Push-Button Radio as Standard – Michael Carpenter’s Vauxhall Cavalier 1600L Series II

We have had the pleasure of previously featuring some of Michael’s fleet, and his latest acquisition was crucial to the future of its marque. In its own quiet way, this 1982 Cavalier 1600L Series II saloon represented a major change of direction for Vauxhall.

For one, unlike its predecessor, the Series II was almost identical to its Opel Ascona C German counterpart. Wayne Cherry, Vauxhall’s Head of Design, created the Series I’s distinctive ‘shovel nose’, but the second-generation model was renamed Opel. When it debuted in 1981, the Series II was also the second Vauxhall-badged front wheel drive car – the Astra was the first – and it was even available in five-door guise. At that time the Talbot Alpine was its only domestic hatchback rival; production of the Austin Maxi ended that year.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Michael’s Cavalier is its trim level. In my part of the UK, at least, the opulent likes of the SR, SRi, and CD were seldom spotted. You were more likely to encounter an L with its “Donegal Tweed” upholstery and “quartz-activated clock”. Other features denied to Cavalier ‘Standard’ drivers included front head restraints, an “illuminated cigar lighter”, and a push-button radio.

43 years ago, the Series II’s challenges were to consolidate the success of the first-generation model and lure business and private buyers alike away from Ford. The always fascinating Vauxpedia points out that of the 1,724,647 Cavalier S1s/Ascona Bs sold in Europe, 806,359 were UK-market Vauxhalls - 46.75% of total production. Happily, Car thought the Series II “more than good enough to take Vauxhall to every one of their targets”.

The Series II’s sales chances were enhanced by the decision not to sell the Ascona C in the UK officially. The Ascona B had been marketed in this country alongside the Cavalier Series I via separate Opel dealerships, but the two brands merged

outlets in xx. John Bagshaw, the director of Vauxhall/Opel marketing, told the press the aim was to retain the German brand for more sporting and upmarket models. In practice, this meant only the Opel Manta B would eventually be available in this country.

To look at the Carpenter Cavalier today is to conjure such phrases as “travel sweets”, “motel off the A27” and “Sales Conference in Fareham”. The sales representative in their 1600L company car was essential to Vauxhall; by 1983, fleet, leasing, and rental firms accounted for two-thirds of UK new car sales. That year, Vauxhall’s Chief Executive John Fleming told The Sunday Times, “I knew the Cavalier was going to succeed, but the degree of its success surprised even us”.

From a 2025 perspective, Michael’s Cavalier looks remarkably compact – the Product Information Guide pointed out it was “no larger, bulkier nor heavier than it needs to be”. The blue 1600L is also a reminder of how the Series II looked to the future in 1981, compared with the Ford Cortina Mk. V and Morris Ital. At that time “The 1970s” were far from over in many parts of the UK; there were rumours that flared trousers were still worn non-ironically in certain Gosport suburbs.

From my own memories of the very early 1980s, when Vauxhall launched the Series II on the 23rd of September 1981, Crossroads was still a highlight of ITV’s evening schedule. You might also see faintly moth-eaten punk rockers gathering in the Southampton Wimpy Bar. But the new Cavalier was a harbinger of the oncoming decade when households belonged to the local video library. And when no living room was complete without a Waltham Music Centre and a Phillips Imperial Hostess Trolley

With thanks to Michael Carpenter for his time.

With thanks to Michael Carpenter for the permission to use the images in this blog.