Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1

The story

Vauxhall's own cars were struggling, so it borrowed the German Opel Ascona and gave it a sloping nose. Drivers found it sharp and reliable, and fleet buyers finally had a real alternative to the Cortina.

Inside

Neat, sober and well made, with clear dials and a precise gearchange.

In period colours

Tap a colour to respray the drawing.

Meanwhile, in 1975

British Leyland was nationalised to save it from collapse, and Bohemian Rhapsody was number one.

Best-selling single of 1975: Bye Bye Baby by Bay City Rollers

Before you buy a 1970s car

• Rust is common in sills, wheel arches, front panels and the bottom of the doors.
• Check the wiring and electrics carefully, as they age badly.
• Many volume-selling cars still have good parts support, but badge-engineered and low-volume models can be harder to source.

General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.

Rivals of its day

Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.

See the real thing

These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.