Vauxhall Chevette Original TV Advert [Opel Kadett]

[blade0954]

great old car advert,thank you for the blast from the past.

[aly369]

My dad had one of these for a month after he crashed his mk2 escort. Lets just say about 2 weeks later it threw a rod going to work....... He then brought a mk3 escort and had that for many years....

[Crrrazytim]

Just read through all comments... some laughs and plenty of confusion about models etc. I own a few of these (non with the monster 1256cc 4banger thank god) and let me tell you they turn a few heads and handle so much better than almost any other car of it's class/era, cheaper to get parts for, (Mazda 323/Toyota DX Corolla's/Ford Escort you pay through the nose for anything you need) and IMO they have some of the nicest lines... not to say other cars aren't better but overall T cars are great!

[tomschevette]

I own and drove one of this when I was in school 5 years ago and I'm still driving the same car today

[smartbomb05]

i very much doubt that it got off that beach as a complete car, it would have left a fair few piles of rust right there! lol

[Glenn1967ful]

This car saved Vauxhall in Britain. In 1974 the company's reputation was so low they were being outsold by Datsun. OK the Viva was a reasonable car, but the bigger models were rust ridden flops that were completely outsold by the opposition.

[streesmut70]

Vauxhall Vauxvette

[megane230f1]

Lol lol, it's a shit vette.

[patrickRoy33kaw]

it wasnt what 1 person wanted it to be!!!

[AntiConniff]

If you could not resist not posting it, why did you post it then? Surely you could not resist posting it. Isn't that what you mean?

[MidlandNinja]

This video will be 35 years old now!

[AusWanabee]

Ha Ha my first car wow the memories, a 2door hatch 1245cc, side draft carby extractors and a 1 3/4" system . I remember mine was flat out down hill on a tail windy day at 145 Kph )))) I think being black it made it faster :P but aaaah great times as a kid. I always dreamed of the 2.8L transplant i thinkit was that was common or often found in the HS i think it was.

[AusWanabee]

@AusWanabee 1256 cc thats right not 1245 that i posted... rear wheel drive aaaa the wet weather joy and hey it never over heated like all my mates little Ford Escorts Mk1's and Anglia's yet was absolutely crushed in power by my mates Fiat 125 with his 'S' 5speed gearbox.

[Glenn1967ful]

@AusWanabee

But this engine was just right for the 3 door hatchback. It might have been a bit slow in the heavier Viva, but was right for the smaller Chevette, giving it a good turn of speed and decent economy. Also remember the Chevette was the turning point for Vauxhall in the way the FE Victor never could be.

[markyfx]

I want mine to be a wheelbarrow. The metallic paint option used to blister as soon as you drove off the forecourt.

[alernest]

In Colombia they kept on producing the Chevette Coupé (Chevrolet or GMC) until 1998, very solid and reliable.

I've always dreamt of fitting a K6 Mazda engine (1.8 V6) to it.

[AnthonyUK]

my dad had one a 5 door estate version and it managed the shopping and other things in its spacious boot as well as enough comfortable room for me and my twin brother and sister in the back and it was reliable enough and a reasonable kind of car. It was quite good in fact.

[Crrrazytim]

@AnthonyUK Estate was 3door... I have one (massively repowered thank christ)

[hamster700]

my brothers first car was a white chevette wagon GL5 978 it was crap

[torresbounceable]

Ahh the Vauxhall shove-it, only matched by the Austin All-aggro

[thecheesepriest]

My sister's first car after passing her test in 1986 was a 1978 Chevette, ELG 704S, in green. She loved it.

Her only question was why only the 1256cc Viva engine was available.

[matthewwood2010]

nuns in a chevette LOL

[RICKD790]

Vauxhall Shove it

[AnthonyUK]

That was silly driving it on the beach, the salt would have rotted the body and sills to nothing and started a serious rust problem that would be costly to correct.

[EXTREME4YEARSTOCOME]

gr8 car rubbish engine

[TRD10001]

EXTREME4YEARSTOCOME the cars got a great engine ur stupid idiot

[EXTREME4YEARSTOCOME]

@TRD10001 bullshit 1.3 sohc push rod and points and condenser ignition no power and non stop break downs and btw you dont call someone more intelligent then you an idiot because then it just shows that your an idiot -_-

[TigerIPanzer]

@EXTREME4YEARSTOCOME in that motoring era there were no ECU's..in those days all mass produced cars had basic electrics

[EXTREME4YEARSTOCOME]

@TigerIPanzer i no!!! ecus didnt come in till the mid 80s

[Seattlecarnut]

The Vauxhall Chevette looks similar to the Chevrolet Chevette, except it has a better looking nose than that of our Chevette.

[mrspivvy]

I remember as a kid Redifusion ran fleets of chevannes. Not a bad looking car but I reckon it needed a bigger engine option in the standard car, say a 1.6 or something, the 1256 OHV was a load of crap, and the HS versions too expensive for everyman

[RockinFunTower]

WOW! Good times back then! You could barely get them to go 40 MPH on hills. I knew a guy who had a 1981 with the optional Isuzu 1.8L Diesel engine. That would be a rare find in the US today...

[Lukeno52]

@RockinFunTower it's a rare find ANYWHERE! :L

[D5DRIFT]

id love to have a chevette. i cant find a decent one for love nor money. i love them.

[22Crystalline22]

You needed to get out and push it to get it to 50mph. Cars were so basic then.

[Blurredman]

And so much cheaper and easier to work with too for that reason.

I've a car with a carburetta (all mechanics) and it's a doddle to get things done myself and with pleanty of space under the bonnet to fit another(yes) another full size spare wheel under it.

[Bluenile38]

Not a good idea to drive one along a beach as the bodywork would turn to dust within 6 months.

[Sanyey]

OMG!! WTF is that???:D Looks like a mini-Manta or something :D Was was the base of it? Opel didnt have a small car like this back then... :O

[mrspivvy]

It was actually based on the '70s opel kadett but with different front end and inferior (IMO) vauxhall 1256cc engine

[davie12]

Sounds like the sort of tune Petula Clark would have taken into the charts!

[BearZest]

@davie12

The jingle was issued as a full song by First Class who sang both; 'You know that life is whatever you want it to be'. First Class had a massive hit in '74 with 'Beach Baby'

I wanted MY Vauxhall Chevette 'to be' a BMW.. but it never happened...

[megaman2000]

how non commital is that! "Vauxhall: what should the chevette be, sporty, utility? Vauxhall 2: erm...well.....we dont actually know....lets just be vauge about it and tell them it's what ever they want it to be! Vauxhall: GOOD IDEA!....what if they want it to be free and not rust when the man suggests even the slightest chance of atmospheric moisture??

[AnthonyUK]

Whatever you are the business you do

Delivering good providing service so true

The Bedford Chevanne is the van that you want it to be,For carrying gear,getting staff to your work,Chevanne does it all and all without shirk,The Bedford Chevanne is the van that you'd like it to be...

[AnthonyUK]

...This is good for the small business man doing the work a van does(work a van does),this is good for your main business man the loadspace is vast and the engine is fast,for lugging your stuff when the going gets tough,this is a van for the smooth and the rough the Bedford Chevanne is the van just for you and for me(repeat last line)

[b646mlm]

My mother had a 1977 Bronze Hatchback, followed by a 1980 4 door Chevette Special in Gold, and rounded it off with a Black 1982 Chevette Sihouette....ahh memories!!

[landroversrs1]

I had a 1982 Chevette in Carmine red did over 100,000 miles in it never let me down, it did get through about 4 water pumps in its time possibly due to to the high temp stat of 98c which was used to stop the mayo building in the rocker box causing the seal to break down.

It also had a Bosch Distributor which was 100% better than the AC Delco type.

setting the valve clearences was fun it was done with the engine running! when I sold it it still had 60psi of oil pressure when hot at 55 mph.

[EXTREME4YEARSTOCOME]

my dad had one of those it was his first car and he had to get new piston heads for it and it was always breakin down

[PONTY30]

Whatever you want it to be! Yes my Chevette was Mustard

[ozielkleme]

see chevette in brazil.. is  diferent

[tshirtheaven]

Chevette ad was composed by John Carter and sung by Tony Burrows, John Carter, Clare Torry, Chas Mills, Kay Garner & Stephanie De Sykes

[lukeslandspeeder]

the chevette was called the world car. now why does this video had a character word limit? fuked up my post.

[lukeslandspeeder]

ja thats real good. haul around some shiting geese and get histoplasmosis or birdflu while looking good in that vette..90% of people who have chickens are morons. fact. now. the chevette was called the world,it was designed in germany by opel.

[tomschevette]

one odd thing about my chevette is it won't die even when i put it trough a stone wall when the breaks failed it stiil runs as sweet as a nut with a few battle scars :) and poeple say they where a bad car

[68023W]

The Chevette was actually considered to be a really good-looking small car when it was released. The so-called "droop snoot" look (clean nose) was best seen on the sporty Firenza model, but it was also carried over to other models such as the Cavalier. I remember that one of the nicknames it gained was, Shove-It. You can get the First Class single version of the song on iTunes, it was released as "Life Is Whatever You Want It T Be"

[djrowley1]

sorry boys chevette not a patch on an escort

[68023W]

The song was released by Tony Burrows and company as First Class, and the lyrics were changed to "you know that life is what ever you want it to be"

[zeroyon223]

and thats at the rear wheels...

[zeroyon223]

dad has one that he put a bedford 2.3 into it. makes 625nm of torque....

[juliosham]

I read that when British Leyland was developing the Austin Metro, their engineers bought a fleet of rival cars for comparison, including a Chevette. According to their records, it was by far the most crudely engineered but yet in hard testing, it was also the one that went wrong the least. It tallies with most people's opinion of the Chevette, very simple solid little cars.

[AvgasStew]

I can second that comment, the exhaust manifold you could get a "standard" one which looked like it bolted onto a boiler rather than a car.....the "Sport" one was better as it was actually curved....but still cast

[tshirtsprout]

this jingle was composed by John Carter and arranged by him and Fiachra Trench. The lead vocal is by Tony Burrows. Back up vocals are sung by John Carter,Tony Burrows Chas Mills,Clare Torry, Stephanie De Sykes and Kay Garner.......

and as Sound Engineers hardly ever get a mention : Nick Ryan !!

[joh2]

Claire Torry - she was responsible for the 'wailing' vocals on Pink Floyd's "Great Gig in the sky" from Dark Side of The Moon...

As for Tony Burrows, he sang the lead vocals on Edison Lighthouse's "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" and Brotherhood of Man's "United we stand"...

[eastenders09]

Brilliant ad.

My Dad had 4 Chevettes 2 two door saloons and 2 3 door Hatches like the one off The Likely Lads which was S-Reg and the other one was W-Reg.

[AvgasStew]

nice one. an interesting note is the the station wagon was called 'chevanne'. The holden gemini while similar shape is not exactly the same as well.

[joh2]

The wagon was known as Chevette - the Chevanne was the van model, and was sold as a Bedford... - As for the Holden Gemini, while the front is different the wagon's wagorear panels were identical - Holden sourced the Gemini wagon and van's rear panels CKD from Vauxhall...

[AvgasStew]

actually i think you will find the chevette was the hatch, the chevanne was a wagon (except for the countries that kept the chevette for both) and the viva was the sedan........ i kinda owned all of them. Gemini was great as the 2L bolted straight in with no modifications. But i always preferred the 79 chevette/chevanne nose as it had the protrouding headlights.

[joblobs]

In the UK, you had Chevette Hatch, saloon (sedan) and estate (sw) versions, all badged chevette, there were van (wagon) versions too, which I think were badged chevanne.

I once had a 1982 chevette, with a full HSR Rally bodykit, it looked amazing in it's day, like a shortened sporty version of the Open Manta.

[joh2]

The Viva was a different model range altogether and was slightly larger than Chevette...

[harley333man]

The Viva was before the Chevette. Most of the mechanical parts are the same, mainly a different body. 167,000 miles on my 1982 Chevette estate so far.

[marceloxlago]

I Brazil is GM sold the Chevette between 1974 and 1995

IS GM BRaZil witc GM New Zelandia... +/-

[colong88]

The Chevette was also sold in Mauritius, so NZ is not the only country in the S hemisphere where it was sold.

Chevettes were good cars when launched, but the small car class was rapidly moving towards front wheel drive shortly after, making it seem dated, alebit the Chevette remained a very nice car to drive.

Look at today's BMW 1 series, which proudly proclaims to be the only rear drive car in its class! What goes around comes around.

[joh2]

GM New Zealand sold the Chevette between 1976 and 1981 in all body styles - likely the ONLY market in the Southern Hemisphere where the Vauxhall Chevette variant of the GM T-car was sold...

The Chevettes in NZ got interesting from 1979 onward, when Holden designed radial tuned suspension (complete with lower suspension and wider sports wheels) were fitted to all models...

[jsrodecki]

I had one of these with a commedy number plate - my first car too! Love the advert cheese filled and retro - my mates used to call my car the style mobile:)

[MidlandNinja]

Chevette was made 1975-1984

[focusboywonder]

lol my first car i had a 83 chevette L hatch

reliable motor finally drove it to the scrap yard because it wouldnt break!!!

nice ad tho

[ianmax69]

Wonderful ad!!!

How about mixing that soundtrack with clips from the film"The Likley Lads"!!!

Towing the caravan across Tyne Bridge and chasin the truck..

That image of Terry(James Bolam)when Bob crashes across the central reservation is a picture!!

"The Vauxhall Chevette is whatever you want it to be..where Bobs walkin back into the house with the front all stoved in!"

[boconcepts]

wow, never seen the ads! Still drive one today, same age as me! the little A reg beast! lol.

[19james89]

lol what model have you got?

[tomschevette]

Ah i drive one of this there funny litte cars

[19james89]

What model have you got?

[tomschevette]

Limited edition Chevette Sun Hatch 2-door Saloon model introduced with sunroof, tinted glass and radio fitted as standard thats my one

[TGseason10]

Sorry, but it doesn't look great...

I love the Kadett though. Especially the A and E Kadetts!

[MidlandNinja]

Space age when it came out but after a while it looked like dinosaur age

[joh2]

In the early 80s it certainly did...