You know what car had an awful lot of faces? The Chevette. Yes, the humble, somewhat crappy little Chevette that we knew as a cheap little rear-wheel drive holdout in the early FWD econobox era had a lot of different visages throughout the world. That’s partially because it was one of GM’s first truly global car platfoms, the T-car platform, which was the basis for Chevettes under the Opel, Vauxhall, and Chevrolet names (and there were different Chevy versions in America and Brazil) and the platform was also sold as an Isuzu and a Grumett (a Uruguayan brand!), among a few others. But for now, let’s just look at some of the more common Chevette-faces and, you know, see how we feel.
Okay, let’s start with one of the early Chevettes, the US Market OG Chevette from 1976.
I’m also putting an extra line here because Matt is always on my ass about where in an article we can start to place images that has something to do with the video module placement. Anyway, here’s the damn car:
I always liked this early Chevette-face. I like the round headlamps, but we have a case here where the designers seemed to really, really want rectangular units and just couldn’t wait until they were available, so they made do with squarical bezels instead. The divided grille is kind of fetching as well, I think. It’s not a bad face, really, it feels eager and friendly.
When the Chevette got a facelift in 1979, it finally got those coveted rectangular headlamps and a full-width grille, ever-so-slightly vee’d in the middle, and while this is a tidy look, I think a bit of character was lost. It’s clean, I suppose.
This one, used on the Opel and Vauxhall Chevettes, I think is my favorite. The grille has been moved under the bumper, leaving the upper face grille-free, with a nice slope and those interesting recessed rectangular lamps, sometimes with a rakish clear outer cover. This face really changes the feel of the car, I think, making it seem sportier and more, hm, advanced than it actually was. I mean, it’s still like 52 hp and a pretty outdated layout, but when that face is whizzing at you, it’s easy to forget all that.
The Brazilian Chevettes had this face, which I think is pretty sophisticated-looking. We still have round lamps in square bezels, but it’s a bit less forced, and I like the half-height grille with the chamfered hood edge.
Do you have a favorite? You know what, this is a priority – stop working and really take the time to think about Chevette faces. This seems important.
Fun fact: Chevrolet do Brasil sold the GMC Chevette from 1992 to 1995. It was only GMC vehicle that is neither SUV nor truck. After Opel ended the production of Kadett C in 1979, Vauxhall Chevette was sold in Germany simply as “Chevette” (no Opel or Vauxhall badge anywhere on the body).
Of course, T-platform (RWD) had spawned at least thirty different brands and names along with nine body styles. No other GM platform has come close to T-platform (T-80 platform came close).
My mother had one when I was younger about 7yo. I remember my mother going out to get in the car to take me to school and the driver door upper henge broke, the door barely hanging on. She had me hold it while she ran in the house and got a screw driver to use as a door pin. Broke the handle off the screw driver in the door and never had another issue with the door again. As for the rest of the car POS. No firewall bulkhead insulation either so in the summer you burned your legs from the engine heat. Lol. Also smashed my finger in the door. I hated that car.
used as a marker of time and place and, well courting rituals shall we say, by the band Pulp in the brilliant track Sheffield Sex City. “the groans from a T-reg Chevette – you bet – you bet”
The 1979 “face” ran to the end of the line in 1987. It didn’t get blackout trim until later, maybe 1983. It even kept the original’s rounded rear for a couple years after the face lift.
I had an ’83 Chevette Scooter, and while it got me from A->B with little issue, it was so boring and blank (and noisy, and… and…) that I joke to this day that I have been married, and have two kids, it’s, but the greatest day of my life was when I wrecked my Chevette, never to drive it again.
I think it’s interesting looking at the first gen and you can tell just by looking at it that car is firmly a ’70s design whereas the ’79 refresh puts that car squarely in the ’80s. I’d love to graft the Opel face onto the first gen US Chevette.
While the Vauxhall Chevette was much more modern looking, it was still a largely re-bodied POC HC Vauxhall Viva. My second car was a HC Viva. This is how I know what a POC they are. Bought a Nissan after I got rid of that POC and never looked back.
I was never a fan of any of the American models, they just screamed cheap. The European/ world versions certainly are a cut above in terms of styling and apparent finish. Funny how one can feel like complete poop, and another like a neat little euro hatch.
Isn’t that last one an Opel Kadett too?
I really wanted to date a girl when I was 15-16 whose first car was a Chevette. We would sit in it parked at her folks house before she got her license with the windows down and talk about stuff like teenagers do. When she got that license the car lasted all of like 2 months, it was the heapest of shit to ever heap. I had never been in a “cheap as fuck” car in my life up until that point, it is a fond memory. This was the late 90s for perspective.
Ah yes, the late 90’s high school parking lot at least half filled with Chevettes, Celebritys, third-gen Grand Ams, Tempos, and Escorts… My God, it’s depressing to think about…
The Vauxhall Chevette at least got a chance to live up to it’s sporty looks with the Chevette HS and HSR. That was the rally homologation special with a 150hp 2.3L DOHC inline four.
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My next-door neighbour had one of the Chevette HS models – it looked great for about 6 months, but I swear it rotted like a fallen tree. By the time he sold it there was 10% go faster stripe, 90% iron oxide.
Saw one on a (UK) dealer forecourt in I guess late 70s. Quite exciting as spotting anything with genuine performance was rare, but the jacked up rear end did look odd.
Going to throw a curve ball here – The Holden Gemini had the nicest face. Simillar to the Brazilian model, the latter model ones looked like smaller Commodores
I had a 78 and 80. JT is nailed it, early Chevette face was the best. I lost my virginity in the 78. They were doughnut and burnout machines for 80,000 miles. My dad never knew how the transmission cracked. It would have dissolved by 120,000 with great care.