FULL REGALIA

ANTHONY BARONE HAS OWNED HIS VC VALIANT REGAL FOR 34 YEARS, BUT THE CAR’S LATEST REBUILD HAS IT TRULY LIVING UP TO ITS NAME

- CARLY DALE

IN ADELAIDE’S ’burbs back in 1988, mullets were king and tough Valiants were aplenty. These were heady times for Anthony Barone. Back then he was a wide-eyed teenager strongly influenced by the locally produced Pentastar brand thanks to his dad’s VG Regal coupe. But it was the earlier VC Valiant that truly captured Anthony’s attention, having witnessed examples that had been nicely modified into a tough bit of kit. “VCs were popular to do up at the time,” he explains.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long until Anthony could sink his teenage enthusiasm into one of his own. “I was 17 and about to start my apprenticeship as a fitter and turner, so I needed a car to get to work,” he says. “My father then bought me a ’67 VC Valiant Regal – it was just before he passed away.” Needless to say, Anthony now has a strong emotional attachment to the car.

Sporting a factory-fitted 273ci V8 backed by a 904 trans, the red VC was finished with a modernised black vinyl interior. It was a great daily for a couple of years – until a lifter broke.

Like any self-respecting car dude, Anthony planned to rebuild the mill and bang out a quick engine bay respray during the donk’s absence. But what should’ve been a fairly quick fix and tidy-up exploded into a much larger project thanks to his childhood neighbour and great mate Bill, who was an apprentice spray painter.