Southern Steve Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Commomly referred to as the "Shoveit" in the motor trade, got bad memories of fitting starter motors on them, a horrid job! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted June 8, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 8, 2018 Yes, typo. '75 I think it might have been. Last Luton designed vehicle, before the Astra which was Opel designed. The Chevette was based on the Opel Kadette, in fact the only part of the body that was designed in Luton was the front end (based on the Firenza) and the hatchback version. The last 100% British designed Vauxhall was the Victor FE, also the last Vauxhall to carry the distinctive Vauxhall bonnet flutes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 The Chevette was based on the Opel Kadette, in fact the only part of the body that was designed in Luton was the front end (based on the Firenza) and the hatchback version. The last 100% British designed Vauxhall was the Victor FE, also the last Vauxhall to carry the distinctive Vauxhall bonnet flutes. And the drive train from the Viva. Had it come with the Opel 1.3/1.6/1.9 it would have killed the Ford Escort. Much as I enjoyed my Chevette, 57 bhp was never going to be enough and it was replaced with a slightly older RS2000. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 ISTR Blydensteins doing some useful tuning gear for the Chevette. I've also wondered, given its Viva drivetrain, whether it would have been possible to transplant the bigger Viva/Magnum/Firenza into it using largely Vauxhall factory components. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 ISTR Blydensteins doing some useful tuning gear for the Chevette. I've also wondered, given its Viva drivetrain, whether it would have been possible to transplant the bigger Viva/Magnum/Firenza into it using largely Vauxhall factory components. Effectively the chevette HS and hsr were slant four engine versions, but mucked about iirc by lotus and only released to meet race rules. I have seen regular chevette in the past with the 2.3l slant four (half a Buick v8 in effect) in, even one with a rover V8 fitted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Datsun Cherry's and Sunny's were popular....rust buckets all, but they had tinted glass and radio's. You paid Ford a fortune for extras at that time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Russ, do you recall what Maurice Neesam's car (the one half the town learned to drive in) was? I have a feeling that was a Datsun something or other. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 ISTR Blydensteins doing some useful tuning gear for the Chevette. I've also wondered, given its Viva drivetrain, whether it would have been possible to transplant the bigger Viva/Magnum/Firenza into it using largely Vauxhall factory components. Like the Viva, enough room for a V8. Just GM politics in the way. The Opel engines would have been better as they were a simple compact and upright engine. The Kadette proved to be a competitive rally car. The chevettes were quite light but like most cars of the time became rust buckets. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted June 8, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 8, 2018 It must've been around then that we got rid of the Maxi (metallic blue) (with its plastic seats - horrible when you're a child in shorts and it's been sat in the sun all day) and bought a Fiat Uno (dark blue, probably not a million miles off BR Blue on a dull day). That one lasted some time, I was driving it after passing my test ten or so years later. My grandparents had sold us the Maxi and replaced it with an Astra (brown - don't seem to get too many brown cars nowdays!). My other grandparents had a Honda Accord, which IIRC was silver. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Just thinking,was the Kadette offered as a hatch? There were saloon, estate/van and coupe versions. Pity that there wasn't more cooperation between Russellheim and Luton. Wayne Cherry's studio produced a prototype convertible chevette that didnt make production whilst the Germans got their Opel GT. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Great video , can really see how foreign manufacturers were taking the market... Quite. My recollection of the mid-eighties is when the world of 'everyman' cars changed from Ford/Vauxhall/BL to Heinz 57 varieties. Every young man of modest means wanted a hot hatch, and the UK motor industry didn't have one to sell (Hornbyesque isn't it?). My immediate neighbour's boy bought the PEUGEOT 205 SHAZZAM! (or whatever it was called) and took delivery in early 1984 (which I well remember because it was then nicked in mid 1984 from the service dealer's premises). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted June 8, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 8, 2018 Russ, do you recall what Maurice Neesam's car (the one half the town learned to drive in) was? I have a feeling that was a Datsun something or other. I do, I think he had a Datsun cherry 100A then the later cherry. I didn't have him I had Jack Elliott who also had a cherry! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted June 8, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 8, 2018 Just thinking,was the Kadette offered as a hatch? There were saloon, estate/van and coupe versions. Pity that there wasn't more cooperation between Russellheim and Luton. Wayne Cherry's studio produced a prototype convertible chevette that didnt make production whilst the Germans got their Opel GT. It was ,shame there was no chevrette coupe. Opel also used the 1.9 can in head unit in the GT/E shame that and the 1.6 weren't USD in the chevrette although the engine is a bit on the heavy side 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 It was ,shame there was no chevrette coupe. Opel also used the 1.9 can in head unit in the GT/E shame that and the 1.6 weren't USD in the chevrette although the engine is a bit on the heavy side They said the same thing about the Pinto in an escort. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 The Ford fiesta Mk. I and II were a runaway success and were everywhere by 1984 including my drive. I used to go from a big Ford to a small one then back again, but in all that time the little Ford remained now't but a glorified tin box. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 The Ford fiesta Mk. I and II were a runaway success and were everywhere by 1984 including my drive. I used to go from a big Ford to a small one then back again, but in all that time the little Ford remained now't but a glorified tin box. Oddly enough so did I. When child related poverty struck a pair of mk1 Fiestas filled the gaps between the RS and two XR3s. Happy memories of all five cars. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Effectively the chevette HS and hsr were slant four engine versions, but mucked about iirc by lotus and only released to meet race rules. I have seen regular chevette in the past with the 2.3l slant four (half a Buick v8 in effect) in, even one with a rover V8 fitted. iirc the HS &HSR chevvettes were 400 off rally homologation specials the same as the lotus sunbeam built to out escort the escort .lotus engineered the original head but after some doubt that all the homologation cars carried it it was banned from competition use the HSR was a widertrack wider body version of the HS to allow a bigger stronger back axle to be used 400 kits of parts had to be made and offered for sale tho how many were sold is a different story. the kaddette 1.9 coupe was the most popular rally car in europe being cheap and easy to build and tune . this was not the last time vauxhall & opel went different routes to the same objective the nova/corsa 1.3 sport being a case in point 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted June 8, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 8, 2018 ISTR Blydensteins doing some useful tuning gear for the Chevette. I've also wondered, given its Viva drivetrain, whether it would have been possible to transplant the bigger Viva/Magnum/Firenza into it using largely Vauxhall factory components. It wasn't a Viva drivetrain, from the A posts rearward it was entirely Opel Kadett with the exception of the hatchback which was a Luton design on a shortened Kadett estate floorpan. Effectively the chevette HS and hsr were slant four engine versions, but mucked about iirc by lotus and only released to meet race rules. I have seen regular chevette in the past with the 2.3l slant four (half a Buick v8 in effect) in, even one with a rover V8 fitted. The slant four was an entirely new design from Luton with a SOHC and one of the first toothed belt camshaft drives. A V8 version was intended but the accountants got in the way so the Ventora had to soldier on with the old Bedford truck engine. Just thinking,was the Kadette offered as a hatch? There were saloon, estate/van and coupe versions. Pity that there wasn't more cooperation between Russellheim and Luton. Wayne Cherry's studio produced a prototype convertible chevette that didnt make production whilst the Germans got their Opel GT. Indeed it was, using panels shipped from the Chevette line in Luton. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted June 9, 2018 Share Posted June 9, 2018 It wasn't a Viva drivetrain, from the A posts rearward it was entirely Opel Kadett with the exception of the hatchback which was a Luton design on a shortened Kadett estate floorpan. The slant four was an entirely new design from Luton with a SOHC and one of the first toothed belt camshaft drives. A V8 version was intended but the accountants got in the way so the Ventora had to soldier on with the old Bedford truck engine. Indeed it was, using panels shipped from the Chevette line in Luton. Fair enough. All I can say in my defence is that Vauxhalls were never really my thing and so my take on the genealogy of the various models is largely guesswork . 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeharvey22 Posted June 9, 2018 Share Posted June 9, 2018 Oxford Diecast added a Maxi to there list of proposed releases. https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/products/austin-maxi-tara-green-76mx001 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigAndy Posted June 9, 2018 Share Posted June 9, 2018 Oxford Diecast added a Maxi to there list of proposed releases. https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/products/austin-maxi-tara-green-76mx001 Good choice Oxford. A mate of mine when we were all about 17, had a Brown Maxi.............it was Bl**dy awful!!!! cheers Andy 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted June 10, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 10, 2018 iirc the HS &HSR chevvettes were 400 off rally homologation specials the same as the lotus sunbeam built to out escort the escort .lotus engineered the original head but after some doubt that all the homologation cars carried it it was banned from competition use the HSR was a widertrack wider body version of the HS to allow a bigger stronger back axle to be used 400 kits of parts had to be made and offered for sale tho how many were sold is a different story. the kaddette 1.9 coupe was the most popular rally car in europe being cheap and easy to build and tune . this was not the last time vauxhall & opel went different routes to the same objective the nova/corsa 1.3 sport being a case in point What was the corsa sport? Nova sports go for stupid money these days 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 What was the corsa sport? Nova sports go for stupid money these days basicly a left hand drive version of the nova for the rest of the world the nova was uk & eire only .the differance iirc was corsa sport ran efi and injection as against the novas twin sidedraft carb set up plus a few detail differances in the rear suspension but basicly looked the same .in this country we only ever had the corsa "B" the nova was in effect the "A" . 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Steve Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 "Speed kills, be safe, drive a Vauxhall" Runs for cover Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianmacc Posted June 10, 2018 Share Posted June 10, 2018 Oxford die cast have just announced an Austin Maxi for imminent release. A major gap for the 70s and 80s layouts closed. Some of these replies are a bit off topic. The OP wanted to know what was around that is available in model form rather than what was popular. Regarding Japanese check out the Tomytec H0 range. They are actually 1:80 so very near to 00 and they do the ubiquitous Toyota etc cars of the era. Near impossible to pick up in the uk though. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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