 | |
| Manufacturer | Rootes Group |
|---|---|
| Production | 1932–1970 |
| Predecessor | Hillman 14 |
| Successor |
Hillman Hunter Hillman Avenger |
| Body style(s) |
saloon coupé convertible standard estate short wheelbase estate van derivative |
| Related | Rootes Audax |
Hillman Minx 1932: the early Minx was a conservatively designed car
Hillman Minx De Luxe 4-Door Saloon 1936
Hillman Minx 4-Door Saloon 1938
The Hillman Minx was a series of middle-sized family cars produced under the Hillman marque by the Rootes Group between 1932 and 1970. There have been many versions of the Minx over the years, as well as various badge-engineered versions which were sold under the Humber, Singer, and Sunbeam marques.
For most of the 1960s the Minx and its derivatives were the greatest-volume sellers of the "Audax" family of cars from Rootes which also included the Singer Gazelle and Sunbeam Rapier. The final version of the Minx was the "New Minx" launched in 1967, which was part of the "Arrow" family and essentially a basic version of the Hillman Hunter. Generally the Minx was available in four-door saloon and estate forms, with a 1496 cc engine.
The Hillman Super Minx was a slightly larger model offered during the Audax era.
Throughout the life of the Minx there was usually an estate version, and from 1954 to 1965 there was also a short-wheelbase estate, the Hillman Husky, and additionally a van derivative of that, known as the Commer Cob.
The Minx brand was revived briefly – along with the "Rapier" model name, as applied to the Sunbeam Rapier version of the Audax family – as a special edition late in the life of the Talbot Alpine / Talbot Solara cars, produced by Chrysler Europe after the demise of the Rootes Group.
Pre WWII Minx[]
The original Minx was introduced in 1932 with a pressed steel body on separate chassis and 30 bhp 1185 cc engine. It was upgraded with a four-speed transmission in 1934 and a styling upgrade, most noticeably a slightly V-shaped grille. For 1935 synchromesh was added but the range was otherwise similar.
The 1936 model got a new name, the Minx Magnificent, and a restyle with much more rounded body. The chassis was stiffened and the engine moved forwards to give more passenger room. The rear panel, hitherto vertical, was now set at a sloping angle, and the manufacturers offered the option of a folding luggage grid which could be attached to the rear panel and was available for "two pounds, seven shillings and sixpence" (slightly under £2.40) painted.[1] A Commer-badged estate car was added to the range.
The final pre-war model was the 1938 Minx. There were no more factory-built tourers but some were made by Carbodies. The car was visually similar to the Magnificent, with a different grille, and access to the luggage boot (trunk) was external (that on the predecessor was accessed by folding down the rear seat). There were two saloon models in the range, the basic "Safety" model with simple rexine trim instead of leather, no opening front quarterlights, and less luxurious trim levels. The De Luxe model had leather trim, opening quarterlights, extra trim pads, and various other comfort benefits. The 1938 model was not the final iteration before the outbreak of war however, as the 1939 model was considerably different mechanically, with virtually the entire drivetrain improved to the extent that few parts are interchangeable with the 1938 model. This includes gearbox, differential, half shafts, steering box, and a great many other mechanical and cosmetic changes. Even the front grille, which to the casual eye looks almost identical to the 1938 model, became a pressed alloy component rather than a composite.
Wartime Minx[]
During the Second World War, British car companies produced simple Utility load carriers, the Car, Light Utility or "Tilly". For Hillman it was the Hillman 10HP, a Minx chassis with two-person cab and covered load area behind. The basic saloon was also produced for military and essential civilian use from 1940 to 1944.
Operators[]
United Kingdom: British Army, RAF
Postwar Minx[]
The Minx sold between 1945 and 1947 had the same 1185 cc side-valve engine, the same wheelbase and virtually the same shape as the prewar Minx. This postwar Minx became known as the Minx Mark I (or Minx Phase I). Between 1947 and 1948 a modified version, known as the Minx Mark II was offered.
A much more modern looking Minx, badged as the Mark III, was sold from 1948. This was the first Minx with a protruding boot / trunk which effectively respected the Ponton, three-box design by then replacing the 'flat back' look, inherited from models that had made their debut in the 1930s. Three different body styles were offered initially, these being saloon, estate car and drop-head coupé (convertible). Beneath the metal, however, and apart from updated front suspension, little had changed: the Mark III retained the 1185 cc side-valve engine of its predecessor. Claimed power output, at 35 bhp (26.1 kW), was also unchanged. However, in 1949 the old engine was bored out and compression ratio increased, for the Mark IV Minx, to 1265 cc, and power output increased by 7% to 37.5 bhp (28.0 kW).[2] A Mark IV saloon tested by The Motor magazine in 1949 had a top speed of 67 mph (108 km/h) and could accelerate from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 39.7 seconds. A fuel consumption of 32.1 miles per imperial gallon (8.80 L/100 km/26.7 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £505 including taxes, the price including radio (£36), over-riders (£5) and heater (£18).[2]
Further minor facelifts followed. In 1953, with the Minx Mark VI, a fourth body variation was added, being the so-called Hillman Minx Californian, a two-door hard-top coupé with, slightly unusually, a b-pillar that wound down out of sight along with rear side window to give an unbroken window line when all windows were fully opened: the rear window assembly was of a three piece wrap-around form.[3] The wheelbase and overall length of the car remained the same as those of the four-door saloon and convertible permutations. For the Mark VIII, in 1954 a new ohv 1390 cc engine was installed. This was the engine which, two years later, would be carried over into the first of the new "Audax series" Minxes.
Audax design Hillman Minx (Series I to Series VI, 1956–67)[]
The Audax body was designed by the Rootes Group, but helped by the Raymond Loewy design organisation, who were involved in the design of Studebaker coupés in 1953. The car went through a series of annual face lifts each given a Series number, replacing the Phase number used on the previous Minxes; there was no Series IV. The engine was new for the model with overhead valves – a first for a post war Hillman. Over the years the engine grew from 1390 cc (in the Series I and II) to 1725 cc in the Series VI. A variety of manual transmissions, with column or floor change, and automatic transmissions were offered. For the automatic version, the Series I and II used a Lockheed Manumatic two pedal system (really only a semi-automatic), the Phase III a Smiths Easidrive and the V/VI a Borg Warner.
A Series III deLuxe saloon with 1494 cc engine tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1958 had a top speed of 76.9 mph (123.8 km/h) and could accelerate from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 25.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of 31.8 miles per imperial gallon (8.88 L/100 km/26.5 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £794 including taxes of £265.[4]
There were Singer Gazelle and Sunbeam Rapier variants of all these Hillman Minx models, and the names were again used on derivatives in the later Rootes Arrow range. Some models were re-badged in certain markets, with the Sunbeam and Humber marques used for some exports.
The New Zealand importer/assembler Todd Motors created the Humber 80 (Minx) and 90 (Super Minx) as separate models – identical apart from the badges – as a way to secure scarce additional import licences for CKD assembly kits. This was acknowledged in the 1980s Roger Hall play Prisoners of Mother England, in which a newly arrived immigrant in New Zealand spots one and exclaims: "Humber 80? There's no such car!"
Gallery[]
![Launched late in 1961, the Hillman Super Minx was intended at one stage to replace the Minx Series III.[5] In the event the Series III would be replaced in 1963 by the Series V, while the Super Minx was launched as a separate, albeit closely related, model.](/wiki/File:1965.hillman.super.minx.arp.750pix.jpg "1965.hillman.super.minx.arp.750pix.jpg (160 KB)")
Minx Cabriolets[]
Models[]
| Type | Year | Engine | Approx Production | Body types | Wheelbase[6] | Max speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minx | 1932–33 | 1185 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | n/a | tourer, sports tourer, 4 light saloon, 6 light saloon, drophead coupé | 92 in (2,337 mm) | 62 mph (100 km/h) | 3-speed gearbox, Bendix brakes, wire wheels |
| Minx | 1934 | 1185 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | n/a | tourer, sports tourer, 4 light saloon, 6 light saloon, drophead coupé | 92 in (2,337 mm) | 62 mph (100 km/h) | 4-speed gearbox |
| Minx | 1935 | 1185 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | n/a | tourer, sports tourer, 4 light saloon, 6 light saloon, drophead coupé | 92 in (2,337 mm) | 62 mph (100 km/h) | Synchromesh gearbox |
| Minx Magnificent | 1936–37 | 1185 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | n/a | tourer, sports tourer, saloon, drophead coupé, estate (1937) | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 62 mph (100 km/h) | New chassis with engine moved forwards; pressed steel wheels |
| New Minx | 1938–39 | 1185 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | n/a | saloon, drophead coupé, estate | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 62 mph (100 km/h) | Styling update |
| Minx | 1940–44 | 1185 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | n/a | saloon, drophead coupé | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 62 mph (100 km/h) | Unitary construction, 12-volt, rear hinged bonnet, probably no coupés made |
| Car, Light Utility, Hillman 10HP | 1940–45 | 4 cyl. 30 bhp (22 kW) engine 1185 cc sv | Utility body (also Saloon, "Convertible Van" "Ladder Van") | 151 in (3,835 mm) | Six Marks, pickup bodies with integral cab | ||
| Minx Phase I | 1945–47 | 1185 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | 60,000 (estimated including Phase II)[7] | saloon, drophead coupé, estate | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 63 mph (101 km/h) | Unitary construction, 12-volt, rear-hinged bonnet |
| Minx Phase II | 1947–48 | 1185 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | see Phase I | saloon, drophead coupé, estate | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 66 mph (106 km/h) | Styling update: faired in headlamps, hydraulic brakes |
| Minx Phase III | 1948–49 | 1185 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | 28,619[7] | saloon, convertible, estate | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 70 mph (110 km/h) | New styling, independent front suspension |
| Minx Phase IV | 1949–51 | 1265 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | 90,832[7] | saloon, convertible, estate, pickup/utility | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 68 mph (109 km/h) | Styling as Phase III |
| Minx Phase V | 1951–53 | 1265 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | 59,777[7] | saloon, convertible, estate | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 73 mph (117 km/h) | Minor changes |
| Minx Phase VI | 1953 | 1265 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | 44,643[7] | saloon, convertible, 'California' coupé, estate | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 70 mph (110 km/h) | New grille |
| Minx Phase VII | 1953–54 | 1265 cc 4-cylinder side-valve | 60,711[7] | saloon, convertible, coupé, estate | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 69 mph (111 km/h) | Bigger boot |
| Minx Phase VIII | 1954–57 | 1390 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | 94,123[7] | saloon, convertible, coupé, estate | 93 in (2,362 mm) | 74 mph (119 km/h) | 15-inch wheels; early examples have previous engine |
| Minx Series I | 1956–57 | 1390 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | 202,204[7] | saloon, convertible, estate | 96 in (2,438 mm) | 78 mph (126 km/h) | New body designed by Raymond Loewy, reminiscent of his 1955 Studebaker |
| Minx Series II | 1957–58 | 1390 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | saloon, convertible, estate | 96 in (2,438 mm) | 78 mph (126 km/h) | Minor styling change | |
| Minx Series III | 1958–59 | 1494 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | 83,105[7] | saloon, convertible, estate | 96 in (2,438 mm) | 77 mph (124 km/h) | New grille |
| Minx Series IIIA, B | 1959–60, 60–61 | 1494 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | 78,052 and 58,260[7] |
saloon, convertible, estate | 96 in (2,438 mm) | 80 mph (130 km/h) | Tail fins; optional auto; hypoid rear axle on IIIB |
| Minx Series IIIC | 1961–63 | 1592 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | n/a | saloon, convertible, estate | 96 in (2,438 mm) | 78 mph (126 km/h) | No convertibles after mid 1962 |
| Super Minx Series I | 1961–62 | 1592 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | n/a | saloon, convertible, estate | 101 in (2,565 mm) | 82 mph (132 km/h) | Long wheelbase Minx |
| Minx Series V | 1963–65 | 1592 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | n/a | saloon | 96 in (2,438 mm) | 77 mph (124 km/h) | Front discs |
| Super Minx Series II | 1962–63 | 1592 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | n/a | saloon, convertible, estate | 101 in (2,565 mm) | 82 mph (132 km/h) | Front discs |
| Super Minx Series III | 1964–65 | 1592 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | n/a | saloon | 101 in (2,565 mm) | 81 mph (130 km/h) | All synchromesh gearbox |
| Minx Series VI | 1965–67 | 1725 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | n/a | saloon | 96 in (2,438 mm) | 82 mph (132 km/h) | All synchromesh gearbox |
| Super Minx Series IV | 1964–65 | 1725 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | n/a | saloon | 101 in (2,565 mm) | 82 mph (132 km/h) | |
| Hunter | 1966–79 | 1725 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | 470,000[7] | saloon, estate | 98 in (2,489 mm) | 90 mph (140 km/h) | "Arrow" series shape, optional overdrive |
| New Minx | 1967–70 | 1496 cc 4-cylinder overhead-valve | saloon, estate | 98 in (2,489 mm) | 83 mph (134 km/h) | Basic "Arrow" Hunter; 1725 cc engine optional on estates |
Preservation[]
_Carrington_2011_-_IMG_6664.JPG){kind=link}
Hillman Minx at Carrington Steam Rally
List any known surviving examples below
- FER 470D+ - Seen at Carrington Steam and Tractor Rally 2011
Template:PML Hillman Minx
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Vanderveen, Bart H. (1973). British Cars of the Late Thirties 1935–1939 (Olyslager Auto Library). London and New York: Frederick Warne. ISBN 0-7232-1712-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Hillman Minx Road Test", The Motor. 1949.
- ↑ Gloor, Roger (1. Auflage 2007). Alle Autos der 50er Jahre 1945–1960. Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-02808-1.
- ↑ "The Hillman Minx Series III", The Motor. 1 October 1958.
- ↑ "Moderation in all things. The philosophy of the Hillman Minx", Motor: pages Rootes owners' supplement 25–29. date 27 January 1968.
- ↑ Culshaw; Horrobin (1974). Complete Catalogue of British Cars. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-16689-2.
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 Robson, Graham (2006). A to Z British cars 1945–1980. Devon, UK: Herridge. ISBN 0-9541063-9-3.
External links[]
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