The Vauxhall Cavalier was launched in the UK in 1975, with the last model leaving the production line in 1995. A number of modifications took place over its 20 year life, all of them providing an affordable and reliable family car, which remains ever popular.

The original Cavalier's were based on the Opel Ascona, albeit with a number of design alterations from 1975 until 1988. The latter Cavaliers, from 1988 onwards, were all based on the Opel Vectra, with its successor being the Vauxhall Vectra.

The first Vauxhall Cavalier was launched with a 1,584cc engine, designed and built in Belgium. It wasn't until 1977 that the first Cavalier was produced at the Luton plant. Additional engines were introduced very quickly in 1.3 litre, 1.6 litre and 1.9 litre capacities. In 1978 the 1.9 litre was upgraded to a 2 litre.

The four door saloon and the 3 door sport hatch were the first two models to be introduced to the market, covering the family and fleet market as well as those preferring a sportier touch. The first batch of Cavaliers sold almost 250,000 cars, though still had some way to go when matching the success of the Ford Cortina.

The mark two model of the Cavalier was introduced in 1981 giving greater fuel economy and performance to set it apart from the competition within the market. A number of new models were introduced in the convertible, sport hatch, saloon, hatchback and estate. With a range of models and engines it is no wonder the Vauxhall Cavalier began to outsell the Ford Sierra.

The mark two Cavalier also saw the introduction of its most powerful engine with the 128 bhp 2 litre SRI model. This completed a range of petrol engine which included a 1.3 litre, 1.6 litre, 1.8 litre and of course, the 2 litre. The range also included a 1.6 litre diesel version.

The last of the Cavaliers were introduced in 1988 in both a saloon and hatchback version. The exterior was altered from the angled mark two design to a more rounded approach. In 1992 it was voted the second bestselling car in Britain behind the Ford Escort, highlighting its popularity with families.

The mark three also saw the introduction of a 2.5 V6 version of the engine, featured in a range of models, making it the fastest production engine available.

During its 20 year life over 1.8 million Vauxhall Cavaliers rolled off the production line. The Cavalier was also the 5th most popular British car ever sold, which is an impressive feat. Its successor, the Vectra, continued its predecessor's success in being able to deliver a comfortable and reliable family car for the British family.