# Chrysler's Australian models were... different **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [May 9, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873 "2024-05-09T19:11:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/1 "2024-05-09T19:11:30Z")
In addition to a body style that was not duplicated for US models, some of their Aussie models came with a 265 c.i. straight six whose power output ranged from 203 HP/262 lb. ft. torque to 302 HP/320 lb. ft. torque, which was said to be an excellent engine. Strangely, it had no relationship to the Slant Six. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/c/5/c54b000ce5566f1b3cc2d606d921786e7ea747d0.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/2 "2024-05-09T19:34:01Z")
Australia car divisions from Chrysler, GM Holden and Ford did some unique and cool things just for their market. Sadly none of them are doing that anymore. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/3 "2024-05-09T19:41:27Z")
I’ve noticed the few Aussies and Kiwi’s posting here are not-infrequently asking performance-related questions. USA vs Australia/New Zealand , vehicle design rules must be quite different. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/4 "2024-05-09T19:41:45Z")
Studebaker was also a force in Australia, but I think that their only alteration for that market was to produce right-hand drive vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 8:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/5 "2024-05-09T20:06:22Z")
The song I am Australian going around in my head. We are one but we are many. Too bad they pretty much cancelled ausie car manufacturing. ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/6 "2024-05-09T20:48:46Z")
Hmmm, Things are different in other countries. Ya think? ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2024, 8:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/7 "2024-05-09T20:57:34Z")
It’s interesting comparing the differences though. ---
**Author:** ![wolyrobb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wolyrobb/32/45497_2.png) [@wolyrobb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wolyrobb)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2024, 8:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/8 "2024-05-10T08:04:10Z")
Church friends started their year in Australia 10yrs ago this month, bought the RV in Sydney from a dealer who took amazing care of them and was more than willing to help them find and register this 1997 Winnebago to travel the country for 1yr. Other than having to fix the transmission when they broke down at the end of a 100m9 stretch of no services at all on the highway the RV served them well. Winnebago USA didn’t protect the trademark in Australia so they could use the name there for years. ![hub-RV](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/0/b/0b388b07e0d9074ba6c48c309e5981ea2e5c7676.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/9 "2024-05-10T14:57:37Z")
Hemi head but not cross flow? Does that affect flow? ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/d/8/d8e7509281003c09490adb2d0dcc3e3b9eb6bdeb.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/10 "2024-05-10T15:06:23Z")
I think calling it a hemi was marketing, not reality. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/8/7/874c7fa6e4e68d7295f42981a3a1ee2cb954d15a.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2024, 3:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/11 "2024-05-10T15:20:51Z")
> [@texases](#): > > I think calling it a hemi was marketing, not reality. +1 I think “semi-hemi” would have been more accurate. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2024, 10:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/12 "2024-05-10T22:19:16Z")
> [@texases](#): > > I think calling it a hemi was marketing, not reality. ??? I hold no opinion on the engine-performance merits of the hemispherical combustion chamber shape, but that photo looks more or less like a hemisphere to me, maybe somewhat flattened from ideal. Is that what you mean by “not reality”? ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/13 "2024-05-10T22:36:46Z")
That head is more of an open chamber wedge head… a hemi head looks more like the inside of a ball, with the valves on opposing sides at opposing angles, the air flows across the typically domed piston, intake and exhaust ports are on opposing sides of the head… Hemi head below, pic from wikipedia (if it shows up, if not look in the link… ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/4/9/49902e8324fc3f727b6beafcd89f32926b19a82b.jpeg) > **[Hemispherical combustion chamber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemispherical_combustion_chamber)** > > A hemispherical combustion chamber is a type of combustion chamber in a reciprocating internal combustion engine with a domed cylinder head notionally in the approximate shape of a hemisphere (in reality usually a spheric section thereof). An engine featuring this type of hemispherical chamber is known as a hemi engine. > Hemispherical combustion chambers were introduced on some of the earliest automotive engines, shortly after the viability of the internal combustion engine was first demonstrated... ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2024, 10:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/14 "2024-05-10T22:46:58Z")
Good discussion. Other than the valve positions rotated 90 degrees, and the second chamber looking new and the first used, the two photos look nearly the same from my perspective, both more or less hemispherical shaped. Is the main “hemi” issue in the first photo then the valve positions? ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2024, 10:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/15 "2024-05-10T22:55:20Z")
Look at the axis of the valve stems. They are parallel in the 6 and splayed in the V8. Tilting the valves from vertical allows larger valves for better flow. I am with @davesmopar and @texases, not so much a hemi as a semi-hemi or open chamber design. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2024, 2:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/16 "2024-05-11T02:12:27Z")
Looks nothing like a hemi, it’s a smoothed out wedge. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2024, 12:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/17 "2024-05-11T12:06:26Z")
The HP Aussie model made 280hp. Pretty good, about 1hp/ci. I never had a 6cyl from that era. GF had a maverick with a 250ci 6cyl I recall. I never drove it. Buddy had a Mav with the 170ci version? Ford had a number of 6 cyl motors back then. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2024, 4:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/18 "2024-05-11T16:12:23Z")
The Ford 144/170/200/250 were never known for their power ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2024, 4:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/19 "2024-05-11T16:21:17Z")
> [@texases](#): > > The Ford 144/170/200/250 were never known for their power Having owned a 1960 Falcon with the 144 c.i. engine, I can attest that zero-60 acceleration was best timed with an hourglass. 😏 ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2024, 7:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873/20 "2024-05-11T19:38:31Z")
Sixes were seen as bargain engines in the US. Cheap, weak and reliable lumps. Pontiac built some hot sixes with their SOHC 6 cylinder in the late 60s. With high compression and a 4 barrel carb they put out 215 hp. Available in Firebirds and LeMans models. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/chryslers-australian-models-were-different/194873.md?page=2)