Although he didn’t go looking for a VQ straight off the bat, Matt knew it just had to be a Holden V8 and when a mate’s car came on the market it was too hard to resist. Moving out of a 250 Cross Flow equipped XC Falcon into a 5litre VQ Statesman would have been enough for most people, however, Matt always intended to modify the Stato for more go and a hell of a lot more show.

When he handed over the money in 2003, the usual lowering, 2 ½ inch exhaust and CD player had been installed and the VQ sat on VN Calais rims. Knowing the previous owner meant Matt could rest assured it had been looked after and he had a good starting point to build the neat streeter he was after.

Within his first week with the car, the Calais rims were replaced by some less common SV5000 rollers, the speakers were replaced with beefier units and a performance air filter was fitted to the modified air box which now accepts air from below the bumper.

It was a short time later that the real feature of the car was pieced together. Matt gave Jason of Neat Upholstery the task of making the interior stand out. The front seats received some extra padding to the sides to hug the driver in place the centre piece of the rear seat was filled to give it a flat look and all were covered in black and charcoal leather. Once Matt had fitted the B&M Pro Ratchet shifter and modified the centre console to accept 3 Autometer gauges it also received the leather treatment. The re-upholstered and embroidered door cards let you know this isn’t just any Statesman.

But it’s some of the smaller details that Matt sorted himself that make the Statesman more impressive the longer you spend looking at it. VP switch blocks were modified to the fit around the instrument cluster by merging them with VQ parts, a Pulsar donated it’s cup holders to be sit beneath the stereo, a VP driver’s side glove box has been installed and a VS power window switch sits in place of the earlier item because “they just look nicer” according to Matt. He even broke out the soldering iron to install blue LEDs behind the trip computer, switch blocks and now all interior lighting is provided by the blue LEDs to continue the theme. The blue lighting around the instruments provides a nice contrast with the white style dials that have replaced the factory items.

As no Statesman would be complete without chrome, a shiny handbrake lever and door handles brighten things up somewhat. Future plans are to install the Series II black dash, a new roof lining and new carpet to complete the interior.

Some of Matt’s proudest work resides in the boot with the custom audio install being completed entirely by himself. A Pioneer head unit feeds a signal to a pair of 6 ½ inch focal splits in the front, 6inch Pioneer 2-ways in the rear and the twin 12inch Pioneer subs in the boot which are whipped into a frenzy by the US Audio amps.

However comfortable and good looking the interior may be obviously the first thing people will notice about the car is the exterior. The VQ still wears the Alpine White but many subtle additions have been made including running the paint to the very lowest point of the panels, VN tail lights, Series II rear skirt and HSV rear spoiler. The bumpers and all body mouldings have been freshened up and the Caprice grill and bumper moulds give it even more class.

Less subtle is the 18inch Strada modular shadow chrome rims wearing white walled tyres and brought closer to the guards thanks to lowered King springs and KYB shocks. The rims hide the VT brake upgrade with painted calipers and slotted rotors that give one of the best bang-for-your-buck brake upgrades available for second generation Commodores.

For all the work Matt has done to make this one stand out in a crowd, there’s a fair chance you will hear it long before you actually see it. A stainless steel 3inch exhaust from D&T exhausts ensures that the Holden 5litre makes plenty of noise. Although a 355 is planned, the current engine mods are the HSV air box, 70mm throttle body, High Energy sump and Pacemaker extractors backed by a shift kitted and Corvette servo equipped TH700 and a diff stuffed with 3.45 gears. The package pumps out a respectable 135.3rwKW and gets the heavy Stato down the quarter in 15.08seconds at 91mph. Not bad considering the extra weight in the car and the factory time of 16.29.

That’s not to say the engine bay has been left untouched by Matt’s eye for detail. Chances are if it’s readily accessible and can be unbolted and chromed, it has been. The engine covers are a good centre piece within the bay and from there the more you look the more you will find. It really is a good example of what can be done before you need to start delving into hidden wiring and relocation of ancillaries.

It’s pretty easy to sit back, take the Statesman in and say Matt has achieved his aim of having a neat street car that attracts all the right attention. However, it isn’t finished just yet with the undercarriage coming under close scrutiny and copping some paint and polish. It’s because of the constant improvements that this car is one to watch and one of the most popular within our forum. The Statesman is definitely a good example of what can be done with some imaginative thinking and a whole lot of elbow grease- and if looking at the end result doesn’t inspire you to get out in the shed and start tinkering, you are on the wrong web site!

Words by Mick

Pictures by Matt

Matt would like to thank the following:

Jason at Neat Upholstery (Holden Hill SA- ph 0411 775 430)

Peter at Soaring Phoenix Mechanical (Ingle Farm SA - ph 8395 0617)

A killer stance completes the look

One of Adelaide's nicest VQs

Interior retrim modernises

Owner designed and built boot installation

18 inch rims set off with thin lined white walls

Simple but effective engine bay tidy up