MEET THE OWNER – CALVIN WALKER AND HIS VAUXHALL CHEVETTE L SALOON

A few months ago, we wrote about Calvin’s Vauxhall Nova, and as a true aficionado of the Griffin badge, he is also the custodian of this splendid 1983 Chevette L four-door saloon. Calvin acquired it in 2006 from a friend’s father, who said he would sell him the Chevette provided it was repaired and returned to the road. As countless visitors to the 2025 Lancaster Insurance Motor Show would tell you, Calvin certainly kept his word.

By the time the green L saloon departed the showroom, the Chevette was over eight years old. On its launch, Thames Television’s Drive In  programme thought the Chevette “the best Vauxhall for years”. In 1976, Vauxhall augmented the original three-door hatchback with two- and four-door saloons, an estate, and the Bedford-badged Chevanne.

Some observers wondered whether the arrival of the Astra in November 1979 would mean the Chevette’s demise, but that same year, Vauxhall facelifted it with flush-fitting headlights. The Chevette remained a popular vehicle, appealing to motorists who preferred rear-wheel-drive to front-wheel-drive. Its image was ‘comfortably middle-aged’, and Vauxhall described the Chevette’s styling as possessing a “timeless sort of appeal”.

By late 1983, the range consisted of just three ‘L’ specification models: the three-door hatchback, the four-door saloon and the estate. Calvin’s Chevette cost £4,024 new – nearly £300 less than the Nova 1.2L two-door, which also debuted that year. It was also cheaper than a Ford Escort 1.1 ‘Base’, an Austin Maestro 1.3 and a Talbot Horizon 1.1 LE.

Vauxhall further ensured that the Chevette L did not lack showroom appeal. The standard equipment now included a push-button radio, and surely your neighbours would be impressed by the ‘Donegal Tweed’ cloth upholstery. Such details meant the Chevette would not appear ‘bargain basement’ on the showroom floor.
Calvin’s L four-door is one of the last of the line, as production ceased in 1984 after 415,360 units. Those Chevettes helped to transform Vauxhall’s fortunes: nine years earlier, The Telegraph wrote that the company was “pinning a lot of hope to the Chevette to help get the company out of its dismal sales trough”.  

Today, the Walker Chevette looks as though it has only just emerged from a 1980s sitcom – you can imagine Richard Briers driving a green L saloon in Ever Decreasing Circles. At the NEC, many showgoers looked primed to utter the phrase “My dad/mum/the chap down the road/history teacher had one of those” on seeing the green L saloon. The 2300HS may have dominated Vauxhall’s publicity, but it was Chevettes such as Calvin’s that were seen in virtually every high street.

Plus, his L saloon looks exactly like the model from this Vauxhall commercial that those of us of a certain age may recall.

With thanks to Calvin Walker for his time.

With thanks to Calvin Walker for the permission to use the images in this blog.