The last car off the Australian Chrysler production line in South Australia in 1981.

But as the 565,338th car rolled out of the Tonnesly Park factory that year one of the workers scratched into the boot floor “last Barstard”.

Owner Ivan Smith said no one knew it was there until he bought the car as a bookend to one of his other prized collections, the first Chrysler built in the country.

Yesterday they were back-to-back, the centre of attention at the biggest Chrysler show in the southern hemisphere — Chryslers on the Murray.

Mr Smith has 20 of the much revered make, one for each model produced in Australia between 1962 and 1982.

“They are special cars with a great and very different history,” he said.

“The last car off the line has never been registered and only ever driven 26 kilometres — with the exception of the spelling mistake in the boot she is perfect.

“But the R-series car has even more significance.

“No one realised she was the first Valiant until they scraped back some paint and found the markings — Body #1.

“For years she was used by a professional roo and fox shooter, the back cut off to turn it into a ute, spray painted black with bullbars.

“It took a lot of work to get the car back to something like its original self.”

Yesterday more than 660 cars registered for the 20th Chryslers on the Murray, slightly down on last year’s record of more than 700 vehicles.

But organiser Rod Taylor said they were lucky to get that with Friday’s rain and recent floods threatening to decimate the event.

“There was a time where we thought we may have as few as 500 cars so to get near to our record last year is a huge effort.

“But we also have media here from the biggest Chrysler magazine in the US so the show really has gone international.”

Staghorn Flat’s Garry Henson had taken his 1926 Chrysler Tourer out of the shed for the first time this year to be at the show.

The car, first restored by upholsterer Clarrie Sutton, has always been garaged on the Border.

“She is a fabulous car, top speed 35 miles an hour,” he said.

Joe and Kathryn Pocock travelled from Lisarow on the NSW central coast for what has become an annual pilgrimage.

“When we came to our first Chryslers on the Murray we didn’t know anyone, now we seem to know everyone,” Mrs Pocock said.