Like the hatchback-bodied Chevette, also launched in the UK in 1975, the Cavalier handled brilliantly for the time. It was well-engineered and hoovered-up motorway miles effortlessly. The Mk1 Cavalier could cruise all day in the outside lane; its cabin was roomy, and its ergonomics were top of the class. Even driving the Mk1 now, except for the low-gearing of the era, it’s hard to believe that this is a 1970s/early 1980s’ machine. And these endowments would typify the car in all its guises for 20+ years, until the ubiquitous Vauxhall Vectra succeeded it in 1996.
