MEET THE OWNER - STEVEN GRAY AND HIS VAUXHALL CHEVETTE SUN HATCH

Any surviving example of the Vauxhall Chevette invariably causes double-takes when seen on the road. Steven Gray’s model looks especially radiant in metallic ‘Silver Beige’ – and then you notice the glass sunroof and realise this is the exclusive limited edition, Sun Hatch. “I bought it off eBay around three years ago. However, I know the lad who rescued it from a 20-year slumber, so I knew the car was spot on, with a genuine 37,000 miles”.

Vauxhall unveiled the Sun Hatch in June of 1980 and promised buyers it would open up a new motoring dimension. In essence, it was a Chevette L with a detachable sunroof, head restraints, tinted glass, ‘sports wheels’, a clock, a push-button radio, a cigar lighter and throwing caution to the winds, even side indicator repeaters. You could also specify a metallic ‘Light Blue’ paint finish, while the upholstery was the finest ‘Bright Plaid’ cloth available to humanity.

The Sun Hatch was one of several limited edition Chevettes – the original E, the London, the Black Watch, the Grenadier, the Lux, the Black Pearl, the Silhouette and the Command Performance. Some were factory-built, others were dealer creations, and each had a specific marketing purpose. The version with a sunroof - not to mention “driving flair and extra value” - would help Vauxhall to compete against the last of the Ford Escort Mk. II and empty the showrooms of stock before the ‘V’ registration on the 1st August.

In addition, the Sun Hatch would help maintain the profile of a five-year-old car when showrooms were already displaying its eventual successor. The Astra Mk. It debuted in November of 1979 but such was the popularity of the Chevette that production only ended on the 28th March 1984 - just seven months before the launch of the Astra II.

The price of the Sun Hatch was £3,954 or £4,167 with optional automatic transmission. The Gray Vauxhall has the latter box, and Steven finds “it makes the car very sluggish, and the trouble is the manual cars are a joy to drive. But I do not mind it in auto form, and people love it as it is such a rare sight now, especially in this form. Most Chevettes now have a faster engine transplant”.

The original advertisement urged, “Get one while it’s hot”, for the Sun Hatch was clearly the must-have car of the summer season. Moreover, any owner of such an exclusive car was obviously no stranger to fine wines, Belgian chocolates, and dining at the Angus Steakhouse every other Saturday. Plus, Steven’s very fine Chevette is a reminder of a time when Vauxhall deemed side indicator repeaters to be a special feature.

With Thanks To: Steven Gray