First published in the January 2008 issue of Street Machine

You really have to have some balls if you’re going to paint your street machine pink. And not just any pink but a home-brewed concoction of magenta overlaid with blue pearl. Kerry Chambers has got balls, not to mention a decent collection of cars, and this is the latest to roll out of his shed.

It’s a genuine one-owner car that was local to his area. “It was on the side of the road with a ‘for sale’ sign. I skidded to a stop as soon as I saw it. The sign had only been up 40 minutes and the owner, who was in his late 70s, was still washing it,” says Kerry.

The story gets even better: “We agreed on the price and I went and got the cash to pay for it. When I got back to the car, the old bloke had filled the back with NOS parts — I reckon there would be $30,000 worth of stuff, easy! It turns out he was an ex-mechanic at Ford and as I didn’t haggle him on the price he figured I might as well have all the spares as he didn’t need them any more,” Kerry says. “As I drove off, he stood out the front and saluted the car.”

Kerry had been on the lookout for a ute as it was the only XR he was missing to complete his collection. He’s got one of each body style now: the ute, a Falcon sedan, a wagon (PIMPIN, SM, Feb ’03), a factory V8 van and a GT of course. The collection has even impressed muscle car aficionado David Bowden so much that he refers to Kerry as Mr XR.

That bright pink paint almost fades into insignificance once you spot the pink and white fur trim! You do have to wonder why Kerry built the car as he did but there is some logic behind it. Sort of.

“It’s easy to build a car that appeals to blokes but I built this more as a family object and something my two-year-old daughter, Jordys, can enjoy,” he says. “Having said that, you should have seen the look on people’s faces when two 130kg blokes walked out of Spotlight carrying a couple of bags of the stuff!”

It’s obvious it’s all been done in good fun but it sure does get some looks when Kerry takes it for a drive.

“It’s like being in a goldfish bowl when you go out in this thing. Just the other day I had Stefan — you know, that hairdresser bloke — steering his Ferrari with his knees while he was taking photos! And this is a bloke who has enough money to buy practically any car he wants.”

There’s no doubt about it, the ute stands out in a crowd but it’s what’s under the the BA bonnet hump added by Outlaw Automotive that really made us pay attention. How does 400 cubes of bottle-fed Windsor sound? What if we told you it cranks out almost 700hp before the giggle gas gets anywhere near it! Still reckon it’s a bit limp?

If you’re studying the engine photo trying to find the nitrous lines, don’t bother. The system is disconnected as Kerry doesn’t want to take any risks with the boys in blue — after all, it’s not like he can quietly sneak past them when they’re filling up at Maccas, and it’s not exactly short on horsepower without the nitrous!

When it comes time to get serious and plumb in the gas, the motor cranks out 1000hp. In fact it pumps out a lot more than that but Kerry’s going to wait until he gets it to the track and runs some decent numbers to prove his point. No point in quoting hollow four-digit horsepower figures if you can’t run a time, he reckons.

The foundation of the engine is a Dart Racing Block that was designed entirely on computer by Numerella Performance.

“These guys are awesome on the R&D stuff and they designed the motor right down to the last detail. There’s nothing worse than doing this sort of stuff by trial and error,” Kerry says.

It’s topped with a pair of CHI heads and a CHI intake, and the whole shooting match was expertly bolted together by Ed at Sport Engines. He spends his days working on Indy cars and other exotic racing gear so he was a good choice to screw together Kerry’s screamer.

The inspiration behind the healthy small-block can be traced directly to a trip Kerry made to the US.

“We went over there for our honeymoon and I went to see some drag racing. There was a ’68 Camaro and a ’67 Fastback Mustang that ran sevens with nitrous. These guys would come out, run 10s without the gas, and then run sevens with it! I tracked down the Mustang and basically designed the motor to similar specs.”

Clearly the combination works well, as Kerry insists that even with the big stall and ample horsepower, it’s still a very streetable car. Those numbers without the gas were made with 98-octane pump fuel, although Kerry does feed it the good stuff when it’s time to plug the nitrous back in.

It’s easy enough — although quite expensive — to make bulk horsepower but getting it all heading in the right direction is quite often a bit of a stumbling block. Kerry decided not to stuff around in this respect, and has fitted a tried-and-true Powerglide ’box behind the Ford motor.

Ford fans may scream in agony but most will agree that it’s a pretty bulletproof combination if your main objective is to get down the quarter-mile as quickly as possible. The ’box is also fitted with a transbrake, and with that 5700rpm stall — right where the nitrous kicks in — it should make for some pretty serious launches!

The final piece of the driveline puzzle is a Chevy 12-bolt — just kidding! It’s a nine-inch of course, fitted with a Strange centre, 35-spline axles and a 3.9 centre. The diff is located with a four-link kit from Romac, while a custom billet tailshaft marries the cogs and the diff. It all sounds a bit over-the-top but it’ll need to be once the taps get turned on and that button is pressed!

We all know those elastic-band tyres aren’t going to be up to the job on the dragstrip, so Kerry has gone to the trouble of getting another set of matching Center Line Dagger wheels but they’ll be fitted with front-runners at the pointy end and a set of 17×10.5 slicks for the rear. There’s no problem getting the rubber under the back either as the car has been mini-tubbed — although it’s hard to tell as the job has been cleverly disguised with a few metres of fur, or as Kerry calls it: “The Liquid Paper of the automotive industry!”

Have a laugh now but when it’s run a number, be prepared to let Kerry have the last giggle.

PINK MUSCLE

There aren’t many blokes who’d be brave enough to paint their cars pink. It’s not as crazy as you think, though, especially if you’re building a muscle car.

In the late 60s and early 70s, just about every manufacturer offered the effeminate hue in the range and, as you’d expect, not many people ticked the box for that option. With US muscle cars, the more adventurous colour choices only lasted a handful of years, so that means these days, a factory pink muscle car is a desirable bit of gear.

Aussie muscle car fans will be familiar with Magenta Chargers and Strike Me Pink Toranas, and you’ve probably heard of Panther Pink/Moulin Rouge — a Mopar colour that graced a handful of the finest muscle cars to ever hit the road.

For Ford and Chevrolet guys, it appears the only Pink Mustang or Corvette you’ll find is one from Mary Kay or Tussy Cosmetics. Possibly the rarest pink muscle car of all is the 1968 Javelin AMX given to Playmate of the Year Angela Dorian, one of two painted that colour.

KERRY CHAMBERS
1967 XR FALCON UTE

THANKS
Numerella Performance; Kanooks Kustoms; Heavy Kevy; Little Jake’s Polishing Service; Matt Damen; Chocolate Cam; Suliman’s Speed Shop; Chucky’s Haulage; Outlaw Automotive; Julius; Fat Jason; Bobby.