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[omega3000]

33 years ago 

[mantahatch]

That is one good looking car. If only Vauxhall had built them in numbers they would have given the golf gti a run for there money back in the day. And we could have been looking at a completly different car market today.

[2woody]

ah yes, the decade of no taste

[albitz]

The last I heard the bodyshell of that car was sat on the roof of VX design building in luton.Probably just a small heap of rust now.
Tbh,Im not at all keen on the sideskirts or bumper.One mod too many from standard imo. Trying to work out why they put the single cam engine in it.Might have been getting short of real HS engine parts by then ? 

[05omegav6]

Is 'carpet so thick that your feet disappear' brochure speak for really big rust holes in the floorpan

[mantahatch]

Come on guys don't knock the Chevette to much. They where great cars with double wishbone front suspension and rear wheel drive. The ones I had handled like they where on rails. Not like modern cars with the vile macpherson struts.

The only thing that really let them down was the to small an engine. I put a 1600 in one of mine. Used the Peter Maiden kit that was available many years ago.

[omega3000]

Is 'carpet so thick that your feet disappear' brochure speak for really big rust holes in the floorpan

 

And dont forget the real wood dashboard  Take it off sand it down and varnish ...lovely

[Olympia5776]

The last I heard the bodyshell of that car was sat on the roof of VX design building in luton.Probably just a small heap of rust now.
Tbh,Im not at all keen on the sideskirts or bumper.One mod too many from standard imo. Trying to work out why they put the single cam engine in it.Might have been getting short of real HS engine parts by then ? 

Albs ,Black Magic did indeed sit for a while on the roof of the design studio in Luton along with the Cavalier Silver Aero both designed by the wonderfully named Wayne Cherry .
They were both rescued in the ninties and are in the hands of enthusiasts .
They were regularily seen at the VBOA event at Billing when I used to go each year. 

[Olympia5776]

Come on guys don't knock the Chevette to much. They where great cars with double wishbone front suspension and rear wheel drive. The ones I had handled like they where on rails. Not like modern cars with the vile macpherson struts.

The only thing that really let them down was the to small an engine. I put a 1600 in one of mine. Used the Peter Maiden kit that was available many years ago.

You won't like this story   
I recall to my great disappointment turning down a trade for my Manta plus cash for a Chevette HS that was offered to me in about 1983 . I lived in a place called Carluke near Lanark in Scotland .The owner and his wealthy family was moving to California and were selling off a number of very interesting cars they had . He had a buyer for my Manta and thought he could quickly reduce their collection by one more car by trading the Chevette to me . The car was finished in the same deep burgandy with red ( almost pink ) trim as the Firenza sportshatch . My reason for turning down the offer was due to rust bubbles on the top of the OS wing.
It's bad enough passing up a Chevette HS but this one had three previous owners the chap who was offereing it to me , Jimmy Mcrae and the first owner was ....James Hunt .
Jock Jackson , the then owner , sold it to the 17 year old son of a local Dairy producer who told his dad it was a 1256 engined car . He smashed it up within two weeks and the insurance company refused to pay out .His father , livid at what had happened ,paid for the damage to the Church wall that he hit. The car was then crushed to a pulp and buried on a farm ( and I know where )  upon the orders of his father .
And that is a true story...

[albitz]

Good to know they have survived Don.
Despite not being overly keen on the styling of the black magic Chevette, I have always been an admirer of most of Wayne Cherrys VX designs,in fact I think they could do with him back at VX now when I see the cars they have introduced in recent years.

[albitz]

Come on guys don't knock the Chevette to much. They where great cars with double wishbone front suspension and rear wheel drive. The ones I had handled like they where on rails. Not like modern cars with the vile macpherson struts.

The only thing that really let them down was the to small an engine. I put a 1600 in one of mine. Used the Peter Maiden kit that was available many years ago.

You won't like this story   
I recall to my great disappointment turning down a trade for my Manta plus cash for a Chevette HS that was offered to me in about 1983 . I lived in a place called Carluke near Lanark in Scotland .The owner and his wealthy family was moving to California and were selling off a number of very interesting cars they had . He had a buyer for my Manta and thought he could quickly reduce their collection by one more car by trading the Chevette to me . The car was finished in the same deep burgandy with red ( almost pink ) trim as the Firenza sportshatch . My reason for turning down the offer was due to rust bubbles on the top of the OS wing.
It's bad enough passing up a Chevette HS but this one had three previous owners the chap who was offereing it to me , Jimmy Mcrae and the first owner was ....James Hunt .
Jock Jackson , the then owner , sold it to the 17 year old son of a local Dairy producer who told his dad it was a 1256 engined car . He smashed it up within two weeks and the insurance company refused to pay out .His father , livid at what had happened ,paid for the damage to the Church wall that he hit. The car was then crushed to a pulp and buried on a farm ( and I know where )  upon the orders of his father .
And that is a true story...

Heartbreaking.
Mine had rust bubbles on one of the wings by the time it was three years old.

[mantahatch]

Come on guys don't knock the Chevette to much. They where great cars with double wishbone front suspension and rear wheel drive. The ones I had handled like they where on rails. Not like modern cars with the vile macpherson struts.

The only thing that really let them down was the to small an engine. I put a 1600 in one of mine. Used the Peter Maiden kit that was available many years ago.

You won't like this story   
I recall to my great disappointment turning down a trade for my Manta plus cash for a Chevette HS that was offered to me in about 1983 . I lived in a place called Carluke near Lanark in Scotland .The owner and his wealthy family was moving to California and were selling off a number of very interesting cars they had . He had a buyer for my Manta and thought he could quickly reduce their collection by one more car by trading the Chevette to me . The car was finished in the same deep burgandy with red ( almost pink ) trim as the Firenza sportshatch . My reason for turning down the offer was due to rust bubbles on the top of the OS wing.
It's bad enough passing up a Chevette HS but this one had three previous owners the chap who was offereing it to me , Jimmy Mcrae and the first owner was ....James Hunt .
Jock Jackson , the then owner , sold it to the 17 year old son of a local Dairy producer who told his dad it was a 1256 engined car . He smashed it up within two weeks and the insurance company refused to pay out .His father , livid at what had happened ,paid for the damage to the Church wall that he hit. The car was then crushed to a pulp and buried on a farm ( and I know where )  upon the orders of his father .
And that is a true story...

Heartbreaking.
Mine had rust bubbles on one of the wings by the time it was three years old.

Seconded