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1975

Vauxhall Chevette

"It's whatever you want it to be." Britain's first home-grown hatchback of its kind.

CHV 75N
Vauxhall Chevette
Photo: Sicnag, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The story

Vauxhall took General Motors' world small-car design and gave it a sloping droop-snoot nose and a hatchback. It arrived just as buyers wanted small, thrifty cars and was a best-seller for years.

Inside

Simple and light, with tartan cloth on smarter models and a folding rear seat.

In period colours

Tap a colour to respray the drawing.

Signal Yellow
Did you know?

The wild 2.3-litre Chevette HS rally car won the British Rally Championship in 1979.

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

Buying and running

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.

Flat out 020406080100120 MPH
91 mph
First builtMay 1975
Age today51 years since launch
Built atLuton, then Ellesmere Port
On sale1975–1984
Years in production9 years
Number madeAbout 415,000 sold in Britain
Kerb weight800 kg (approx.)
Fuel economy38 mpg combined (approx.)
Engine1.3-litre four
Power58 bhp
Top speed91 mph
Speed rankingJoint 143rd fastest of 164
0–60 mph15 seconds
Price when newFrom about £1,600
In today's moneyAbout £17,500
Designed byVauxhall, under Wayne Cherry

Today's money: the launch price adjusted for inflation to 2026, using the Office for National Statistics price index.