VAUXHALL CAVALIER SALOON

2-door/4-door 5-seater saloon.

Really a re-designed Opel Ascona, though with a Manta coupé style nose, and (from 1977) a Viva-engined derivative. Belgian-built at first, but latterly at Luton too. Front engine/rear drive/independent front end and disc brakes - in other words, no surprises, but a successful head-on Cortina competitor which helped start Vauxhall's re-birth in the marketplace. Surprisingly, no estate versions. Today no collector's value - just a conventional, reliable plateful of GM grey porridge. Replaced for 1982 by latest front-wheel-drive Cavalier.