The mainstay trim level for the entry-level Chevette, the two-door saloon was rolled out a year after the hatchback in 1976 and remained in the lineup for the remaining 8 years of production. The Chevette was one of the first complete Vauxhall tie-ups with Opel, having shared the same GM parent.
Up to this point, Vauxhall held a degree of design independence, but the British company’s fortunes were flagging by the 1970s and GM’s decision to fully control development and design did have a positive outcome, and it’s no exaggeration that the Vauxhall brand, along with the bigger Cavalier (Opel Ascona/Manta) was saved by the Chevette.
The L trim was distinguished by its cloth trim and carpets, with a handful of useful bolt-ons. Vauxhall shifted the trim levels throughout the car’s life, the base model soon became the L, and the saloons developed a sub-range within the Chevette lineup, with 5 different trims available for the variant. Excellent value as a classic car, there are plenty of opportunities to upgrade the engine, as Vauxhall proved by shoehorning a 2.3-litre block in the rally-spec HS and HSR versions. This car has just 38,500 recorded miles and is cosmetically pretty good, but the dangers are likely to lurk in the structure and suspension mounts.
