Vauxhall Chevette: which version to buy

Buy 1.3 MT if you want the Chevette as this database records it. There is no other Chevette version here: no automatic, no extra displacement, no all-wheel-drive option, no restyle listed as a separate generation, no second power figure under the same name. If a listing is labelled Chevette in this catalogue, the mechanical identity is 1.3 MT.

Buy 1.3 MT if you want the Chevette as this database records it. There is no other Chevette version here: no automatic, no extra displacement, no all-wheel-drive option, no restyle listed as a separate generation, no second power figure under the same name. If a listing is labelled Chevette in this catalogue, the mechanical identity is 1.3 MT.

What 1.3 MT is, in numbers: 58 hp (43 kW) at 5600 rpm, 89 Nm at 2600 rpm, 1256 cc, Gasoline, 4 cylinders, Inline, 2 valves per cylinder, boost No, engine Front, transverse, Carburetor, compression 8.7, bore × stroke 81 × 61, Manual with 4 gears, FWD, tank 45. Front suspension Independent, spring. Front brakes Disc.

What 1.3 MT is not: there is no second Chevette generation to step up to, and no second Chevette engine to pay extra for. The extra money, if any, is not a factory upgrade path in these data — it would be condition, not specification.

Chevette generations compared

1 generation is the whole model. Years: 1975-01-01 to 1984-12-31. Body: Sedan. Versions in this generation: 1. That version is 1.3 MT, and it uses the same start and stop dates as the generation.

There is no restyling generation in the data, so you do not choose “early Chevette versus late Chevette” by a second generation key. You choose one generation that ran the same named version for the full span. Production length from the given dates is ten calendar years (1975 through 1984). Across those years the catalogue still lists one modification, not a ladder of engines.

If you hoped a later generation would add gears, drive, or power, these data do not support that hope. Generation count is 1. Modification count is 1.

Engine specs: what 1.3 MT actually is

Specific output from the given figures:

The torque peak is 2600 rpm; the power peak is 5600 rpm. The gap is 3000 rpm. 1.3 MT makes its torque figure well below half of the power-peak speed (2600 is 46.4% of 5600). That is the shape of this engine on paper: the newton-metre number arrives early; the horsepower number arrives late.

Bore and stroke are 81 × 61. Stroke divided by bore is 0.753 (61 ÷ 81). The engine is oversquare on that ratio: the bore figure is larger than the stroke figure. Valves per cylinder are 2, so with 4 cylinders the valve count is 8. Boost is No, so there is no forced-induction multiplier on the 1256 cc. Fuel system is Carburetor. Compression is 8.7. Layout is Front, transverse. Cylinders are Inline 4. Fuel type is Gasoline.

None of those items has a second Chevette variant to compare with. The arithmetic is the comparison: 1.3 MT versus its own displacement, not versus a 1.6 or a diesel that is not in the data.

Gearbox, drive, and what a second version would have changed

1.3 MT is Manual, 4 gears, FWD. There is no automatic Chevette here, so you cannot buy a Chevette with more or fewer gears than 4 in this catalogue. There is no rear-drive or all-wheel-drive Chevette here, so FWD is not a trim choice; it is the only drive.

If you need an automatic, this model’s data set does not contain one. If you need more than 4 gears, this model’s data set does not contain one. If you need anything other than FWD, this model’s data set does not contain it. Those are not opinions about the market; they are empty rows next to a single named version.

Engine position is Front, transverse, which sits with FWD as one package. You are not choosing a longitudinal Chevette versus a transverse Chevette. You are choosing 1.3 MT or a different model entirely.

Performance and economy (mpg)

For 1.3 MT:

You cannot rank Chevette versions on acceleration, top speed, or mpg, because there is only 1.3 MT and those fields are not measured. A buyer who needs a documented 0–100, a documented top speed, or a documented mpg figure will not find it on this spec sheet. That is a reason not to choose 1.3 MT if those numbers are the decision.

What you can still use: 58 hp, 89 Nm, 1256 cc, 5600 / 2600 rpm, Manual 4, FWD, tank 45. Economy talk without a consumption figure is guesswork; this article does not add one.

Dimensions, weight, and tank

For 1.3 MT:

Weight per horsepower is therefore not measured: you cannot divide a missing kerb weight by 58 hp. If you wanted the “lightest Chevette” or the “heaviest Chevette,” the catalogue cannot answer. Ground clearance cannot be compared across versions because there is one version and the clearance is not measured. Wheel size cannot be compared for the same reason.

The tank figure is usable. 45 is the only capacity listed. Range in kilometres or miles is not measured, because consumption is not measured. You know how much fuel the tank holds; you do not know how far 1.3 MT goes on it from these data.

Front suspension is Independent, spring. Rear suspension is not measured, so you cannot choose a Chevette for a documented rear-axle type. Front brakes are Disc. Rear brakes are not measured, so you cannot choose a Chevette for a documented rear-brake type.

Problems and reliability: what the spec sheet can and cannot tell you

This catalogue does not list fault rates, recall counts, or reliability scores. Those topics are therefore not measured here. Do not treat silence as “no problems.”

What the sheet does fix, and what a buyer should treat as the mechanical identity of 1.3 MT:

If you need a documented reliability ranking between Chevette versions, you cannot have one: version count is 1. If you need a documented reliability ranking between Chevette generations, you cannot have one: generation count is 1.

What the extra money cannot buy on this model

Because there is only 1.3 MT, there is no factory step where extra money buys more horsepower, more newton-metres, more gears, or a different drive. Differences you might expect on other models are absent:

The only arithmetic “upgrade” inside the sheet is the engine’s own ratios: 46.2 hp/L, 70.9 Nm/L, torque at 46.4% of power rpm, stroke/bore 0.753. Those describe 1.3 MT; they do not describe a second Chevette you can order instead.

Verdict

Choose 1.3 MT when you want a Vauxhall Chevette Sedan from 1 generation (1975–1984) with 58 hp, 89 Nm, 1256 cc Gasoline Inline 4, boost No, Carburetor, Manual 4, FWD, tank 45, front Independent, spring, front brakes Disc.

Do not choose it when your decision depends on 0–100, top speed, mpg, kerb weight, gross weight, ground clearance, wheels, rear suspension, rear brakes, CO2, or eco class: all of those are not measured. Do not wait for another Chevette version in this catalogue. There is none.