six had become a bit tired and smoky and it was time for an upgrade. The car was considered pretty much worthless at that time, but I said I'd take it and restore it.”

While it normally takes most of us a little while to get our projects finished, Ralph didn't even start on his until 31 calendars had been pulled off the wall. However, with a finished result as clean and cool as this Valiant sedan – now transformed from a slant-six base model to the top-of-the-pops VC V8 - it's fair to say it was worth the wait.

“It's pretty amazing I managed to hang on to it for that amount of time,” Ralph laughs. “Over the 30-year period, I collected various bits and pieces that would be required for the restoration.”