Not many people can say they kept their very first car, let alone attest to creating a mechanical monster with it. It was 1985 when a young Theo handed over $250 for the AP5 that was part of a deceased estate in Melbourne. Whilst it was treated as every day transport for a while, Theo longed for the day when his Valiant could sit amongst other tough cars in the Melbourne car scene. Fast forward a bunch of years and the once-stock sedan had seen various levels of modification. Theo now has the Valiant at a stage where he is almost at the point of considering it finished. The desire to transform the Valiant from family cruiser to hardcore Pro-Streeter saw Theo prefer to spend his hardearned dollars on the mechanicals rather than modifying the body. The factory sheet metal was in relatively good condition when the transfer of ownership took place, so very little work was needed to get it back to a stage where it was ready for a new coat of Dulux Jet Black that was laid on by Andrew Giahtsidis at ESP. Theo kept the stock look with the only change made being a piece of bonnet steel removed for the induction to poke through.
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Theo’s intentions for the Val were obviously straight-line speed, so it comes as no surprise to see some basic steering, suspension and braking upgrades.
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