Vauxhall Chevette

2/3/4-door 5-Seater Saloon/Hatchback/Estate/Van

F/R

1300/2400

The Chevette was Vauxhall’s version of the GM T Car programme was GM's first "world car programme". Opel were responsible for the design of the 2 and 4 door saloon, the Coupe and the Estate. Vauxhall were responsible for the Hatchback. The Chevette was designed to fit into the Vauxhall range below the Viva, and was initially presented as a hatchback, a style that soared in popularity during the 1970s.  The Chevette was the first British-built hatchback of this size, with Ford not responding with a similar product until the following year. From 1975 until 1978, the Chevette was, in fact, the UK's best selling hatchback as UK branded rivals failed to respond to the challenge of the Renault 5 until the arrival of Ford's Fiesta at the end of 1976.  It was launched in the UK using Vauxhall's slogan and musical 'jingle': "It's whatever you want it to be! - A sporty coupe, a family saloon, a handy estate...". See Link to Youtube Video below. The early dealer 15 minute promotional film featured Rodney Bewes, of the TV series the Likely Lads was also made. Does a copy still exist?  Although the Chevette was largely a rebadged Opel Kadett C with revised front-end (detailed below), it did use the 1256 cc overhead valve (OHV) engine of the Viva instead of the Kadett's units, which were produced by Opel. The Kadett's double wishbone front suspension, rear-wheel drive and rear suspension with Panhard rod, torque tube and coil sprung live axle were carried over unaltered. Inside, the two cars differed only in terms of their dashboard and switchgear: the Chevette stuck to the British & Japanese right-hand drive tradition of having the indicator switch on the right-hand side of the steering column, while the Kadett had the mainland European left-hand drive custom of the flasher stalk being on the left. The Chevette also had a much more angular instrument binnacle, although the instrumentation within was similar (though in imperial rather than metric measurements).

The Chevette's front end featured a more aerodynamic-looking nose treatment than the Kadett, based loosely on the design of the "droopsnoot" Firenza. In contrast the Kadett had a more conventional flat-fronted design. In 1980, the Chevette underwent a facelift with flush fitting headlights, giving it a "family look" alongside the larger Vauxhall Cavalier. It also received new wheel designs, revised C-pillar vent covers and revamped interior trim with re-designed front seats to increase rear knee room marginally. However, it was effectively the beginning of a phase-out in favour of the newer Astra, Vauxhall's version of the front wheel drive Kadett, which was launched in January 1980.  For Chevette HS and HSR see below.

Of note is 1976 Formula One World Champion James Hunt ambassador for Vauxhall cars, and was given a privilege car each time he was in the UK. He appeared in many different adverts for them including a couple with a Vauxhall Chevette.  Two of these being the covers of a 1977 Colours and upholstery guide and a Range guide for Vauxhall.  He also did a TV advert in 1977 for the Vauxhall Chevette.  With thanks to Jim Penfold for a number of pictures and information.

See Unusual Models link on left for Chevette Concepts.

Trim levels:

Special Editions (Some not all)

Vauxhall Chevette Starlight and Midnight.

The Starlight and Midnight were special editions made in very limited numbers.  Only 125 Midnights and 75 starlights were made and they were only available from certain Vauxhall dealers in a selected area of London and the Home Counties.  Included in the £2958 asking price was 12 months road tax, number plates, delivery charge and VAT (at 8%!!).  The Starlight is silver with Black Plaid cloth trim and strobe coach lines and the Midnight is Black with Red Plaid cloth trim and Red Strobe coach lines.

Chevette’s in New Zealand and Ecuador

The Chevette was also assembled in New Zealand between 1976 and 1981 at the Upper Hut factory and used locally made seats and some items of trim. All body styles that were available in the UK were sold.

It’s worth noting that at the time the Isuzu Gemini was also in sale in New Zealand.  The Gemini was also based on the T-Car Platform.

The Vauxhall 1.3L (from the Viva and Magnum) was the standard engine unit for all Chevette models.

Most models were of GL specification and all had metric instrumentation. A lower-level trim Chevanne commercial fleet model was also offered, however unlike the European models it used the estate's body shell - complete with side windows - and was badged as a Vauxhall.

In 1979 the New Zealand Chevette had a mechanical update unseen on the European models, when it gained Holden-developed Radial Tuned Suspension. This resulted in the entire Chevette range being re-suspended on wider tyres, and tuned suspension, giving the car superior handling over its rivals.

Production of the New Zealand Chevette ceased in June 1981, when it was replaced by the Holden Gemini, which for the New Zealand market had initially been sold as an Isuzu in the mid-1970s and then been dropped before making an early-80's comeback.

Vauxhall Chevette in Continental Europe.

Not many people are aware of this but up till 1981 Vauxhall Cars were sold in continental Europe alongside Opel’s in 11 country’s.  However the reason they were not sold past 1981 is as follows.  On 6th December 1979 Vauxhall announced that they were pulling out of 11 major European countries where Vauxhall cars were sold. This was to be completed by the end of 1981. This was part of a rationalisation program by General Motors (Vauxhall and Opel’s parent company) who at the time wanted to place more emphasis for the cars and their development on the German Opel side and not Vauxhall.  Opel sales in the UK also stopped in 1981 (Other than the Opel Manta which continued until 1988).  However the export of Chevette’s to Germany was announced just after this announcement.

Sweden

The range was a little different to that of the UK with the 2 door saloon and 3 door Estate only available in L spec and the Hatch and 4 door saloon only available in GLS spec - no E or GL models were offered.

Austria

In  Austria the Chevette was also offered with the option of a low output version of the 1256 engine (49.5 bhp). The range included 2 & 4 door L saloon and Estate, GL 3 door Hatch, GLS 4 door saloon and 3 door Hatch.

France

Yes the Chevette was also sold in France, but it did not sell well against the Peugeot's and Renaults of the time. The Chevette along with the Cavalier Mk1 was the last Vauxhall sold in France.

Germany

This longevity led to the Chevette being exported to Germany after 1979, when the comparable Opel Kadett City had ceased production; Opel had already started selling the Kadett D/Astra Mk1 but felt there was still a market for the previous rwd model so the Chevette was sold through Opel dealers with a 1256cc 53bhp N and a 57bhp S Automatic. The only Vauxhall badging was the hub caps and steering wheel. It provided an unusual small car in that it still had rear wheel drive. By this time, it was the only Vauxhall to be sold in continental Europe.

The two different version's of the headlights.  The earlier ones are on the right and had to be redesigned as it was found when it snowed they would fill up with snow.

Above is some shots of the launch Chevette advert filmed in October 1974 partly in Heidelberg.  Pictured are Ernie Cockburn (development engineer) and John Goodwin (NVH engineer) who delivered the car there.

The Chevette on the production line.

Vauxhall Chevette HS/HSR

2-door 4-Seater Hatch

F/R

In 1976, at the instigation of new chairman Bob Price, Vauxhall decided to increase their profile in international rallying. In conjunction with Blydenstein Racing, who ran Dealer Team Vauxhall, the nearest thing to a 'works' competition effort, they developed a rally version of the Chevette.

They created a far more powerful Chevette variant by shoehorning the much larger 2.3 litre Slant Four engine into the shell, using a sixteen valve cylinder head which Vauxhall was developing. Suspension and rear axle were from the Opel Kadett C GT/E, while the gearbox was a Getrag 5-speed. Chevrolet Vega Alloy wheels (similar in appearance to the Avon wheels used on the droopsnoot Firenza) were used, as well as a newly developed glass-reinforced plastic air dam.

The resulting car was extremely fast, with 135 hp (100 kW), and a far cry from the small-engined Chevettes from which it was developed. In order to compete in international rallying, the car had to be homologated; for Group 4, the class the HS was to compete in, this meant building 400 production examples. The result was an incredibly fast and well handling, if rather unrefined, road car. Like the Droopsnoot Firenza, the HS was available only in silver, with red highlighting and a bright red, black and tartan interior; though (partly to help sell unsold vehicles) some cars were repainted black, such the Mamos Garage HS-X which had a walnut trimed interior.

The HS was a great success as a rally car, clocking up notable wins for drivers such as Tony Pond and Russell Brooks. It advanced the state of the art in world-class rallying quite significantly, and was a challenge to the most successful rally car of all time, the Ford Escort, which had dominated the sport. However, its reign was not to last, as the Audi Quattro soon appeared, raising the stakes once again by introducing four-wheel drive.

To stay competitive, an evolution version, the Chevette HSR, was developed, which held its own for several more years into the early 1980s. Evolution demanded a production run of 10% of the original build incorporating the new modifications; these were made by rebuilding unsold HSs and by modifying customers' vehicles. However, the merger of the Vauxhall and Opel marketing departments had already resulted in Dealer Team Vauxhall and Dealer Opel Team (DOT) joining to form GM Dealer Sport (GMDS); with the Chevette soon to be obsolete, Opel were able to force the cancellation of the HSR rally programme in favour of the Manta 400. 

SMT Red Arrow Vauxhall Chevette HSR.

Please see letter below for information on this model from SMT Vauxhall Dealers of Scotland.