Good News. Vauxhall Chevette Nearly Extinct.

[irc]

I had the misfortune to own one of these when I was young and poor. Circa 1987. Worst car I ever owned.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/classic/uks-rares...

[Canon_Fodder]

I always liked this sort of 'coupe-cum-hatchback' look.

Like a poor man's Interceptor

Sort of

That said, I never went in one, which was perhaps the best way

[Gixer968CS]

Learned to drive in my mum's Chevette. On about my 3rd lesson the gear stick came off in my hand when changing from 3rd to 4th. That was exciting for both (new) driver and passenger (mum)! Car was about 6 or 7 years old at the time I think. As an aside, the same thing happened to me on the M25 in my Porsche 968CS!!

[apotts]

The "Shove-it" was always dreadful. However even bad history needs preserving, to remind us how not to do it.

[Canon_Fodder]

Gixer968CS said:

Learned to drive in my mum's Chevette. On about my 3rd lesson the gear stick came off in my hand when changing from 3rd to 4th. That was exciting for both (new) driver and passenger (mum)! Car was about 6 or 7 years old at the time I think. As an aside, the same thing happened to me on the M25 in my Porsche 968CS!!

Could be your technique

[CrutyRammers]

My first car. I rather enjoyed it. low grip rear wheel drive, what's not to like?
Don't think it was particularly worse than similar cars from that era.

[Gixer968CS]

Canon_Fodder said:

Gixer968CS said:

Learned to drive in my mum's Chevette. On about my 3rd lesson the gear stick came off in my hand when changing from 3rd to 4th. That was exciting for both (new) driver and passenger (mum)! Car was about 6 or 7 years old at the time I think. As an aside, the same thing happened to me on the M25 in my Porsche 968CS!!

Could be your technique

I was thinking that as I typed it

[Shezbo]

Wouldn't mind a HS 2300?

[Mabbs9]

CrutyRammers said:

My first car. I rather enjoyed it. low grip rear wheel drive, what's not to like?
Don't think it was particularly worse than similar cars from that era.

Same. I fully agree. Ace training. I went on to have an HS later in life.

[dontlookdown]

My grandad had a Shove it in the early 80s. Orange 1300 HLS as I recall. It was top of the range so it had fancy wheel trims check cloth seats and a clock!. Those were the days

It wasn't awful overall but the engine sounded like it was about to self destruct when revved at all hard. Stark contrast to he Fiat 127 my uncle had at around the same time which was an enthusiastic revver, even though it was probably even slower than the Chevette!

[droopsnoot]

I can only see the first bit of the article, but suggesting that there are only 55 Chevettes left is a bit of a stretch, as even "How Many Left" puts the number at more like 269. It's not much of a survival rate, but it's not quite as they suggest.

[4321go]

And yet again, that someone thinks that this is “good news” suggests that they’ve stumbled into the wrong area of the forum. FWIW, I remember my grandmother’s two mid-70s examples (my then-already-departed grandfather had been the MD of the country’s largest GM dealership) with huge fondness.

[4321go]

And yet again, that someone thinks that this is “good news” suggests that they’ve stumbled into the wrong area of the forum. FWIW, I remember my grandmother’s two mid-70s examples (my then-already-departed grandfather had been the MD of the country’s largest GM dealership) with huge fondness.

[grumpy52]

They actually handled very well but were let down by the engine .
This is back in the days of club level road rallies, a cheap route to fun was to bung a crossflow engine in a Chevette.
I was lucky at the time to know a few of the guys that worked at the test track at Millbrook and got to have rides in many test mules or prototype models . I was involved in putting miles on the HS fleet before they were given to the press when they were launched . We did a tour of the UK in a weekend in them before they were returned to the factory for servicing then handed to the press .

[FiF]

Won a few 12 cars in a bog standard 1.2 Chevette saloon. Including one very snowy event in the Peaks, only competitor to avoid a fail.

[bristolracer]

Styling was way ahead of what Ford were offering, Ford had no hatchback when these came out.
My Mum went from a Viva to one of these and it was a big jump in refinement and comfort.

[bubblebobble]

Well my Chevanne handled remarkably well considering the wofty backend shenanigans.
I cant remember the last time I ever saw one, probably mid 90s; or come to think of that a Chevette.

[CrutyRammers]

Had a lot of fun with mine actually. Reshaping the combustion chambers and ports as per Dave Vizard and others, replacing the frying pan filter with a larger, open homemade one, extending the inlet manifold, raising and sculpting the carb jet, advancing the cams. Still slow in a way that only a 70s car could be, but learned a lot and had a lovely time.

[mickyh7]

I was given one by a friend in the 80's, who changed the Head Gasket but couldn't get it to restart.
(He omitted to fit the nylon washer holding the points onto the distributor).
He bought a new banger and I fixed the Chevette.
We kept it for a couple of years.
It wasn't the fastest car I've ever owned, but it was OK cheap motoring.

[Silver Smudger]

grumpy52 said:

They actually handled very well but were let down by the engine ...

My parents had a ropey old one when I passed my test - It had a 1.0 litre engine and 3-speed auto. I don't remember its handling capabilities - My most vivid memory / trauma was attempting to join motorways. You'd give it all it had on the slip road and then it would shift into top gear at about 60mph and totally run out of puff! You had to aim for a big gap in traffic...
I bought myself an 1100cc Leyland Mini as soon as I could!