Tweed Jacket Reviews: 1981 Vauxhall Chevette HSR

Tweed Jacket Reviews: 1981 Vauxhall Chevette HSR - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting

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2 жыл бұрын

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In this review, suitably attired, we go for a drive out in the Hampshire countryside to test a wonderful 1981 Vauxhall Chevette HSR. Be prepared for more in-jokes for fans of 1960s Eurospy knock-off Bond films (as usual), references to Peter Serafinowicz's seminal spoof science series Look Around You, lots and lots of performance, a repeated test route, lots and lots of nostalgia, a dog leg gearbox, some rather nice tartan, "plastic fantastic" panels and really very little of any consequence at all. Nothing untoward, then!
As an independent vehicle consultant, I take potential buyers through the whole car buying process from choosing a make and model to a vehicle handover and road tax. In addition to information on this service, I also have a selection of written and video reviews of cars that I have owned, hired, borrowed or have somehow come into my possession. Please use the Contact Me page on my website to get in touch, visit my Facebook page for latest updates and share this video if you like it! Thank you for watching.
Website: www.lloydvehicleconsulting.co.uk
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Cinematography and Editing by Jake Bill from the Fuel Power KZfaq channel: / @fuelpower
Theme Music "Here" by Laurence Callaghan and The Tin Cans Copyright 2013 Bezalel Records
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Пікірлер: 112

@paulie-Gualtieri. 2 жыл бұрын

A truly fantastic car, an absolute credit to the owner.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Terry really looks after this car, it is much, much better than when it was new, and I can't believe he let me drive it!

@paulie-Gualtieri. 2 жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes it's absolutely stunning the mods are tasteful and look just right.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

@@paulie-Gualtieri. , Terry has made it better than new!

@paulie-Gualtieri. 2 жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Definitely, something very cool about late 70s and 80s Vauxhalls, even into the 90s, they had something about them.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

@@paulie-Gualtieri. , well, sir, there were absolutely loads of them at the Basingstoke Festival of Transport yesterday!

@russellfleming6513 Жыл бұрын

I loved my chevette 2.3 HSR . I had it for 9 years and then sold with 38,000 miles on the clock . It was an exciting car to own and drive with the sound of the twin Dellorto carbs .

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Thank you ever so much indeed for watching! These are exceptional cars. I hope that you enjoyed the video.

@badbooks476 2 жыл бұрын

What a unique experience Sir. This HSR is a credit to its owner. Very Clever bodykit which transformed the HSR back in the day. The engine & exhaust note sound beautiful, I bet approaching the 5900 max revs is tuneful. I drove a Bedford Chevanne at my 1st job in the late 80s, they were everywhere

@terrycobbold91 2 жыл бұрын

Because it is stroked to 2.6 the red line is 6250 but the 2.3 could rev to 7000.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

A bit different from a Chevanne, sir, and a bit faster too, I would imagine. The bodykit does indeed make it look very, very different. Terry really, really looks after it!

@badbooks476 2 жыл бұрын

@@terrycobbold91 sorry, was going by the redline on the Rev counter

@badbooks476 2 жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting yes, not quite in the same league Sir

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

@@badbooks476 , indeed, sir!

@rogerking7258 Жыл бұрын

I've only ever been out in an HSR once, but it was a full "works" DTV rally car with around 250bhp. Quite an experience.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Well, this was quite an experience too! Thank you ever so much indeed for watching.

@seancooke7332 2 жыл бұрын

Front engine and rear wheel drive. A proper car with some serious poke. The engine sounds very potent yet the drive seems quite smooth. Perfect Tweed Jacket Reviews candidate and very enjoyable. Excellent work Gents.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

We aim to please, sir! It gets a bit loud in there, but it wasn't nearly as raw and rough as I thought it would be. This certainly was an excellent candidate for Tweed Jacket Reviews!

@frothe42 2 жыл бұрын

I have a soft spot for the Chevette, my family bought ours in 1983, a five door. The body kit reminds me of the Chevrolet Monza Mirage, which gives this Chevette a very distinctive look. And it does sound glorious! Thank you Joseph!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I think the Droop Snoot look did make its way over to America too. The T Car seemed to be a part of many families' lives around the world for some time! It does indeed sound brilliant.

@tz6414 2 жыл бұрын

What a joy to watch, I had a Chevette the 1256. The HS was as far out of my reach as the moon. It still looks meaty now. My dad had the vx2300 and it felt pretty lairy , in a Chevette must have been like a hooligan, never mind a 2600.

@simonhodgetts6530 2 жыл бұрын

My dad also had a VX2300 estate - a fantastic car - one of my favourite 70s cars!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, this was a very lairy car! You could get a 2.6 in a VX2300 as well, but it was an option. Very, very different from the standard 1256cc. I would like to try one of those FEs for myself, actually.

@vernonmatthews181 9 ай бұрын

Many thanks for the HSR experience and your careful appraisal of this rare gem 💎

@lloydvehicleconsulting 9 ай бұрын

Drove a normal Chevette the other day, it was absolutely nothing like this at all!

@vernonmatthews181 9 ай бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsultingthe basic chevette was pretty austere, we had one in the family 👪 an estate out in the colonies of New Zealand. We were still buying Magnums & Viva's secondhand at the sametime, importing parts for the Chevette up until 1986. We were a Vauxhall family 👪 thru & thru. Mother worked for a GM franchise ( Vauxhalls) from 1974-1981, your Chevette years whilst my late father bought so many Vauxhalls from his first CA Bedford in the early 60's. Still have the Magnum, looking a bit under the weather now. Bought a HB 1159cc Deluxe 90 ( stromberg manual ) second hand nine years ago as the last harrah which was quite tidy for its age. Colour in NZ known as Fireball red ( UK 🇬🇧 colour "Monza red" ) Thanks for your reply ❤

@mrz5705 Жыл бұрын

One of Bill Blydenstein's finest. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Pentti & Jimmy during a hot testing day in Wales when I was 16. 120mph on a gravel mountain road, just imagine how my mind exploded after that...!

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

I still can't believe to this day that I was allowed to have a go in this. The decals have now been put back on. It wasn't as difficult to drive as I thought it would be, and I only accidentally almost put it in reverse when I wanted first once. I drove it quite moderately, but the owner took me out for a blast in it, and, oh my goodness me!!!

@Alexsassets 2 жыл бұрын

Wow I've never seen a gearbox like that before. Love the tartan 🥰

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

It seems it was quite common on a few models of Chevette to have a tartan interior, but this pattern was only on the HS and HSR models. It is quite good... For some reason, I didn't mess up or break the gearbox, in spite of its unusual layout!!! Thank you watching, my friend.

@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain 2 жыл бұрын

One of my friends had a dog leg gearbox on a focus ST170 made interesting video footage at a drag strip one day!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

@@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain , oh Mr Watters!

@rocon86 8 ай бұрын

I love the Chevettes and learning about how rare they are. I have a super rare, 1L Opel Kadett C. And, it has the indicator lights below the chrome bumper before the face lift in 78. After 78 they incorporated into the headlamps. The 1.2 was the popular model to sell.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 8 ай бұрын

They sold both the Kadetts and the Chevette over here for reasons best known to General Motors... I recently drove a 1980 Chevette Saloon on the channel, with the standard 1256cc engine. It was nothing like this HSR at all.

@Koulis_ Жыл бұрын

Beautiful car! Amazing how the dropsnoot transforms the styling from the Kadett.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, an amazing looking car, doesn't feel anything like the normal Chevette that it is based on.

@seancooke7332 Жыл бұрын

The normal Chevette was quite a capable and comfortable little car. It was easy to drive, once you negotiated the impossibly long biting point on the clutch. It was also cheap and easy to work one. The HSR is a whole different set of ingredients mixed into a plain Chevette Sponge Cake to make a very Spicy, Fruity, Full Fat Confection. Power multiplied by 3, acceleration divided by 3, proper rally proven performance. I remember Russel Brookes or Jimmy McCrea I think, taking the HSR to well past its limits on the Circuit of Ireland Rally. What an unbelievable machine.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes sir, quite different from the standard Chevette, an awful lot of differences between an HSR and a 1256 Chevette! Very, very quick, takes a fair bit of concentration to drive something like this, but very rewarding.

@focusrssteve 2 жыл бұрын

Wow! You really are treating us today sir, one of my life ambition cars right there, thank you to yourself and the very generous Terry.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Yes sir, quite a crazy car, rare and powerful with unique looks. Terry is indeed a very generous chap!

@simonhodgetts6530 2 жыл бұрын

You can Shove-It! What a wonderful car - sounds amazing! Love the dog-leg gearbox on these……..

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

The dog leg gearbox was a bit scary, sir, but it did at least offer five speeds, which makes the car much quieter at high speeds. Glad you enjoyed the video!

@mattw8332 2 жыл бұрын

Very nice example! Along with the original VW Polo, I would have liked one for my first car when learning to drive in the mid 1990s. I think that the T car is one of the most badge engineered cars in history. The red check seat trim looks to be the same from the Vauxhall VX 4/90 (FE series) . I think that also had a Getrag gearbox. 🤔

@terrycobbold91 2 жыл бұрын

The last FE had the 5 speed and tartan but was called the vx490 with no / lol

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

I really want to have a go in an FE Transcontinental now! I do have a friend who owns one.

@trabali5168 2 жыл бұрын

wow amazing a real blast from the past!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

I am truly blessed to have driven this, sir.

@hibbs79 2 жыл бұрын

What an awesome car. Enjoyed the video thanks

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, sir! This came out rather well, fortunately.

@adamtoms2726 2 жыл бұрын

Wow sir, that is a very fine motor car. It looks immaculate for its age and sounds amazing.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

It's in fantastic condition, much better than when it left the factory. It wasn't even that hard to drive, either.

@richardhowlett9424 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Mr Lloyd, can’t beat a tweed jacket. I believe the first car with a split fold rear seat was the Metro .

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

No problem at all, sir! We do like making these Tweed Jacket Reviews very much, we just have to be mindful of cost, so they tend to be one off episodes as opposed to being created with a lot of pre-planning.

@gavinj7616 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the review. It was fantastic to see the old tweed jacket getting an airing. I have many fond memories of the Chevette. One of my best friends family's second car was a chevette, though at the opposite end of the performance spectrum as it was an auto. Great cars at the time (at least non-autos) but (in my view) a poor 1256 engine which let the show down a bit.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Yes sir, when I was offered this car, I realised that we would have to dust off the Tweed Jacket in order to give it the proper treatment. The 1256cc engine was not very good, Mr Coleman and I have had many discussions about it. The automatic must have been painfully slow!

@stevenmoran4060 7 ай бұрын

The common thing with them and Vivas too was to drop the Firenza 2300 in the engine bay. That livened them up somewhat.

@alaricbragg7843 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting fact - We had both the Isuzu/Holden Gemini AND the Chevette in New Zealand!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, sort of a historic legacy before General Motors decided which brand they wanted to proceed with from the mid 1980s onwards in New Zealand.

@nickyboy. 2 жыл бұрын

An interesting and informative video. I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you kind sir.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

We aim to please, sir! Tweed Jacket Reviews sometimes gets brought out on occasion for very special stuff like this.

@alaricbragg7843 2 жыл бұрын

Great review! Awesome car! My parents had the 1200 btw. Sadly fell to bits. But this rally special sounds like a Ferrari! Some HSRs were rallied successfully in New Zealand during the 1980s and early 1990s!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it, sir! Yes, lots of people had them back in the day, the HSR is a little bit of a legendary car as well.

@alaricbragg7843 2 жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes Russell Brooks punched above his weight with one in the WRC.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

@@alaricbragg7843 , indeed, sir!

@gavinivers8941 2 жыл бұрын

The factory car was left in New Zealand for Steve Millan to drive

@mickles1975 2 жыл бұрын

The HSR was one of my teenage dream cars. I couldn't believe somebody had put a 2.3 in a Chevette.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Well, this one's actually a 2.6! I can't believe I actually got to drive this.

@nigelh4617 2 жыл бұрын

9:01 Nice bit of Woollarding, there.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

We aim to please, sir! It is a Tweed Jacket Reviews staple.

@simonhodgetts6530 2 жыл бұрын

Good to see that the ancient art of Wollarding is kept alive by the young guns!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

@@simonhodgetts6530 , we wouldn't have started to make Tweed Jacket Reviews if it didn't include Woollarding...

@johnmusk7007 Жыл бұрын

Excellent road test Stunning car

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

It now has had its graphics reapplied, and so it looks even better.

@markonmotoring 2 жыл бұрын

What a fantastic car to review. I actually saw a silver HS at a classic car show a few weeks ago. As a child in the 80's a do remember the Chevette and mk1 cavalier still being around but looking a little dated. I think the styling language was very good and actually looked a little more exotic than some of the competition of the era The HSR is pretty rapid today so must have been on a whole other level when it was released.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, it's a crazy car, it looks like a typical fast car of its era with the bodykit, and I can't tell you how nice the paint on it is. If you like Mark I Cavaliers, sir, then have a treat for you in the footage coming up from the Basingstoke Festival of Transport. There were lots and lots of Chevettes and Mark I Cavaliers around in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I remember them well!

@markonmotoring 2 жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting My friends grandfather had an orange MK1 cavalier. Possibly the most 70s looking Vauxhall you could get being painted orange.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

@@markonmotoring , if it was a Cavalier Coupé, then it would be extremely 1970s.

@Pmjs Жыл бұрын

I enjoyed your review of the Vxl Chevette HSR.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes, it was a real privilege to drive this. What a car!

@neildutton8077 2 жыл бұрын

Had a 1980 Chevy Chevette in the states, it was a five door hatchback with a 1.6 Isuzu engine. I remember when I bought it asking the salesman what size the motor was, "it's a four cylinder," he said.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I think the Chevette in America used exclusively those 1.4 and 1.6 Isuzu engines. No panels were shared between the Chevy version and other T-cars, but a lot of the chassis engineering was similar.

@neildutton8077 2 жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting yes, I had a chevette in England and you could definitely see it lurking under Chevy's skin.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

@@neildutton8077 , yes, they loved that sort of Droopsnoot look for a while at General Motors, and the T Car was a very profitable venture for them, I think.

@alaricbragg7843 2 жыл бұрын

It's easy to scream and moan about the quality of certain products but NO ONE makes a big displacement 4 like GM! What a sound!

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

The slant four in this car sounded absolutely crazy.

@ian6985 2 жыл бұрын

I have missed a bit of tweed jacketting

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

We don't do a lot of them any more, but we do enjoy them when we do.

@Rich.Aardvark 2 жыл бұрын

👌

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video, sir!

@alanellis6688 2 жыл бұрын

Looks like an Aberdeen car going by the reg, and the smt dealer badge

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, it was an Aberdeen dealership demonstrator, I believe, although it sat in the showroom for a very long time.

@robtt997 2 жыл бұрын

Video this weekend from Once Driven Forever Smitten ( go see the channel it’s good for Vauxhall content ) and then this . Thank you !

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I have seen the channel before. Some very interesting cars on it. Thank you very much indeed for watching!

@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain 2 жыл бұрын

Second comment woohoo! What a great looking car, a real old Skool fast Vauxhall, is the car originally from Scotland? The SMT dealer sticker is very familiar to me.

@terrycobbold91 2 жыл бұрын

Good spot the car was smt Aberdeen demonstrater and was in the showroom for over a year.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

I knew Terry would be able to give a better answer than me!

@fergusogilvie1534 2 жыл бұрын

Not a big fan of Vauxhalls but have a soft spot for the 70s early 80s cars.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Well sir, I hope that you liked this one! It was certainly very special.

@gavinivers8941 2 жыл бұрын

The HSR sounds like an Escort RS2000 X Pack, just keep spending ...

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

That's pretty much it, and this would be the result if you had ticked every box!

@sheldonlamey7010 Жыл бұрын

I wonder if the 1980s chevette was rear wheel drive in the U.S market?🤔

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

Yes it absolutely was.

@russcattell955i 9 ай бұрын

Homologation specials were all a bit shall we say basic & unrefined then.

@lloydvehicleconsulting 9 ай бұрын

I think that is putting it mildly! Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting.

@nickyboy. 2 жыл бұрын

3rd

@lloydvehicleconsulting 2 жыл бұрын

Next chance tomorrow at 5pm, sir!

@ParallelSyntax Жыл бұрын

Very nice car pity the graphics are missing and the wheels aren’t original.

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

The graphics are now back on the car, it just happened to be more convenient to film it for us before they were replaced.

@ParallelSyntax Жыл бұрын

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Ah that’s good to hear!

@lloydvehicleconsulting Жыл бұрын

@@ParallelSyntax , the car had been entirely repainted before I drove it, hence why they were missing, the intention was always to reapply them after the paint was finished.

@terrycobbold91 Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately the wheels fitted to hsr were prown to cracks so we advise against using them. Two cars have been written off because of suspected wheel failure.