IN THE latest issue of Street Machine we take a look at Con Sagiaris’s street ’n’ strip VG Valiant hardtop, and it’s a ripper.

With pin-straight panels and gleaming black paint, the big Valiant rumbles to the beat of a 398ci Chrysler small-block. Con reckons it’s good for 699hp on avgas and a little less on pump fuel.

“It’s easy to drive,” he says. “It’ll happily clock up street miles, but it also has plenty of stick when needed. The Val ran a 10.49 at Calder and scored Fastest Street Car at the Chrysler Nats.”

The secret to Con’s power is all in the top end, although stretching the Chrysler’s capacity out to 398ci doesn’t hurt. Ported Mopar W5 alloy heads flow plenty of air and work well with an M1 tunnel ram and a pair of Quick Fuel 750cfm carbs. This is not your grandad’s Valiant! The transmission is a two-speed Powerglide and there’s a 5600rpm TCE converter to get it off the line. The 4.3 gears sound a bit steep, but the 28in tall tyres calm them down somewhat when it comes to highway cruising.

Con had the black beauty out to play at the Heathcote Mopar Nationals recently and it had no trouble reeling off consistent 10-second passes. Click the video to see some quarter-mile action from Heathcote.