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From time to time you might encounter a once popular family car that prompts the question ‘when did I last see one of those?’. But with the likes of the 1980 Chevette E four-door saloon owned by Charlie Wakeford-Mahy, the response is more likely to be ‘where have they all gone?’. Thirty-nine years ago you would not have looked twice at a such a Vauxhall for the simple reason that they were a part of everyday life. Your teacher would grumble that this Adam Ant chap was ‘a Teddy Boy’ before embarking on “Fletcher Maths”, every Friday evening, Bodie and Doyle would run around some dis-used gas works – and the local roads would contain any number of Chevettes.

Today, the Vauxhall that was ‘whatever you want it to be’ is now a very rare sight.

Only a dozen Chevette E’s are now on the road - https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?q=vauxhall+chevette+E – and Charlie acquired his example at the beginning of March. ‘I love the overall look of the car and feel; I have a real passion for classic vehicles’. To recap, the Chevette debuted in May 1975 as a three-door hatchback and here is an early model being evaluated on Thames Television’s Drive In programme, although it is hard not to be distracted by the presenter’s amazing shirt -

By 1976 the Chevette was also available as a two or four-door saloon, and in September 1979, the range gained Cavalier-style flush fitting headlamps as part of a facelift. Production continued until as recently as 1984 – four years after Vauxhall introduced the Astra and a year after the debut of the Nova – and Charlie’s Chevette is especially notable as a surviving example of the entry-level model. Back in 1975 the advent of the Ford Escort Popular Mk. II laid down the gauntlet to Vauxhall in terms of inexpensive fleet or family transport and Luton’s response was the Chevette E.

Just in case potential buyers were under the false impression that the E was in any way Spartan the brochure reassured them of a specification that was ‘impressively high’. It proudly listed the many items of standard equipment; ‘front ashtray’, ‘driver’s sun visor’ and ‘Rear view mirror’. And that was not all, for your new E also came with ‘Vynide trim’, Boot mat’ and ‘Sound insulation’. Charlie finds the experience of driving a car with plastic upholstery (‘the leather look’ as he puts it) and fixed backrests on the front seats ‘pretty good to be fair - it’s easy going.  I feel like I’m in an old school chair’.

Of course, a 1,256cc powered E may not offer the same performance as a 2300 HS, but it represents the Chevette as experienced by thousands of motorists. In the very early 1980s, such a Vauxhall appealed to drivers who were looking to replace their Viva HC and who preferred it to the likes of the new front-wheel-drive Astra. At that time, an inexpensive family car sans hazard warning lights or a dipping mirror was not especially unusual and the Chevette E more than fulfilled its brief of providing reliable and pleasant-looking transport.

Today, whenever Charlie takes NVW 928 V for a spin around Littlehampton, it causes a stir; ‘everyone that has seen her said she’s a lovely car and looks like she’s in great condition’. He remarks of the Chevette’s four-speed gearbox ‘I think it was a brilliant idea for the 80s’ and indeed his Vauxhall is a virtual time-machine. Most importantly – ‘I smile every time I get in it’.

With Thanks To: Charlie Wakeford-Mahy