Engine availability for the Custom ranged from a 202-cubic-inch (3.3 L) Red six-cylinder, a 253-cubic-inch (4.1 L) V8 (for marketing purposes, the metric designation given to the 253 V8 was 4.2 L), a 308-cubic-inch (5.0 L) V8 and a 350-cubic-inch (5.7 L) Chevrolet small-block V8.

The Statesman was intended as a rival for Ford Australia's successful Fairlane[1] which had debuted in Australian-designed form as the ZA series in March 1967.

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.

Initial build was a single model with 308V8, column shift Trimatic, white headliner, black vinyl roof and electric windows.

These always had colour matched interiors and had minor styling differences such as the grille, badging and no decorative inserts in the rear bumper.

[10] 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.

Unique to the Japanese model were fender-mounted mirrors, an "Isuzu by GMH" badge at the rear, and Holden Kingswood hubcaps.

[13] HQ Holden models were locally assembled in Thailand from knock-down kits and sold as the Monaro LS (Kingswood) and Chevrolet De Ville (Statesman.)

Statesman Caprice was the most luxurious car offered by General Motors in Australia at that point, with air conditioning, leather seats, electric locking, power windows, and no fewer than 13 interior lamps all featuring on the standard equipment list.

This was a Fairlane which had the wheelbase extended again – to 121 inches (3,100 mm) – making it the only Australian car which fitted into the US full-size category.

From March 1976, late in the HJ series, an electromechanical rear drum anti-lock braking system (ABS) was made available on the Caprice.

However, it had a significant engineering upgrade, along with the rest of the Holden range, involving the adoption of Radial Tuned Suspension, giving the Statesman better handling.

The previous Director of Holden Engineering, George Roberts had insisted that the Statesman have a high standard of ride comfort (at the expense of ultimate roadholding).

The styling of the WB Statesman was a compromise between achieving a fresh appearance and minimising the cost of redesign, by using panels from the existing base HZ model.

[20] WB Series II models were released in September 1983 with fundamentally cosmetic changes, except for the introduction of a front bench seat (six-passenger) option for De Ville buyers.