KEY POINTS:
One of the rarest and fastest Australian muscle cars ever built is expected to fetch A$260,000 ($301,000) when it goes under the hammer at next month's Brisbane motor show.
Auction house Shannons describes the 1972 Chrysler VH Charger E49 R/T "Bathurst" coupe as "the best Charger ever offered publicly at auction".
The E49 R/T was built as a special to win the endurance race - and it came better equipped than the E38.
A new four-speed transmission, an even stronger 225kW version of Chrysler's 4.3-litre six pack engine fed by triple twin-choke Weber carburettors and a special 3.50:1 final drive ratio gave it even more street cred than the three-speed manual E38, which produced 208kW (280bhp).
It was credited with being the fastest accelerating Australian muscle car of its era, covering the standing quarter mile in 14.4 seconds and clocking zero to 100km/h in just 6.1 seconds.
But neither the E38 nor the E49 Charger won Bathurst. However, what makes the E49 Charger one of the most collectable of all Aussie muscle cars is that just 145 examples were built, making it considerably rarer than an XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III, an HK Monaro GTS 327 or even a Torana A9X L34.
The E49 R/T coupe was sold in Queensland in 1972 and has had only two registered owners since new.
It was taken off the road in 1981 and stored for 25 years before being restored. It retains its original interior, five dated and correct wheel rims and full undercarriage detailing.
Painted in mercury silver, one of just 29 E49s finished in this colour, this E49 was fitted new with the (A87) small Track Pack fuel tank, the (A95) interior dress-up pack and (G60) front door vent windows.
The Charger is one of several muscle cars up for grabs, including a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T with the 7.2-litre Magnum V8 and pistol grip 4-speed manual combination.
