Chevrolet Chevette

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Chevrolet Chevette

Manufacturer	General Motors
Also called	Pontiac T1000 Pontiac 1000 Pontiac Acadian
Production	1976–1987
Assembly	Wilmington, Delaware Lakewood, Georgia
Predecessor	Chevrolet Vega Pontiac Astre
Successor	Chevrolet Sprint Chevrolet Spectrum
Class	Subcompact
Body style	3-door hatchback 5-door hatchback
Layout	FR layout
Platform	GM T platform
Engine	1.4 L I4 1.6 L I4 1.8 L Isuzu diesel I4
Transmission	4-speed Saginaw manual 5-speed Borg-Warner T-5 manual 3-speed automatic
Related	Opel Kadett C Vauxhall Chevette Isuzu Gemini
Similar	AMC Spirit Dodge Omni Ford Fiesta

The Chevrolet Chevette was Chevrolet's version of GM's worldwide T platform of the 1970s, which was also sold as the Vauxhall Chevette, Opel Kadett, Isuzu Gemini and the Holden Gemini, among others. The T-car was actually first launched in Brazil under the Chevette name in 1974, as a two-door sedan; the Brazilian Chevette line eventually included a 4-door sedan, a 3-door hatchback, and a 2-door station wagon (named Marajó), as well as a pickup (named the Chevy 500), and was produced until 1994.

Production of the Chevette in the US started in late 1975 for the 1976 model year. Initially there was a 3-door hatchback with 1.4 or 1.6 L OHC gasoline I4 engines, which over the years the Chevette was produced, varied between 53-70 rear wheel horsepower, and a 4-speed manual transmission. A 3-speed automatic transmission was optional. "Rally" or "Woody" option packages could be had, as well as a loss-leader "Scooter" which was a 2-seater with painted instead of chromed bumpers and very basic trim inside and out. A rear seat was optional on the Scooter. The Canadian market also received a Pontiac clone named the Acadian. Very early Chevettes can be identified by a hood that wraps down to the bumper, round headlights and a slightly curved tail with tri-color taillights rimmed in chrome.

The Chevette, along with the Vega-derived Chevrolet Monza, essentially replaced the ill-fated Vega as Chevrolet's import-fighting small car. The Chevette was functional and inexpensive. It was the best-selling small car in America for the 1979 and 1980 model years. However, it lacked the technological advances bestowed on the Vega such as an aluminum engine, and it was based on the dated rear-wheel drive layout which dropped rapidly out of favor with the acceptance of the Volkswagen Rabbit. The front-wheel drive Chevrolet Cavalier would be launched upscale from the Chevette for the 1982 model year.

1 Beyond Commuter Duty
2 Annual changes
3 Trivia
4 Awards

[edit] Beyond Commuter Duty

Being a cheap, lightweight, and readily available compact, Chevettes occasionally find their way into dirt track racing or drag racing, the latter of which will usually demand much more than the stock four cylinder would ever be capable of. In Europe, a common swap is the lightweight Rover V8 engine, requiring somewhat extensive fabrication, and in the US, the GM 60-Degree V6 engine and the Chevrolet Small-Block engine which, like the Rover V8, requires much more fabrication. Other swaps include the GM Ecotec engine, which can be fitted with sidedraft Weber carburetors in place of the engine's standard fuel injection system.

[edit] Annual changes

1977: Rear seat made standard equipment on base Scooter model. "Sandpiper" trim package introduced.
1978: Slightly modified grille with a grid design, grille and headlight frames chromed, a 5-door model on a longer wheelbase was added, gas cap door added, the 1.4 L engine and "woody" pack were dropped.
1979: Holley 2-barrel carburetor now standard on all models. Front fascia face-lifted. Hood now flat, no longer wraps down to bumper; large chrome grille with Chevrolet "Bow-Tie" emblem and new-style square headlights.
1980: Rear fascia face-lifted. Squared-off hatch, wraparound taillights with black frames, turn signals built in with brake light. Round gas filler door now made from plastic.
1981: New style steel wheels, "dog dish" hubcaps discontinued. US models received a new Computer Command Control feedback system on gasoline engines. Pontiac T1000 introduced which shared all body stamping with the Chevette, and had a black grille and standard chrome trim around the side windows. Diesel engine first listed as option in late 1981. 3.36 axle ratio introduced.
1982: Diesel engine now optional (1.8 L Isuzu unit). 5-speed manual transmission now optional on gasoline-powered cars (standard with diesel). 5-door Scooter optional for the first time. GM THM180C (THM200C for diesel model) is now offered as the standard automatic transmission, which includes a locking torque converter for greater fuel mileage.
1983: Makeover for the front and rear fascias of the car; Chevette CS introduced. Chrome grille and trim discontinued and replaced with black trim. Scooter and base Chevettes sport a black grille and end-caps for the bumpers while Chevette CS models offer white trimmed grille. Chevette S model offered with red instead of white highlights.
1984: Scooter dropped, T1000 dropped the "T" designation and became simply 1000.
1985: Base Chevette dropped.
1986: Federally mandated third brake light mounted on rear hatch glass.
1987: Diesel engine dropped. 1987 was the final model year for Chevette, and production ended on December 23, 1986. At the low end, the Chevette, along with the Chevrolet Sprint was replaced by the tiny Geo Metro in 1989, and by the small Chevrolet Spectrum (introduced for 1985). In the United States, the Pontiac 1000 was replaced by the Korean-built Pontiac LeMans for 1988, and in Canada, the Acadian was replaced by the Firefly (introduced in 1985).

[edit] Trivia

Chevette painted as The General Lee.

Chevrolet executive James McLernon was in charge of getting the Chevette up and running in America. His success in bringing the car into U.S. production ahead of time and under budget attracted the attention of Volkswagen chairman Toni Schmucker, who hired McLernon to run Volkswagen's Pennsylvania plant for the Volkswagen Rabbit.
Christian rock band Audio Adrenaline has a song titled Chevette as the first track of their 1997 CD Some Kind of Zombie. The song describes lead singer Mark Stuart's childhood as related to his family's car, a Chevrolet Chevette.

[edit] Awards

Car Talk 2000"Tom: The fifth Worst Car of the Millennium is the Chevy Chevette. As one reader described it: 'An engine surrounded by four pieces of drywall.'