Make a Statement!

It all begins with a dream, an idea, a passion for doing the impossible!

When I was 15 years old I told my Parents I wanted to build a hot rod. I had seen a rusty old body of a car in a paddock, with big round fenders and a long bonnet and stunted rear end. She was a beauty! That’s me, I thought, i’m gonna re-build a car!

My Dad replied “Don’t be silly son! Do you know how much a car costs to build? Where are you going to get the money to do that? Get a real job and make some money! Stop dreaming!”

I was so excited at the thought of having a big project and I was egg’d on by his response.

I’m a stubborn bugger at the best of times, I’ll show him I thought, There is no such thing as can't!

Well it only took 10 years to find the car, and a further 16 to complete it!

My Dad was right on one thing it does cost a lot of money! But I was determined to prove the neigh sayers wrong and build my dream car. It’s been a long road to rebuild the old girl, with no mechanical experience. All I had was the drive to show the world what you can do if you put your mind to it. I’ve learnt a lot along the way and have drawn on friends, work mates and my partner to get her done.

Originally purchased in August 2002 for $3500, it became my daily driver. I’d always loved Holdens, and it was fitting that my best mate, Scott Roberts, owned a 1979 HZ Holden Statesman, named Kate the V8. We had so many adventures in his car, that I needed to have my own. So when he called to tell me his Dads friend, John Nichols, was selling his Statesman, I jumped in a car with the cash and brought her on the spot.

I wasn’t keen on the colour at first. Gold!? Gold wheels and the gold body reminded me of my old Ford Cortina, and we all know Fords aren’t the most reliable car…”they are a bucket of poo” as my son would say. Looking past the colour, it was a good buy, Assembled in New Zealand, in October 1977, with 4 x previous owners, the body was straight, no rust…yet, and the engine was tight and didn’t miss a beat.

She ran like a dream, even cracked the magic 200km/hr on the old west coast road(don’t try this at home kids!). Then the time came to park her up in 2004 to go travelling abroad for 2 years, only to return in 2006 and begin the process of a full rebuild.

At the time of writing there are only 476 Statesman’s registered in New Zealand

So here it is, a series of photos of the build over the past 16 years!

My passion,

My First baby,

My 1st love

Stacey