Past Winner Spotlight: Damien Kenna’s 2000 Holden WH Statesman
Damien Kenna from Tasmania scored one of the wildest builds we’ve ever seen in a 2000 Holden WH Statesman, valued at $85,000. This isn’t just a luxury cruiser, it’s a fire-breathing street weapon with the comfort and style of a Statesman and the attitude of a burnout car.
The car has been VACC engineered in Victoria, ensuring every modification is above board and street legal.
Inside, it’s all luxury with WL Caprice trim and TV headrests, a retrimmed Caprice roof lining with a new sunroof fitted just 18 months ago. But don’t let the plush interior fool you, it’s packing a massive stereo system: double DIN DVD head unit, Kicker splits in the front and rear doors, 6x9s in the parcel shelf, twin 12 inch Alpine Type R subs, and an Alpine mono block amp to push it all.
Under the bonnet is a fresh GM 5.3 cast block bored to 5.7 litres, built to the highest standards with Callies rods, CP forged pistons, balanced and tunnel bored, Clevite H series bearings, new camshaft bearings, and a modified IS1 sump holding 9 litres. It’s got a Mellings 10296 high volume oil pump, a new GM oil pickup, Roll Master single row timing chain, Crow camshaft, Joe Blo billet timing cover with internal crank support, and 241 heads with tidied ports, PAC dual valve springs, and CHE trunions in the standard rockers.
Topping it all off is a TBS billet EFI blower manifold with FAST injectors, a TBS billet 6/71 with 3 lobe Teflon stripped rotors, a Joe Blo billet drive kit and crank hub, a thin adapter plate, and the legendary Enderle Buzzard injector hat, modified by Joeblo with 8 FAST injectors inside and butterflies blocked off for throttle control. It’s all plumbed with Teflon braid lines and Speedflow fittings.
The car runs a Haltech Elite 950 ECU, Haltech solid state relay for the injectors in the hat, dual wideband sensor kit, trans temp sensor kit, and an IQ7 dash in a custom 3D printed dash cluster.
Power figures are monstrous: 476.2kW at 6754rpm and 1018Nm of torque at 3022rpm.
Backing it up is a brand new TH400 transmission built by Tranzco, with a TCE custom torque converter, TCI flex plate, big trans cooler with a thermofan, and -8 braided lines. It’s controlled by a B&M Quicksilver shifter, all housed under the factory auto console.
Fuel delivery is handled by a fuel cell in the boot on a custom fabricated flat floor, a surge tank, twin 044 pumps, and a dead end fuel system with hard lines and vacuum line to the reg, all Speedflow Teflon braid inside the boot.
The rear end has been mini tubbed with a small rail notch, tailshaft tunnel notch, and notches for the upper arms to get the car sitting low. It’s been engineered for torsion and beaming tests, with a McDonald Bros four link kit and a Borg Warner diff narrowed with 31 spline billet axles, 3.46 gears out of a Fairlane, and 1/2 inch studs.
Suspension is dialled in with XYZ front coilovers and Viking rears, plus new bushes throughout. The engine is held firm with Whiteline tuff mount style engine mounts, and cooling is sorted with a new radiator, VZ fan conversion, and no header tank.
The full exhaust is a work of art, twin 2 1/2 inch pipes with hot dogs, stepping up to 3 inch at the diff, two mufflers under the boot floor, with tips dumped under the car for a stealth look.
Rolling on 22×12 three piece Simmons FRs with 295/25/22 rears and 22×8 fronts with 225/30/22s, this Statesman is a true monster disguised in a suit.
Congratulations to Damien Kenna, our past winner now behind the wheel of one of the toughest, most unique WH Statesmans in the country!
