Remember that scene in The Commitments where Jimmy Rabbitte is explaining to his newly-formed band how and why a bunch of white guys could pull off a black, soul music sound?
“D’ya not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the north-side Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin.”
Great movie, but there’s also a message in that scene that applies to the Valiant Pacer. As in: Valiant was the poor relation of the Big Three in Australian in the 60s and 70s. And the four-door Valiant body always played second fiddle to the swoopy, two-door Val Hardtop. And the Pacer with its six-banger and three-speed manual was always looked down upon by those who drove V8 Falcon GTs and Holden Monaros, or even V8 Valiant VIPs. And yet…
And yet, the Pacer’s place in the Australian car story is just as important as any of those other makes and models. And as for soul, well the Pacer was equal parts Aretha and Otis.
