In 1976, at the instigation of new chairman Bob Price, Vauxhall decided to increase their profile in international rallying.

They developed a rally version of the Chevette in conjunction with Blydenstein Racing, who ran Dealer Team Vauxhall, the nearest equivalent to a ‘works’ (manufacturer run) competition team that GM policy would allow.

In order to compete in international rallying, the car had to be homologated; for Group 4, the class the HS was to compete in, this meant building 400 production vehicles for public sale.

Vauxhall created a far more powerful Chevette variant by fitting the 2.3 litre Slant Four engine, using a sixteen valve cylinder head which Vauxhall was developing.

The HS became a great success as a rally car, clocking up notable wins for drivers such as Pentti Airikkala with the car on offer today and Tony Pond.

It was a challenge to the most successful rally car of the time, the Ford Escort, winning the British Open Rally Championship for Drivers in 1979 and...