Hillman
(1925 - 1979)
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United Kingdom
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The third series Hillman Minx, built by the British Rootes Group between 1959 and 1963, was actually a fairly average vehicle. Powered by a well-behaved 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, the functionally equipped and rock-solid mid-range saloon should hardly have caused a stir. But the Minx took control of the gearbox away from the driver and caused a minor revolution. The original report from 1960, which is also illustrated with historical pictures and three sales brochures from the time, describes how the Hillman Minx Easidrive fared in the road test.
The Hillman Super Minx is an exotic model in our part of the world. It was already so in the early sixties, despite attractive prices (especially in Austria) and the interesting automatic called "Easydrive". This article reproduces the original wording of the 'hobby' test report from 1962 and is illustrated with historical archive images as well as two rare sales brochures - one saloon, one convertible.
At the end of 1962, the magazine 'hobby' carried out a major comparative test with eleven saloons from Germany, France, England and Italy. In a tough competition, hot-blooded family sports cars had to be compared with utility saloons designed for comfort. The fact that a German representative won was not a matter of course, as places 2 to 4 went to "foreign countries". This article reproduces the original wording of the report at the time and shows all eleven sedans compared in many archive photos.
It was presented in 1963 as the "big" competitor to the Austin Mini, the Hilllman Imp, later also sold as the Sunbeam Imp. It was the first rear-engined car in England. But it came too late and, despite its progressive design approach, ultimately stood no chance against the Mini. Only in racing was it able to put it in its place. Today, it is seen less often than many a Ferrari. This report looks back at the history of the Hillman/Sunbeam Imp and shows a restored vehicle from 1969 in detail, supplemented by factory photos, brochures and other documents.
The British Rootes Group was already producing models with the name "Minx" before the Second World War, which were very popular and found many buyers both on the island and on the European mainland. From 1961, the Hillman Super Minx, a further evolutionary stage of the mid-range car, was available at dealerships. It did not boast any great innovations or stunning driving performance, but proved to be practical and reliable, and the well thought-out soft top design and manufacturing quality were also impressive. This test report from 1963 shows the car in historical photographs and sales literature and discusses in detail the advantages and disadvantages of the English convertible, which was discontinued in 1964.
The Hillman Imp is a midget that wants to compete with the mid-size cars, at least as far as its equipment is concerned. In the early sixties, its mission was to show that even a small car could be comfortable and spacious. Although it succeeded in this quite well, it was also plagued by a few weaknesses. This hobby article from 1963 describes what these were and what it was good at.
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