WL Grange

IN WL guise, the Grange was the final iteration of the successful WH Statesman-derived HSV flagships, as well as the first of the last-of-the-line VT Commodore-based vehicles to receive the virtually all-new GEN-IV 6.0-litre OHV V8 from Chevrolet in America.

Married to a four-speed automatic gearbox, and costing almost $90,000, the Grange delivered its 297kW of power and 530Nm of torque smoothly in a straight line.

Cornering was another thing, however, as the 1978-era platform lacked the finesse of the big local Fords – never mind the expensive German opposition – to channel all that performance with the finesse buyers these days expect.

Stylistically, the WL looked little different to the VY Commodore-based WK Statesman-based WK Grange. That model made do with the old 5.7-litre GEN III OHV V8.