In order for the Chevette to compete in Group 4 rallying, Vauxhall created this homologation special, the Chevette HS. Developed in conjunction with Blydenstein Racing, 400 needed to be built to meet requirements to race. To make the Chevette competitive, Vauxhall used a 2.3 litre Slant Four engine, with a newly developed sixteen valve cylinder head adorned with two Stromberg carburettors. Power was rated at 133 hp with a light kerb weight of just over 1 tonne.
The HS enjoyed a lot of success in rallying providing good competition to the mighty Ford Escort and winning the British drivers championship in 1979 and manufacturers championship in 1981. In the early 80’s Vauxhall developed the HSR version in an effort to keep up with the competition. 50 of those were required to built for the road to meet homologation needs. This was achieved through modifying all the unsold Chevette HS’s and some customer vehicles.
