The Holden Statesman fondly named Migaloo

Much like the famous white Humpback that travels the East coast of Australia, this beautiful Holden Statesman has quite a story to tell.

Owners Skye and Scott weren’t looking for a new project, but as many great restoration stories start, fate forced their hands in more ways than one. On the hunt for an external sun visor for their awesome HQ Kingswood, the car enthusiasts visited a seller not far from their home. In a case of being at the right place at the right time, they ended up coming home with a sun visor for the Kingswood and a partially disassembled 1973 Holden Statesman de Ville.

The HQ lovers soon got the Statesman up and running and took it up to the inaugural Rockynats in 2021. The show was great, but the good times were cut short after an accident on the journey home left their Land Cruiser and car trailer totalled. Fortunately, the couple were okay, and to some extent, so was the contents of the trailer.

The accident meant that there was a serious rebuild on the cards in order to save the HQ Statesman. Skye and Scott were blown away by the generosity of fellow car enthusiasts around the country. In a beautiful display of the community that we have here in Australia, they quickly had people offering their help and donating parts required for the restoration, some quite costly. Before too long, the Holden Statesman was back: repainted, re-chromed, and of course, insured through Ryno.

While rebuilding the Statesman, the couple came across some interesting hints towards the potential history of the car. “There was old CB radio wiring in the roof lining and a perfectly shaped CB radio bracket on the dash, there are 3 holes on either side of the bonnet underside that may have been to hold flags as they aren’t in the old-style towing mirror mounting spot,” Scott says. The HQ seemed to have just about every box ticked from factory except the 350, packing a 308 instead.

They believe the Statesman to be one of only four manufactured with an electric sunroof. Scott points out that this is rather intriguing when you consider the Outback Equipment pack alongside it. “It’s a strange combo to have when you think about it: height for dirt roads but a sunroof to let the dirt in?” These little distinctions have led the couple to believe that their humble HQ, which they found in a shed being used as a shelf, may have started life as a diplomatic car.

Whether anyone famous ever sat in it or not, this beloved Stateman de Ville sure has an interesting past, and thanks to car enthusiasts Skye and Scott, an exciting future. “It’s brought some great people into our lives and given us some major ups and downs in the short time she’s been with us” remarked the couple. Today, Skye and Scott look forward to continuing their remarkable journey with the Holden Statesmen, now fondly known as Migaloo.