IDRIVEACLASSIC reviews: Vauxhall Chevette
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- Today's video is on the lesser spotted Vauxhall Chevette! The car has been kindly loaned by Great British Car Journey in Derbyshire. To find out more about them, visit their website: greatbritishca...
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The Vauxhall Chevette
Made for a solid 9 years, from 1975 until 1984, the Vauxhall Chevette is a car which was once a common sight on the roads of the UK, but is now so rarely spotted you’ll be hard pushed to remember the last time you saw one out on the road and not tucked up at a museum or on display at a car show.
Whilst the vehicle didn’t launch until 1975, work had begun at General Motors in 1970 on a new car model platform called the T Car platform. The idea was simple: the sub-brands like Vauxhall owned by GM across the globe would offer a standardised platform.
You see this a lot nowadays, think Skoda Citigo and VW Up, it’s pretty normal, back in the 70s, this was a totally new way of thinking.
Vauxhall were obviously bound into this by the parent company GM, but were adamant the buying public wanted a hatchback. The team at luton then took the T car platform and took 11 inches from the rear of the car, fitted a hatchback and then popped in a box-section crossmember to compensate for that loss of rigidity.
To complement this new hatchback, the shovel-nose front end styling from the Firenza was pinched and so was born a car which looked like nothing Vauxhall had put out before.
Whilst the styling was fresh, the engine wasn’t. The engine was pulled straight from the old Viva which had come before it and it was the 1256cc 56.5bhp engine. Although it was an old unit, which some reviewers felt could’ve been refreshed to match the fresh styling, it wasn’t slow and did zero to 60 in 15 and a seconds, with a top speed of 90 miles per hour. If you’re wondering about the transmission unit, that was pinched from the Viva too, but what’s the point in developing new transmission to match an old engine if there aren’t any major problems?
Whilst the engine choices weren’t expanded, the body shapes were and the Chevette would-be buyer by 1976 got more than the hatchback at launch and could now choose from varying specs on the hatchback in base, E and L later to be joined by GL and GLS. Then there was a three door hatchback, two and four door saloons, an estate and of course, the awesome Chevanne.
The car was a big hit with everyone from driving schools for the ease of the drive coupled with the great visibility through to van drivers buying wholeheartedly into the Chevanne. It’s no wonder it bolstered those Vauxhall sales for so long.
Keen to keep the buyers interested in the car, in late 79 changes were made to the exterior and the vehicle got headlamps flush with the body like you see on the car we’re testing and in 81, an economy model was introduced to fight the Fiesta and new British market share grabber, the Austin Metro city.
The car in theory, should’ve left the sales forecourt much earlier than 1984 when the newer models like the Astra came on sale, but instead ran alongside it for the last few years of production. The car ended up being replaced by the popular Nova.
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My grandparents had two of these. My grandma spoke very highly of it
What we need these days.A simple car without all the trinkets......
Cars are now over engineered and over-designed for lazy people.
@@levelcrossing150 Very true.
Still would have to have an acceptable crash rating and meet EU emissions. And probably have electronic stability Control and ABs
Erm.... Dacia?
@@forestdad Funnily enough its one of the cars we have...
But the new Sandero and Jogger are far more expensive now.Dacia is going like Skoda have done....
Brilliant, simple car, drove many thousand miles in them. Also loved the Chevette 2.3 HS. Wishbone front suspension with panard rod five link rear suspension. Pocket rocket out the box.
Another car that was literally everywhere. A good, simple and tough little car. Much nicer than the Escort in my opinion.
Everything I want in a car - small economical engine, RWD, loads of room for a family, lots of luggage space, and excellent visibility. Thank you Steph, for an excellent review :-)
In 1983 I t-boned, and wrote off, one of the hatchback versions in the classic "I didn't see you love" motorcycle accident at a junction. The view as you fly over the Chevette bonnet is a memorable one. VNF667S, and it's myopic lady driver, thank you for the memories (and scars)...
In the United States we got the T-car platform as 3 and 5 doors that were sold by Chevrolet and Pontiac as the Chevette and T-1000.
They were the cheapest and most basic model sold by each division.
They sold by the hundreds of thousands, especially the Chevette, for years.
I was given a 1985 5dr Chevette with A/C with a 4spd as a graduation gift from my grandparents after I completed high school.
I drove it through college and veterinary school and cross country to my first real job. It turned 100,000 miles crossing Moab desert in 112° heat with the air conditioning blasting.
It survived almost 10 years and 150k miles of delayed or ignored maintenance and being driven like it was stolen. It never failed to start or left me stranded. It was driven cross country several times cruising at 80 to 85 miles an hour with the little 1.6 L screaming.
Over the years I've owned much nicer and much more luxurious cars but I always have a special place in my heart for my indestructible dependable little Chevette.
The Chevette was essentially a badge-engineered Opel Kadett. All the centre console is lifted straight from the LHD cars. My first car was a 1976 Chevette L 2-door saloon in light metallic blue. I loved that car.
but with the drivetrain from the vauxhall viva 1300 with vauxhalls own 1256cc engine which first started out as the 1057cc in the viva HA of 1964 ironically the same engine was in cavalier 1300 then all cars after had the opel designed engines
Indeed a Opel Kadett C ( 4doors)....but with a Opel Manta style " nose". Same as what Vauxhall did with the Opel Ascona B to create the Vauxhall Cavalier .
Bit cheap action and i remember they've never been very popular on the Mainland ( rather poor quality....compare the Opel versions)
The Kadett had a similar engine but was not identical if I remember right.
@@levelcrossing150
The Kadett C1 ( 1973 -1977 ) and C2 - facelift version,would we say nowadays.( 1977 - 1979), all used the technics of the old Kadett B. The engine displacement was now 1200cc . There been two versions of this block , the N and S . In a later fase a 1600 - 1900CIH from the Ascona/Rekord find his way to the Kadett C. The absoluut gorgeous Kadett C coupe GTE with his 1900E engine ( +1997 a 2.0 l) was a real boyracer avant la lettre with his L-Jetronic injection system.
The Kadett C City ore Vauxhall Chevette....been presented in 1975( to compeed with the small city cars/ hatchbacks as the Renault 5/ VW Golf etc....). We all know how that ended🤔
Opel used his own engines. Vauxhall used the Viva running gear.
@@The-Rectifier Thanks for the info, I loved the hi spec Kadetts, although the front was dated compared to the Chevette, they seemed to have an edge on the finish, such pretty cars and as you say the coupe was beautiful.
I've had one of these for 25 years and found it to be a very capable car and have travelled many miles in mine including travelling to the coast most summer weekends,brakes are good,gear shift is perfect,goes fairly well and handles well,I would say they are my favourite car overall!
The 😊33
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My first car was a white Chevette ES hatch when I was 18. We used to go from the Northeast of England to Wiltshire camping, quite a way. The little car was perfect for the job. I'm 60 now! Lovely memories, lovely car❤❤❤
Brings back happy memories of my very first car. My Chevette was a hatch not a saloon, long gone but great to still see one still going strong. Now if you could get hold of a Chevette 2300 HSR Steph that would be something else!
Come and talk to us im sure a hsr would be available for you to have a go in.
See Joseph Lloyd for his run in mine
I had a mechanic that I used to use,he had a Chevette hatchback which he had converted himself,he'd put a Rover 2.3 engine in the car,I couldn't understand why,when there was a HS version with a similar powerplant available - but each to his own.
I was so used in France to see these old Opel Kadett that, whenever I saw brits tourists with their exotic chevettes I was so excited 👍😉
And the exact opposite in the UK, Kadetts were quite rare on the mainland. As a family we had a 1978 Chevette hatchback and followed it up with a 1974 Kadett saloon, a '79 Kadett Coupe and a 1972 Kadett B saloon.
Is this like a vauxall version of Oliver from top gear /grand tour (Hammonds car he still has )
@@chrishart8548 Oliver is a Kadett A. The Chevette is the Vauxhall version of an Opel Kadett C. Chevett's could be hatchback, saloon, estate and van but there was never a Coupe version, for that bodystyle the only option was to buy the Kadett.
@@glenjones6980 l totally agree 👍
I’ve had 4 of these over the years and absolutely loved them.
How bad is the rot, every time I say Id buy one, im told they rot really easily, I don't hear too many good things about them, but damn they do look cool.
@@jh565bb all I will say there is fords rot alfas rot by hell jaguars did too, u like it go for it but buy the best you can afford
@@jh565bb The structural (ie terminal) areas of rot which use to send them to the scrapyard are actually quite easy to see under the bonnet (hood), was the inner wings (fenders)around the headlamp area, the lower box sections around the engine mounts and further back where it joins at the bulkhead(firewall) ...if they look as good as that one then there should not be many problems. Don't recall any problems with the floors or underneath, unless there was leak somewhere, but obviously they are over 40 years old now ..
@@Efferpheasants Thanks that was very informative, I take it you have had one/have one?.
Learned to drive in a Chevette. Light steering, light clutch, good gearbox, good brakes. Owned Viva's afterwards and similar and easy to maintain.
Yes I learned to drive in one too and passed my test in it, great learners car. Got an HB Viva while still learning. Unlike some cars of this era I think this would still be easy to drive in todays traffic. But was never that struck on that front end and those flush headlights.
Love your videos; and how they show what driving used to be before so much technology took over. It's something I like about vintage cars; you had to drive them.
I drove a Chevanne delivering wagon parts all over England for 2 years. When it came for replacement time I loved it so much I bought it and ran it for several years as my main car. I loved it and wish I still had it.
I had a blue one of these as my first car given to me by my parents, lovely colour blue with white pin stripes and black rear light bar and MG style wheels. Was a GL so had a clock lol was so unreliable. Went through 3 gear boxes, 3 carbs, 2 exhausts and 2 engines. Would still love to drive one again.
I Steph, I never owned a Chevette myself but had many friends who did. I had many Vivas which shared much of the drive train and switch gear. The body panels and everything but mechanical's needed MM spanners in the Chevette and the mechanicals needed A/F. I had a friend keep one for over 10 years and it never let him down. The engines were great and a good deal better than people gave credit at the time. I helped a friend fit a later Chevette engine into his 1972 HA Van. It fitted with a change of air cleaner box! When the Astra replaced it, Vauxhall blew my mind with the build great quality of its cars in the 1980's
You know what Stef, I watch all your videos and while I was watching this I realised what a professional review this was.
It's hard to believe you don't do this for a living
The format of your reviews is perfect, for me anyway
The history of the car, the walk round, the interior and finish with the road test - Prefect 👌🏻
I look forward to your next one 👍👍👍
Always liked the Chevette , I haven't seen one up close since the early 90's ! This one's got a bonus sweet exhaust note 👌
It has a lovely rorty exhaust note
That brought back a few memories! My first car was a Chevette, a black estate (FCK 698Y) nicknamed The Hearse! It had pressed metal numberplates in a distinctive style which a friend said it meant it was an ex MOD car used to teach squaddies how to drive. It had little luxuries like a clock and erm.....that was all. My dad used to load it up on a regular basis on account of his love of DIY! With his help, I used to service it myself and even managed to replace a diaphragm in the carburetter when it failed,causing it to backfire like a cannon! It was a great first car, easy to drive as you say. Oh,and it had a reconditioned engine!
What a fun video! I am a "GM baby" (meaning I was born and raised in a General Motors worker family). We had a Chevette (US version) that was almost that same color! A little more red maybe but close. Interesting how different yet so much alike the various markets were. Thanks for the great history of the Vauxhall version! I really enjoy all of your vids.
Perfect! I love the Great British Car Journey. I was there this week and had a good look over this car.
Thanks for sharing this.
The two things I remember best about my one are the almost impossible to find petrol filler (hidden behind the fake vent on the C pillar - took me ages to discover that in those pre-internet times!), and the seemingly bottomless boot, made possible by the petrol tank being almost vertical behind the rear seat back. I never did work out why Vauxhall used to hide the switch for the interior light on the dashboard when everyone else made it part of the light fitting.
Another good one Steph, great to see you back and putting out more vids again. 👍😊
My mates mum had a blue one late 90s early 00s. It was her pride and joy proper looked after it
My mechanic dad once worked on one for a client. It was a grey hatchback.
You’re looking fab Stef. You can be very proud of your decision making.
Your looking good Steph.
Back in 1984, I had my first ever driving lesson in a Vauxhall Chevette , it was a A reg this brings me back memories. Love your you tube channel.
Ahhh, the old Vauxhall Shove It with the clips to stop the headlights falling out! The memories. X
A terrific review of a car that used to be everywhere. Excellent work Steph, thank you.
I remember my Dad going to a Vauxhall dealer to have a look at one of these, when I was a kid in 1981 it was the same colour & trim as the one in the video still remember sitting in the back on those tartan pattern seats while he was looking it over. Brings back memories.
Cool to see this car.....we "family" had a Chevrolet Chevette....1980
GM's T Car platform was seen in Australia as the Holden "Gemini" with a grille similar to the Opel Kadett and powered by a Japanese sourced Isuzu 1.6 litre engine. Great car, and very popular with female drivers!
oh god, i remember the gemini's. were everywhere n very popular, ae
Was known as initially 1975 Isuzu Gemini in Australia then factory built as a GMH Holden Gemini with a 1.6L Isuzu Japan engine was very reliable strong car till the end of 1984 model life .
I learnt to drive in a Gemini very similar to the chevette , in 1982 /83 was a very easy car to learn in by driving Schools in Australia, as Steph has mentioned..
You're like me Steph, when I get into a new to me car I'm always looking at the design and ergonomics of the dash and I agree on this one. I have a 2011 Fiat Panda and they did ok with that although I do find the sunvisors oversized and if they're right down you can't see the road.....who thought that was a good idea? 🤣
For those who love the Vauxhall and Bedford stable of motors there's the VBOA Rally at Sywell on 22nd to 24th July.
Wow watching this video brought back memories of the Vauxhall Chevette in the mid 80s my late father had a 1979 T registration Vauxhall Chevette in cherry red it was a 3 door 1275cc hatchback one abiding memory of it was the red number 3 pool ball on the gear stick if I recall it was the GL model of the Vauxhall Chevette with white contrast piping trim on the bodywork 😀
I love your style beautiful and retro like the superior classic car 🚗 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️
Another great video, thanks Steph. My mum had a 1978 Chevette in the late 80s, I remember the horn switch (which you found at the end of the stalk) failed late one night and we had to drive around with the horn going! Took the fuse out the next day! 🤣 The alternator fan bearing went another time and is sounded like the car was screaming! Our poor neighbours 🤣
AHH the memories, I had a 1978 four door saloon in light blue for my first car. Loved it. Very underrated car.
My aunt had one for years when she lived in Australia. But they were called the Holden Gemini over there.
Have to say Steph, you look fantastic the weight you've lost is amazing. Nice to see you back to ;-)
I had the 2 door saloon in 1992. It was old by then but I took it to Alton Towers several times and it never failed me. Mine was blue with blue vinyl seats. Thanks for bringing back the memories Steph
Looks immaculate, lovely little car.
When I became old enough to learn to drive in 1994 I considered a Chevette for my first car. Bought a Mini instead. I think I would have been happier with the Vauxhall despite the Mini's qualities.
The Chevette saloon's party trick is the fuel filler cap being hidden behind the black vent on the C pillar. Neat bit of design imo.
Id say you bought right, my brothers had two minis a 65 cooper S and currently has an 86 city, those things move and their turning circle is insane. I hate to admit it, but the mini was a good option for whatever you wanted for it. That being said the chevette looks cooler, but that 0 to 60, is kind of unimpressive.
Hi Steph, great video! My brother had a 78 light blue Chevette hatch while I made do with a light blue 71 Viva HC with the old 1159cc engine. I was terribly jealous at the time! This was in the early eighties. I really enjoy your videos and look forward to them. By the way, I have an old 1998 Toyota Celica ST - if you ever fancy doing a video on that then let me know!
Funny you should say that; I remember the last time I saw one! It was the same day you posted this video. I saw three on the A9 in Perthshire. I think there must have been an event on, but yes, it was good to see them again.
My dad had one, but it was in a shocking state of repair. He remembers it as his 'Vauxhall Shove-It', and being tooted at on the motorways as it would slow to a majestic 40 mph if there was any kind of an incline.
I've owned two back in the '70's and loved them. The first was an 'L' model hatchback in Champagne Starfire ( pale metallic gold) and a 'GLS' in White. This one had the rostyle type wheel design and was slightly wider than the standard wheels. It looked very smart with one or two extra design features including bumper over riders and the rear panel in black. Velour cloth upholstery inside. Lovely car and I just loved them both even though the 1256cc engine wasn't exactly fast but very very economical. The handling of both was superb. Only one thing I didn't like about it was the rather spartan dash layout and the lack of a glovebox. Things had a tendency to fall off of the shallow tray. But only a minor issue. All in all it was a great reliable little car.
Heater worked well but you still go cold air through centre vents, to keep you awake but still have warm feet
In case it's not been mentioned before, I seem to remember that the metal clips on the bottom of the headlights were as a result of a recall due to the headlight glass having a tendency to fall out! Cheers.
Quite right! Many a Chevette had a glass fall out and get trodden on by the following wheel! Early models had the headlamps recessed; flush lamps were supposed to be an improvement!
My favourite car - had 3 of them,my first one with recessed headlights,had it for 5 years,passed my test in it,and drove it everywhere,easy to drive,easy to work on,had the reliable 1256 engine found in the earlier Viva's.,sometime later I had the estate version,which proved to be a reliable workhorse,then some years ago,I was given - yes given a saloon version,sadly that car was stolen and I've been hoping for its return,but I'm not holding my breath,great video about a true classic,would have loved to have heard the sound of the engine though and the characteristic gearbox whine that was typical of the Chevette and Viva.
Just discovered your channel, and absolute love it! and may i compliment you for your choice of clothes, stunning!
This one is exactly like the one I had as a teenager. Jobby brown in colour ,best heater on the planet. Many many happy memories made in it.
Had one of these,I had the HS version absolutely loved it one of those cars I wish I kept.
In Brazil, it was sold as a Chevrolet chevette, but with a 1.6/s engine, and in 1983 it was restyled until it was discontinued in 1993.
Vauxhall
Had a few of these, one was a standard GL hatchback, one was a GLS that I put 2.0 manta running gear in, and the other was a HS that I restored, but then sold because I couldn’t afford the insurance being 19 years old, back then they were worth so all and I done it mainly for my love of the ol shovit, wish I still had the HS, they are sought after now. Great fun on roundabouts in the wet, the chevette was a lot nicer to get sideways than the equivalent escort.
Love those videos my first car was hatchback white l can still remember how much l brought it for 325 so many happy memories see this video has made me smile all day long thanks
What a gem, I’ll definitely visit, Steph your looking really well too
My dad had a white saloon and we travelled to France towing a caravan. The inside is so familiar. Later on my mum bought a red hatchback. They were great a to b cars
Please tell me what was the caravan that your dad towed,?
Such a good little car in their day. Light controls, nippy engine up front driving the back wheels, lovely gear change and good brakes. We had one for years as a general works hack at the garage I worked at. Had a Triumph Dolomite 1850 engine in the back at one point, also towed a twin-wheel Bedford CF tipper up hill with it, and it still came back for more! (We did have a proper tow bar fitted!) Happy days! Sad that so few survive today. Great video as always!👍
Greetings from sweden, where we didn't really have Vauxhall Chevette but instead the Opel Kadett, but I always liked the front better of the Vauxhall. Keep up the good work!
Hi Steph.......... i worked in a Vauxhall garage way back in 1984 .... They were £4,500 new 🙂
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They were a Vauxhall Viva ......Steph .... i notice the car "rocks" when you rev it ... even today 🙂
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Wow !!....... the engineering on the Nova... Astra .... Cavalier ........ they had "lazor" engineering !!!
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130mph ........ all major repair jobs .... (head gasket.....clutch.....major service)....... faster than Subway Sandwich 🙂
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But........GREAT LITTL CAR 🙂
Another great video. All ways look forward to videos. Have a nice weekend. 👍🙂🥰
your reviews are always so refreshing and unlike anything else on yt. Love the way your hair matches the car 😊 They were very common in the 70s & 80s but somehow I never got to drive one
We had two Chevies, and loved them 👌
Great review and Thankyou for sharing. Beautiful condition and very posh metallic paint for 1979. Chevettes were everywhere and I think the hatchback format got Vauxhall early to the party in the mid 70s. I had a 1987 mk2 Astra 1.2 OHV, so Vauxhall were still using the similar OHV engine into the the late 80’s, still a great little car, whereas the Nova 1.2 was OHC engine
That was typical of GM here in Australia they were still useing an ohv six right up till 1985
Another great video on a great car! Thanks Steph! well done.
My first car when I was 17 was a little red hatchback.When I first got it the timing was of and it would backfire now and then,really dangerous when growing up in the 1980s Belfast.
Crikey , I can imagine!
👍Thanks for video. A very nice example. I remember loads of these on Brirish roads. However, they rapidly disappeared after production ended.
I always liked the Chevette, The viva was a good proven solid car, they just took it and improved it made it better and called it Chevette
Same age and colour as mine which I had from new . A real workhorse for me and I loved it
Love these, that one is a corker.
Chevette HSR is a dream garage car.
I had a chevette back in 1980. Honest little car that withstood years of my thrashing and never let me down. Felt quite grown up for a 17 year old. Tartan seats too. Even had grand Prix S tyres on it that never felt that grippy. Great review as normal.
Love that they repainted the car to match your hair. That's attention to detail. 😀
I drove one back in the day lovely car solid comfortable ☺️
That front end styling was down to the legend that was Wayne Cherry. The Vauxpedia site shows prototype sketches of his from about 1969 that look like 1980s styling. These were awesome little cars, my Dad had one in silver. Should be no surprise that something this nippy proved superb at rallying.
My very first car and it was a great little motor, far quieter and smoother to drive than the Escort!
Thanks Steph for another great review. My Dad had an early (1975) Chevette hatchback. I remember the TV advert starring Rodney Bewes of Likely Lads fame "The Vauxhall Chevette can be anything you want it to be" . It was a good car which never let us down. Foreign competitors such as the Golf Mk 1 were at the time much more expensive.
Remember my old man had a Vauxhall Shove-It when I was a kid - and an Opel Kadett. So rare now because they rotted before your eyes. Still, more reliable than a 1979 Renault 5 that conked out on a holiday to Wales. The thermostat on the fan broke so the engine overheated and warped the block. Happy days.
Great little gem. Enjoyed that
Loved the back seat driving view, took me right back to mine. I want another Chavette now :)
Hi Steph, greeting from Ireland. As a car enthusiast I love you videos. I remember back in the day both the Vauxhall Chevette and the Opel kadett were sold here, not sure about the UK market. What I do remember is that the The Kadett was generally regarded as a better car. but with that sloping front the Chevette looked more appealing.
Yes, we had the Opel Kadett in the UK too.
@@louisbeerreviews8964
Opels were sold, in the UK, up to 1981. After then, it was Vauxhall only, apart from the Manta and Monza, which were still available to order from Vauxhall dealers.
I visited the Great British Car Journey museum last week - well worth a visit, with very friendly staff!
Lovely example👍
I remember a time when there was a Vauxhall Chevette, along with the 'Chevanne', on every street and now I'm scratching my head trying to remember the last time I saw one! Nice to see a booted version too. Top video, thanks 😀
The last time i saw a Chevanne was a couple of days ago that's parked up on somebodies front garden quietly rotting away.
Where and is it for sale?
Great review wonderful little car with a great chassis. I believe the Chevette still holds the record at The Millbrook test track, they were also rather good in the rally’s world.
Thank you for your testing of this Vauxhall Chevette! This was very informative for a car we didn't have in sell here.
Sold as a Holden Gemini here in Australia. We got different engine and gearbox. I had one, new, in 1977.
Germany also built a version called the Opel Kadett
You look good in that chevette !
I had one of these CVG 91T ‘The Git’ in 2007. It was fun; took 4 hours to do a 2 hour journey to Alton Towers. I got a brand new full new exhaust from Bush (the last one in stock) for £75. I sold it for £275 to a young guy who had a world of plans for it…. It’s been dead since then. 😕
what a waste! 'young guy' got a deal
One of my more fortunate classmates had a pale blue 1978 Chevette during sixth form years (late '80s). I was just amazed by its condition at that age, as 10-year-old cars were usually complete rustbuckets - this one must have been completely mollycoddled during those 10 years, maybe driven once a week by a pensioner and never on a wet day. I thought it was quite an antique at the time - the Astra and Nova had been around for several years by then and the notion of a RWD small hatch was very old-hat, but it didn't stop me being fundamentally jealous of him for having a car at all and it was hardly a shock that I was one of the poorer kids at school (though everybody thought I was posh because I'd been raised without the local midlands accent - even one of my English teachers dubbed me Bertie Wooster...).
I passed my test in a Chevette back in 1987. I met my friend on my return home and told him about passing my test. He chucked me his keys for his Rover SD1 and told me to keep it for a week.
Some slight resemblance to the Chevy Chevette, but distinctly different. Both shared the T platform.
Great stuff, Steph! As Aussie, I see this as a Gemini, Holden's version of the T car in collaboration with Isuzu. Indeed the earliest ones had both brands on the rear panel. We didn't get a hatchback but did get the sedan, fastback coupe and wagon/van, with some similarities and differences to this Chevette. Your comparisons to earlier Vauxhall's had me comparing it to my (i.e.: Mum's) HA which was my daily until 2006, and I can see some elements coming through as you mention them. I'm now wondering how that compares to the Geminis. Off to the rabbit hole I go...
Genuinely one of the first world car? … Chevrolet, Vauxhall, Opel , Holden?
Having driven both I can say that the Gemini handled much better.
Mum and Dad had one of these but it was a top of the range one in white with blue velour interior it was gorgeous. My uncle worked for Vauxhalls and got Dad a good deal .
Back in the day, I recall my mate's Dad buying a new primrose yellow Chevette E.
As Steph pointed out, the L trim example shown here is missing a glovebox lid. The E was further impoverished, with "features" such as having just a single sun visor on the driver's side!
Loved that colour nearly brought one new , but a lady's car
Great video Steph.
My parents didn't own a car for much of my childhood but I remember my Mam hiring a T reg one of these. Nice car but it rained and water got in and flooded the footwells!