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Chevette

When launched in 1975, the Chevette was a new departure for Vauxhall. It combined the General Motors T-Car platform that had proved so successful in Germany as the 1973 Opel Kadett C, and the willing 1256cc Viva engine/transmission package.

It was a very competent small car that was offered in saloon and estate car form. In addition, Vauxhall engineered a new hatchback rear end that ended up being used across the rest of General Motors, most notably as the Opel Kadett City. The ‘droopsnoot’ styling was penned in Luton by Wayne Cherry, and proved to be a Vauxhall styling signature for a decade after making its debut on the Firenza HP. It also set Vauxhall apart from its German counterpart, even if it meant that in a number of markets, the two companies ended up competing.

Easy to drive and a tidy handler, the Chevette proved popular enough to remain in production until 1984 – long after it should have been replaced by the Astra. It ended up making way for the Spanish-built Vauxhall Nova.


Reviews, blogs and news stories

Chevette

Unsung Heroes : Vauxhall Chevette

26 March 2014 Keith Adams 136

Keith Adams takes a sideways look at one of the sheds that littered the highways and by-ways of the UK. Forgotten today, the Vauxhall Chevette was once the apple of […]

The cars : Austin/MG Metro development history
AROnline News

News : Our most popular cars are Britain’s most endangered

14 May 2013 Keith Adams 45

The cars that form the backbone of AROnline are some of the fastest disappearing motors on British roads. New research into the top British family cars by Honest John Classics reveals that many of UK’s once-popular family cars are on the most endangered. […]

Chevette

Blog : HS-Ecstacy

7 March 2012 Keith Adams 61

Keith Adams Thanks to the generosity of the guys at Vauxhall Heritage, I’ve been able to tick off another of those ‘must-do’ drives. You see, I have a little bit […]

Astra

Feature : You’ve never had it so good?

22 August 2011 Keith Adams 60

ALL too often, pub conversations about cars turn to history, and how old cars are better than new ones – even before you’ve got through your second pint of Old […]

Car of the Month

Car of the Month : October 2009

1 October 2009 Keith Adams 7

This one’s bound to be controversial, but given Vauxhall’s current plight, and the liklihood that what remains at Luton will be put out to pasture, we thought we’d pay our […]

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