Factory 350 Chevy powered 1972 HQ Holden Statesman! We drive this ground up resto!

[@patrickbryant5224]

A truly Golden Holden. I love this particular model Statesman.

[@XIXjlo]

I remember growing up in Fiji in the 80s. Saw a lot of these Holden HQ as taxis.

[@holdenbrougham1056]

Restoration done by the book perfectly

[@cadifan]

In NZ all the 350's were the Chev version of the car, all Statesman's had 308's. Both sold side by side in showrooms here though the Chev was the rarer of the two.

[@peterhoulis1184]

Awesome Holden !!! You smile says it all

[@Robochop-vz3qm]

Oh man what a machine!!! Stunning

[@TigerRogers0660]

Our neighbor ordered a 350 Statesman Deville new back in 1972. It was metallic brown with lighter brown vinyl roof.

[@anthonybrennan1075]

I remember this on M&M thinking it's the nicest I've ever seen Glenn. My dad had a factory 350 HQ Stato in white with the vinyl roof. He literally drove it till the chassis cracked in the early 90's!

[@Predikant]

These were sold in South Africa as the Chevrolet De Ville. All of them came equipped with vinyl tops, power steering and air-conditioning. With 225 kW and 525 N.m of torque, they were the most powerful car available for domestic sale.

[@hmayerv8]

I had 3 of them here in Malaysia in the mid 80's... they were called Chevrolet Constantia with 350, 279hp. Magnificent cars!

[@Predikant]

@@hmayerv8 the Constantia was available in this market with the 4.1 litre [250 cubic inch] inline 6 and the Holden derived 308 cubic inch [5 litre, V8] These cars were also available in Thailand with a rotary engine, they wore Isuzu badges.

[@hmayerv8]

​@@Predikantyeah, the 3 that I had, 2 were diplomatic Chevy Constantias purchased from the Australian embassy here. Other one from a private owner. All were 350 with TH400. They were a real pleasure

[@harrisonhunter7512]

Wow this brings back childhood memories of my parents driving us around as kids ,exactly the same car but in navy blue.And it wore the chev badge though.

[@sophdog1678]

The upholstery is not velour - it's a polyester brocade weave. My dad's 308 Zodiac Blue HQ De Ville had the same fabric - it picks up dirt very easily. If you want to check for factory air, look for an extra air vent in the middle of the dash pad, just to the left of the instrument binnacle. I remember the dealer principal at Suttons Homebush had a 350 De Ville, purple with a black vinyl roof, 350 stickers, and GTS steel wheels. As a youngster mad about everything HQ, that was my dream beast - that could only be topped by a 350 LS Monaro with factory air and power windows. Now that LS Monaro was a rare beast indeed!

[@enceetee2645]

Another telltale for factory air was the four-speed heater fan, rather than two-speed.

[@coopsawright7225]

he was talking about the door trim and floors being velour , i think , but these 2 cars u mention are my fav all time muscle cars from 70's.

[@geesmith6656]

What a Gem!

[@81griffin]

had a mint one through my early 20s sold it for a house deposit. wish I didn't have to sell it beautiful car to cruise

[@michaelcinar1452]

Excellent video thank you.

[@GlennEverittMasterofMachines]

You are welcome!

[@iansutton3176]

What a fabulous car!

[@lobsterwhisperer7932]

That front end was popular in the day on HQ's

[@highpressurecleaninggoldcoast]

Hi, I have more history on this car if you are interested. It was my grandparents car and I inherited it when they passed away.

[@GlennEverittMasterofMachines]

I would love to know more. Can I email you? Feel free to message your contact details.

[@highpressurecleaninggoldcoast]

Glenn Everitt - Master of Machines yes definitely [e-mail]

[@rossfairleigh754]

It is a beautiful car.

[@abandonedwayamoon8749]

Beautiful car ! I would love to have it !

[@doriankeating1963]

Had one identical except an Aussie 308 with a shaker sticking through the bonnet ! Damn I should never have let my father in-law sell it on me ! Grrrrrrrr! I still have a few parts for it! Power window switches and the old screw on gear know for the column shift auto!

[@bobbyboy7480]

velour? Please! its brocade lol. Magnificent car!

[@davehad-enough2369]

Oddly enough 350 Statesmans were relatively common. I remember seeing many early in the life of HQs. They used the Monaro auto engine with the down-rated HP. Plenty powerful enough in a car that did not go around corners well. Nice to see one looking brand new. Thanks

[@deanfoster2932]

2500 is not common very rare

[@coopsawright7225]

@@deanfoster2932 even rarer still in this condition with all the factory nuts and bolts in 2023

[@coopsawright7225]

@@deanfoster2932 three quater million dollar car maybe kinda rare ?

[@jeremygreen3392]

Love the standard headers!

[@Predikant]

Headers are formed on a mandrel with tube stock, those are Rams Horn manifolds.

[@bull716]

I remember dads friend had one in gold with a 350 it was a company car back in 75

[@sandycampos127]

Love the color

[@coopsawright7225]

The De Ville range of hq's never really continued for long into production bc everyone started to want panel vans , if my childhood memory serves me right.

[@dougcox3990]

My Dad had a red 350 HQ Statesman, white vinyl roof and white interior, paid $1500 for it in 1980. Hope it's still going, somewhere.

[@coopsawright7225]

40 yrs on and it is worth around 100 times that price !

[@Davidm1956]

Same colour scheme as my parents 1972 HQ Premier Chateau Mauve with bone trim. Sooo 1970's:)

[@Mercmad]

My Mum bought one New!. Hers was a cream /beige colour with tan vinyl top and brocade seats. It was sold early on because it was a serious gas guzzler. Just in time for the arab fuel crises . She made money on it and bought a New Datsun 260C . The next owner of the Holden ha the trans blow up and a head gasket went. They came with alloy rocker covers and chrome air cleaner but I have no idea what model 350 it was, probably some low compression smogger.

[@herbnalis3723]

The last of the 350's.

[@danwils2470]

Very nice car omg I cut one of those car up into bits once smh back in the early 90s kick kick kick me 308 but still have the boot lid😊

[@stephenireland3816]

I had a worked 350 in my HJ four door

[@mesodatasystems]

Have a close look and you will not see the word "Holden" anywhere. These were a General Motors Statesman. Although based on the HQ Holden GMH marketing were very careful to create these as a unique marque separate from the Holden. Statesman did not become a Holden until 1990 with the introduction of the VX (based on the VN Commodore). Still a very nice restoration of a very unique vehicle.

[@GlennEverittMasterofMachines]

That’s a very good point Ian! Thanks for sharing! So effectively they were trying to create a sub luxury brand, like some other manufacturers do these days...

[@mesodatasystems]

@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines Hi Glenn, have to say I love your channel. I had never thought of it in this manner before but I'd say yes they were but it was more in line with their US parent and of course in competition with Ford who had released the (local built) Fairlane a few years before. Not really sure why they eventually brought it back to the Holden brand in the '90s but I'd guess it was an economic decision.

[@GlennEverittMasterofMachines]

@@mesodatasystems , thanks so much, it’s fantastic to have you here. Always great to hear input from our viewers too.

[@jgsheehan8810]

Yes, I think the idea was that the Statesman was a replacement for the local Chev Impala, the last of the 1968 iteration sold in 1970 or 71 just in time for the HQ Statesman to take over.

[@jeremygreen3392]

Very nice indeed..

[@timfordfalconxf7714]

Even as a Ford fan. What a lovely HQ.

[@area51isreal71]

What a sensational looking car. To this day I never understood why the Fairlane gave Statesmans such a merciless flogging on the sales charts. The Statesmans were far better looking cars in my opinion. The one featured in the video is just drop dead gorgeous. Love the column auto too.

[@chisel83]

Did they? I don't think they even got close to outselling statesmans. The Hq range alone sold more vehicles than the XA XB XC ford model range combined

[@area51isreal71]

@@chisel83 That's true, but the Fairlane always outsold the Statesman by about three to one.

[@chisel83]

area51isreal the build numbers show different.

[@area51isreal71]

@@chisel83 Dunno where you are looking mate. The Holden's were always better sellers than the Falcons or Valiants until 1977 when the XC Falcon overtook the HX Holden's in sales volume. The HZ Holden regained the upper hand though and got the top spot again. But as far as luxury cars go the Fairlane was always top dog. The HQ Statesman was a huge improvement over the Brougham but it was still outsold by the Fairlane. By 1976 things got difficult for the Statesman with the ZH Fairlane. By then Ford had the LTD as well and introduced the Marquis version of the the Fairlane which had as many goodies as the the HX Caprice but undercut it by around $1800. Ouch!!! Ford had a stranglehold on the local luxury car market, and Holden or Chrysler could not get to their numbers in sales volumes. Having said that, I still reckon the Statesman was a better car, it looked better and had a much nicer looking interior. I never owned one but wish I did. As far as Chrysler goes I did have a Chrysler. It had a 360 , very smooth auto, tons of power, very comfy and built like a tank. I still miss that car LOL.

[@chisel83]

@@area51isreal71 Around 52000 zf-zh fairlaines built with just under 13000 LTDs built 73-79. New info shows that around 50000 statos were built from hq-hz. just over 18000 were HQs. so nowhere near 3 to 1. The XC falcon was built for nearly 3 years july 76 to march 79. Total production of the XC was 171k units. In the same period for hx-hz ie 76-79 holden sold over 260k units. The XE falcon for the first time outsold a holden.Cheers

[@nefflz]

I almost bought one with exact same specs back in 1983, but in the end I couldn't handle the colour. Where as now, I don't have a problem with the colour at all.

[@davehad-enough2369]

Nice car. I was mechanicing when they came out. I've only seen one of them. 275 BHP I thought they were - not the 300 BHP that was in the HT & HGs.

[@chopperking1122]

HT HG 350 autos had the 275 HP motor . they had lower compression than the manual motors . HQ 350 manuals had the low comp motor as well . motoring tests of the time said the HQ 350 manual didnt have the same lift when you booted it into top at 160 Ks......

[@JSDesign.Hongkong]

Lovely car, but I have one question: you mention that the grille is NOS. NOS grilles came unfinished, so that they could be used for either Custom or DeVille. Why haven’t you finished yours properly? I’m surprised you overlooked that important detail.

[@GlennEverittMasterofMachines]

Good question!

[@mebeasensei]

There was also a model called the Caprice. I think it was more luxurious. This one is really nice though. Like the creams seats and outside colour match. Longer wheelbase than the regular HQs?

[@enceetee2645]

Built on the extended floor plan of the station wagon.

[@stephenhadley2490]

Caprice wasn’t in the HQ. Deville was the top of the range.

[@mebeasensei]

@@stephenhadley2490 CAprice came in the HQ as well..here is the review..MARKET REVIEW HQ-HZ models in excellent and authentic condition are now difficult to find and relatively expensive. Plenty have been modified with swaps to 5.7 litre Chevrolet motors or even big-block ‘454’ V8s. Bigger wheels, uprated transmissions and fancy paint go with that territory as well but only trophy-winning show cars will be worth more than an outstanding original. The majority in the market suffer various degrees of neglect and need to be priced accordingly. De Villes with faded metallic paint, heat-stressed vinyl tops (often with rust bubbles beneath) and tired chrome begin at less than $6000. Caprice versions in similar condition can make $2000 more

[@stephenhadley2490]

There was never an HQ caprice. HJ was the first caprice. There was just the standard Statesman and the DeVille.

[@mebeasensei]

@@stephenhadley2490 we got an HQ in 1973. The last year of the HQ. My Dad gave me the brochure i I studied it with detail like a ten year old should. There was Statesman DeVille and Statesman Caprice, but no Standard in that brochure from 1973. Also, as I posted, you can see the blue of the Caprice is higher. It was a grade up from the more popular DeVile

[@stephensmith1794]

Man… I had the same colour, same internal and external trim but a 308 four barrel

[@351Trela]

Hi Glen Could you please make a video of someone that owns a HZ STATESMAN CAPRICE it would be nice. Thankyou kind regards

[@joestihl2234]

these were excellent cars,a mate had one years ago with the 350,i still have a hq 308 premier ive owned 35 years daily driven,whats with the oil pressure gauge pegged on full?fuel gauge also looks pegged?

[@tubeuserc1]

I was really hanging out to hear the 350 kick into life, and as soon as you turned the key all i could hear was BS music blasting through my headphones. Totally spoiled the moment

[@GlennEverittMasterofMachines]

With our new content planned for 2021 and specifically developed for KZbin (instead of TV like our current content), Music will be a rarity and more engine noise will be commonplace. Appreciate the feedback but be assured we are onto it well and truly. :-).

[@peterc3143]

Would have loved to see Holden put the 350 into the torana, instead of the 308

[@hellenicspirit9849]

Hahaha....I like how he says he can beat new cars, referring to the ute that went by him. That ute may have had a supercharged LS engine judging by the bonnet scoop.... You would be lucky to beat a modern 2.0L NA car in that thing.

[@peterwilson9165]

Modern cars are more efficient but not as cool

[@deanstevenson6527]

The 350 got derated ed from its manual 4 speed HT 350 Monaro 300 HP to 275 hp SAE gross on all HQ's, auto or manual. The basic bones of the HQ Devil 😈 were right on. Just a camber change and some chassis work and it's 1983-1985 HDT Magnum Statesman spec. So much depth of engineering. George Roberts didn't copy the 1973 Pontiac Radial Tuned Suspension found on the radial Firebirds. All that Pontiac handing and up to 330 honey or , 360 or even 370 HP gross of the LT1 350 cube Camaro or Corvette power and better brakes that already existed in 1971/72. The big Q ship...Such a perfect base! The power steering was a world class Bishops Kirby patent too. Everything was only a foot away from World Class.

[@GlennEverittMasterofMachines]

Agreed, even the first RTS Holden variants here being the HZ provided a huge transformation in handling over the HQ.

[@deanfoster2932]

How do I find and buy this car ?

[@GlennEverittMasterofMachines]

Big $ car these days.

[@deanfoster2932]

@@GlennEverittMasterofMachines Yes they are sold mine for house deposit but would seriously buy that one do you know if the owner would sell ? Thanks

[@roddsala4626]

“New old stock grills”..... yes, but they came all silver so you could paint the black sections accordingly to suit whether a Custom or DeVille. He did neither 🥴

[@Fire.4Effect]

Needs a big block.

[@michaelbyrnes7944]

The best one made was the 1974 maroon, 308 statesman and like always get rid of the vinyl roof cover if you want to last 😂

[@Darkpixies]

Lmao still one of the best cars I owned!

[@steveelliott241]

they wernt common , but not really that rare either , if that makes sense . like the 350 LS coupes

[@highpressurecleaninggoldcoast]

Was told by one of the local Holden dealers when performing some repairs that it was only 1 of 14 - the 350 was Canadian and not from the USA

[@chisel83]

High Pressure Cleaning Gold Coast nah there were more. My aunts brother had one too. The original owner of varrichio crash in klemzig sa

[@chopperking1122]

@@chisel83 six people replying here who had a 350 in a statesman , my dad had one too , making seven . so there was definetly more than 14 of them .

[@chisel83]

@@chopperking1122 I never said that the other bloke did

[@nkelly.9]

It's not "haitch", it's "aitch

[@roberttripp1110]

too slow they were

[@GlennEverittMasterofMachines]

They were just a low comp 350. Quite punchy but no race car, just a luxury cruiser really.

[@themysterycook7320]

nice car!! much prefer them totally non restored..a bit ratty, but totally original looks much better than cars like this that you could eat out of the engine bay. yeah , it looks nice, but its too perfect. it has no soul. its like a perfect new washing machine. all the character of the years has been removed. shame really. he said it was a good base and would have looked a lot nicer unrestored in my mind. probably. or maybe it was terrible.