Two Time Red CentreNATS Champion: Brent Murray's Blown Dodge Dart Replica

Brent Murray's immaculate Dodge Dart has been around for a little while now, after being unveiled back at Street Machine Summernats 29. It's featured in the Meguiar's Elite Pavilion a few times over, and it's also managed to take out the Red CentreNATS champion award twice — the first car to ever do so.

Brent's journey with the car began when he picked up a white VF Valiant for a mere $1000. Brent's gone on record saying many times that the car was far from perfect, however his vision was clear: He wanted to infuse this Aussie machine with its USA counterpart.

Although Aussie hardtops and US Dart shells have remarkable similarity from the firewall backward, the front end needed significant alterations. Brent sourced a beat up VE Valiant for parts, and began modifying and shaping up the front end including tweaks to integrate the iconic '68 Dart grille and the reshaping of the engine bay, which was further refined with raised transmission tunneling and tubs.

The car's lustrous finish, characterized by a deep Candy Apple Red paint job is as striking as ever when you see it out on the street or on the drag strip. Rest assured the car goes as good as it looks, running a 9.2 over the 1/4 mile thanks to an 8/71 Dyer's supercharger sitting a top the cars 440ci Mopar engine Brent sourced from the states. 

Replacing the original transmission, an ATI SuperCase Pro Glide was introduced, with a 3.50-inch Strange tailshaft and a nine-inch differential. The interior, a blend of race and luxury, showcases aftermarket bucket seats, a customized dashboard with Auto Meter gauges, and an eight-point rollcage, exuding both style and functionality.

It's an incredible achievement to build a car to this level, but we just admire Brent's dedication to actually using this thing. It makes a bloody good noise on track, and it looks as menacing as ever parked up in an elite hall somewhere in the country. A huge congratulations goes to Brent on becoming the first ever double Red CentreNATS champion. 

We've heard some noise about all the previous Red CentreNATS champs getting an invite to compete at the next event, so we reckon Brent will be on the hunt for a third title in 2024. If you've never made the trip to Red CentreNATS, the next show is set to be the biggest one yet - celebrating 10 years of meeting in the middle. Entries are on sale now at redcentrenats.com.au