Holden Statesman III (WH/WK/WL) photos

Introduced in 1999, the WH-series Holden Statesman was developed on the extended VT Commodore platform, representing a substantial leap in chassis stiffness, crash protection, and interior comfort. It stood out with imposing exterior proportions, an elegant vertical-slat grille, and an expansive rear cabin loaded with premium appointments. Under the bonnet, the legacy Holden V8 was replaced by the modern all-aluminum 5.7-liter Chevrolet Gen III LS1 V8 producing up to 245 kW, alongside the standard naturally aspirated and supercharged 3.8-liter Ecotec V6 engines paired with four-speed electronic automatics. The mid-cycle WK facelift in 2003 introduced sharper, more formal angular lines and retuned suspension. In 2004, the final WL iteration replaced the old Ecotec engine with the high-tech 3.6-liter Alloytec V6 DOHC coupled with a five-speed automatic transmission. This generation achieved major export success, sold as the Chevrolet Caprice in the Middle East, Daewoo Statesman in South Korea, and Buick Royaum in China.