“I imported my Charger six years ago from Tellico Plains, Tennessee. Back then, it had a tunnel-rammed 440 big-block.

First published in the July 2024 issue of Street Machine

“When I got it home to New Zealand, it was covered in Raptor Coat, which I hated, so I stripped it back to bare metal, which exposed previous repairs. So, we stripped it right down to the frame rails and rebuilt it from there using Auto Metal Direct panels.

“While it was getting the panelwork done, I noticed a 2006 Viper V10 engine for sale, which isn’t the sort of thing you see every day, so I had to have it. I rebuilt the motor and got it sitting in the bay, but then I saw Lennard Vidot’s ’68 Charger in Street Machine with the same third-gen Viper in it (News Front, SM, Jan ’20). So, to be different, I pulled the motor back out and imported all the forged internals to rebuild it a second time, along with adding twin BorgWarner turbos.

“Obviously, doubling the stock horsepower meant a stronger gearbox was needed, so we mated a built TH400 to the Viper motor, threw away the 8¾in diff and replaced it with a Dana 60 9¾in item with an Eaton Truetrac centre.

“We had the wheels made in Japan; they’re 18×8 with -9 offset up front, and 20×11 with -31 offset on the rear. There’s Wilwood disc brakes all ’round, along with a master cylinder and brake booster located behind the driver’s-side front guard.

“Under the other front guard is a transmission cooler, engine oil cooler and power steering reservoir. On the dyno, it was heating up a bit too much, so we had a custom radiator built and fitted into an airbox in the boot, with subtle vents fabricated behind the rear window to keep the exterior looking reasonably stock.

“I spent about three times what I originally planned, but I also ended up with a car three times better – having a 1000hp, street-legal Charger was well worth the wait!”

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