Vauxhall · 1975–1984

Vauxhall Chevette

The Vauxhall Chevette is a supermini car that was manufactured by Vauxhall in the United Kingdom from 1975 to 1984. It was Vauxhall's version of the "T-Car" small-car family from Vauxhall's parent General Motors (GM), and based primarily on the Opel Kadett C. The family also included the Isuzu Gemini in Japan, the Holden Gemini in Australia, the Chevrolet Chevette in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Argentina, and in the U.S. and Canada it was also rebadged as the Pontiac Acadian/Pontiac T1000.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Successor: Vauxhall Astra Mark 1|Vauxhall Nova

All Vauxhall Chevette data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Development

The Chevette, as its name implies, was intended to be a small (baby) Chevrolet. At the same time as the Chevette project was being considered in America, Vauxhall Motors publicised a new design project, provisionally referred to as the Baby R, later designated as the S-car by GM. However, to save costs GM management shelved the S-car project and merged its styling studies with the existing T-car programme — thus the Chevette would be derived from the Opel Kadett C. The car was first launched in Brazil in 1973 as a slightly restyled Kadett with a hatchback added to the model range. This hatchback was launched in the U.S. and Britain in 1975 with restyled front ends. Initial production was at Vauxhall's Luton, Bedfordshire, factory, then Chevette assembly was moved to the Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire to allow production of the larger Cavalier and Carlton models to be moved to Luton from Opel plants in Belgium and Germany. The UK version of the vehicle was intended to fit into the Vauxhall range below the Viva, and was initially presented only in its hatchback version, a style that became very popular during the 1970s. With its Pontiac-inspired 'shovel nose' and inset headlamps, the UK version looked radically different from the Opel Kadett and was accepted by the motoring public as a completely new car; when the saloon, estate car, and van variants appeared and the hatchback was added to the Kadett lineup the common lineage became apparent. The Chevette was one of the first British-built hatchbacks of this size, the first arguably being the Austin A40 Countryman; Ford did not respond with a similar product until the following year (their similar-sized offerings all having conventional rear boots). Sales began on 1 May 1975, from a price of £1,593. The Chevette was sol

Timeline (UK model range)

May 1975 – Introduction of the Chevette three-door hatchback in base and L model variations: Both had an improved version of the 1,256 cc OHV engine from the Viva, with a similar four-speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive, independent front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, and servo-assisted, dual-circuit brakes. Initial standard equipment included a two-speed heater fan, radial tyres, reversing lights, heated rear window, and reclining front seats. November 1975 – Introduction of the Chevette GL with sports wheels with 175 x 70 SR tyres, bumper over riders, and higher equipment level including new centre console, front door pockets and velour interior door panels. January 1976 – Limited-edition Chevette E introduced with L-type specification, but with black rubber surrounds on windows, revised brightwork, and vynide (plastic) seats: The U.S. version, the Chevrolet Chevette, was introduced as the smallest domestically produced car there. April 1976 – Revisions: base renamed L and gains cloth upholstery; L renamed GL with no changes; GL becomes GLS and gains velour upholstery. June 1976 – E and L two- and four-door saloons and GLS four-door saloon were introduced with mechanical specification of hatchback versions. E has a reduced equipment level without reclining front seats. L and GLS have specifications of the hatchback models plus (on GLS) clock, cigar lighter, and bonnet light. September 1976 – The Chevette L estate was introduced with the specifications of the saloon model. The Bedford Chevanne van version of Chevette was introduced; it was similar to Chevette estate, but without rear side windows and rear seats. January 1977 – Chevette E three-door hatchback introduced with a similar specification to the saloon model. January 1978 – Chevette HS three-door hatchback

Overseas markets

=== Austria === The Chevette was also sold in Austria, where it was also offered with the option of a low output version of the 1,256 engine (49.5 bhp). The range included two- and four-door L saloon and estate, GL three-door hatch, GLS four-door saloon and three-door hatch. Ecuador. The local factory Aymesa produced a version of the Chevette starting in 1978. This version was called the AYMESA Cóndor. It had a glass fibre (fibreglass or glass reinforced plastic) body and a 1,500 cc engine with the higher compression cylinder head from GM Brazil to compensate for the Andean altitudes. France. The Chevette was also sold in France but it did not sell well against the Peugeots and Renaults of the time. The Chevette was the last Vauxhall sold in France. On 6 December 1979, Vauxhall announced that they were withdrawing from 11 major European countries where Vauxhall and Opel models were sold together. This was to be completed by the end of 1981. Germany. Despite announcing its withdrawal from continental Europe, Vauxhall said it would export Chevettes to West Germany. At the time Opel had already started selling the Kadett D / Astra Mk1, but it was felt that there was still a market for the previous rear-wheel drive model, as a low-cost option and for buyers resistant to front-wheel drive. Accordingly, the Chevette was sold without Vauxhall badging through Opel dealers with a 1256 cc 53 PS N and a 57 PS S automatic. The only Vauxhall badging to remain was on the hub caps and steering wheel. New Zealand. The Chevette was assembled by General Motors New Zealand between 1976 and 1981. All body styles that were available in the UK were sold. The first models built were three-door hatchbacks. New Zealand had the Chevette as well as the Isuzu Gemini, while neighbouring Australia h

Special models

=== Chevette HS and HSR === In 1976, at the instigation of new chairman Bob Price, Vauxhall decided to increase their profile in international rallying. They developed a rally version of the Chevette in conjunction with Blydenstein Racing, which ran Dealer Team Vauxhall, the nearest equivalent to a 'works' (manufacturer run) competition team that GM policy would allow. 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 vehicles for public sale. Vauxhall created a far more powerful Chevette variant by fitting the 2.3 litre slant-four engine, using a 16-valve cylinder head which Vauxhall was developing — though the rally cars used the Lotus 16-valve head until a rule change by the FIA banned them in 1978. Fitted with two Stromberg carburettors the engine developed 135 bhp. Suspension and rear axle were from the Opel Kadett C GT/E and the gearbox was a Getrag five-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 result was a very 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 in other colours, such the black HS-X designed by David Harley of Mamos Roundabout Garage — Greenford. The HS became a successful rally car, chalking up notable wins for drivers such as Pentti Airikkala, Jimmy McRae and Tony Pond. It was a challenge to the most successful rally car of the time, the Ford Escort, winning the British Open Rally Champio

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Vauxhall Chevette
aka: Bedford Chevanne , AYMESA Cóndor (saloon), AYMESA Gala (hatchback)
Assembly: United Kingdom: Bedfordshire, Luton, United Kingdom: Cheshire, Ellesmere Port, New Zealand: Trentham (General Motors New Zealand), Ecuador: Quito (AYMESA)
Manufacturer: Vauxhall (General Motors)
Production: 1975–1984
Class: Supermini/Compact car (B/C)
Layout: FR layout
Body style: 2/4-door saloon, 3-door hatchback, 3-door estate, 3-door van
Platform: GM T platform (RWD)
Engine: 1256 cc Viva OHV I4, 2279 cc Slant-4 DOHC 16V I4
Transmission: 4-speed manual 5-speed manual, 3-speed automatic
Successor: Vauxhall Astra, Vauxhall Nova, Bedford Astravan (vans)
Related: Chevrolet Chevette, GMC Chevette, Holden Gemini, Isuzu Gemini, Opel Kadett, Opel K-180, Daewoo Maepsy