1974 CHEVROLET 350

1974 CHEVROLET 350. Statesman was an automotive marque created in 1971 by Holden and sold in Australasia. Statesman vehicles were sold through Holden dealerships, and were initially based on the mainstream Holden HQ station wagon platform, thereby providing more interior room and generally more luxurious features than their Holden sedan siblings. Production ceased with the last of the WB series cars in 1984. GM Holden HQ Series The original Statesman HQ long-wheelbase sedans were released on 22 July 1971 as a replacement for the HG series Holden Brougham, although drawings exist of an HQ Brougham, albeit in short-wheelbase guise. The first Statesmans were based on these short-wheelbase Holden HQ variants. Statesman was initially offered in two specifications, an upmarket Statesman de Ville and a basic Statesman Custom. Engines ranged from a 202-cubic-inch (3.3 L) Red six-cylinder, a 253-cubic-inch (4.1 L) V8, a 308-cubic-inch (5.0 L) V8 and a 350-cubic-inch (5.7 L) Chevrolet small-block V8, but the de Ville featured the 308 engine as standard equipment. Compared to the short-wheelbase Holden HQ models, the Statesman featured a wheelbase extended by 3 inches (76 mm), totalling 114 inches (2,900 mm), in common with the HQ range of Holden station wagons. The extra length was incorporated behind the rear doors to allow for additional rear seat legroom. The Statesman was intended as a rival for Ford Australia's successful Fairlane which had debuted in Australian-designed form as the ZA series in March 1967. The Fairlane had created a new and exclusive category of Australian-made prestige cars. It was derived from the Falcon, with an extended wheelbase and unique front-end and rear-end styling to differentiate the car's appearance. At the time, this category of vehicle proved to be very profitable, in that the sale price was significantly higher than the base car from which the prestige model was derived, and the additional costs of production were only moderate. GM-H went to some length to set the new luxury Statesman marque apart from the Holden equivalent in their sales literature. For the new models, totally avoiding the presence of the name "Holden", even to the extent of using the term "General Motors" in lieu of "General Motors-Holden's". Advertisements in newspapers among other media followed the same format. Statesman HQ models were marketed in South Africa as the Chevrolet Constantia and the Chevrolet de Ville. The Constantia was fitted with a locally assembled five-litre V8 or 4.1-litre inline-six and was considered locally built. The Chevrolet de Ville, however, used an imported 5.7-litre V8 as fitted to the Corvette and was priced 33 percent higher than a comparable Constantia V8. The de Ville received praise for being considerably more nimble, lighter, more compact and better handling than the American models it replaced without any loss in accommodation. Power for the 350 V8 was claimed at 205.2 and 174.2 kW (279.0 and 236.8 PS; 275.2 and 233.6 hp), SAE and net figures respectively. The Statesman was also exported to many other countries as the Chevrolet 350. From 1973 to 1976, HQ models were exported to Japan as the Isuzu Statesman De Ville. Isuzu sold 246 De Villes between late 1973 and 1976. Some of these HQ-series models—assembled in Australia—were sold in New Zealand as the "Chevrolet 350" from 1971 to 1974. They differed little from the locally assembled 308-cubic-inch (5.0 L) V8 Statesman apart from a new grille with the Chevrolet logo, badges and hub caps, and effectively replaced the Canadian-sourced Chevrolet Impalas last sold in 1969. South Africa Until the late 1960s, the Kingswood and Premier were sold in South Africa as Holdens, before the demise of Canadian-sourced Chevrolet Impala and Chevelle, which led to the introduction of the Chevrolet Kommando and Chevrolet Constantia, which were based on the HG, and later HQ Kingswoods using either Holden's 202-cubic-inch (3.3 L) straight-six, 308-cubic-inch (5.0 L) V8, or later the Chevrolet 250-cubic-inch (4.1 L) six. The Constantia name was in reference to the grand Groot Constantia wine estate, with its world-famous gabled Cape-Dutch homestead featuring as the model's emblem, while Kommando referred to the Boer Commando squads during the Anglo-Boer War. The South African version of the HQ was coded AQ, and was very similar to the Chevrolet 350 sold by Chevrolet/Vauxhall dealers in New Zealand. AQ series The AQ series Constantia was introduced in 1972 and was based on another Australian design, the Statesman HQ. Again, frontal styling was different from the Australian model, this time featuring a unique grille based on the 1970 Chevrolet Malibu. The restyling work was a joint effort undertaken in Australia. The AQ Series Constantia was offered with a 4.1-litre six and a 5.0-litre V8. CC rating: 5,736cc 350 cu in (5.7 L) Chevrolet V8 NZ First Registration: 09-Dec-1974

Added 17 Jul 2026