Hillman: Minx
This is a sub-section of Hillman: Cars
- Minx Magnificent 1936-
- New Minx 1938-
- Minx Mark I 1945-
- Minx Mark II 1947-48
- Minx Phase III 1948-
- Minx Mark IV 1949-
- Minx Mark VI 1956 -
- Minx Series I/II 1956-58
- Minx Series III/IIIA/IIIB/IIIC 1958-63
- Minx Series V/VI 1963-67
- New Minx 1967-70
- Super Minx I 1961-
- Super Minx II 1962-
- Super Minx III 1964-
- Super Minx IV 1965-67
- 1932 The original Minx was introduced in 1932 with a pressed steel body on separate chassis and 30 bhp 1185 cc engine.
- 1934 It was upgraded with a four speed transmission in 1934 and a styling upgrade, most noticeably a slightly V-shaped grille.
- 1935 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. A Commer badged estate car was added to the range.
- 1938 The final pre-war model was the 1938 New Minx. There were no more factory built tourers but some were made by Carbodies. The car was visually similar to the Magnificent but now access to the luggage boot was external, that on the predecessor was accessed by folding down the rear seat.
- WWII. During the war, British car companies produced simple Utility load carriers, the Car, Light Utility or "Tilly". For Hillman it was the Hillman 10-hp 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 1940-1944.
- 1945 The Minx sold between 1945 and 1947 had the same 1,185 cc side valve engine, the same wheel base and virtually the same shape as the prewar Minx. This postwar Minx became known as the Minx Mark I (or Minx Phase I).
- 1947 Between 1947 and 1948 a modified version, known as the Minx Mark II was offered.
- 1948 A much more modern looking Minx, badged as the Mark III, was sold from 1948. This was the first Minx with a protruding boot which effectively respected the "three box" saloon style 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 1,185 c side-valve engine of its predecessor. Claimed power output, at 35 bhp, was also unchanged.
- In 1949 the old engine was bored out and compression ratio increased, for the Mark IV Minx, to 1,265 cc, and power output increased by 7% to 37.5 bhp. A Mark IV saloon tested by The Motor magazine in 1949 had a top speed of 67 mph and could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 39.7 seconds. A fuel consumption of 32.1 miles per imperial gallon was recorded. The test car cost £505 including taxes, the price including radio (£36), over-riders (£5) and heater (£18).
- 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. The wheel base and overall length of the car remained the same as those of the four door saloon and convertible permutations.
- 1954 For the Mark VIII, in 1954 a new ohv 1,390 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.
- 1956 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 1,390 cc (in the Series I and II) to 1,725 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 1,494 cc engine tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1958 had a top speed of 76.9 mph and could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 25.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of 31.8 miles per imperial gallon was recorded. The test car cost £794 including taxes of £265.
1950 HILLMAN MINX
The 1950 Hillman Minx is the logical development of a design first introduced some eighteen years ago and is a light car which has become extremely popular all over the world. It is supplied as a four-door saloon or as a two-door convertible coupe.
A prominent feature of the design is the integral chassis and body of welded pressed steel. This form of construction gives a single unit of immense strength and rigidity. Other prominent features are the large curved windscreen and the very pleasing lines of the low-slung body.
The interior appointments are in keeping with the car's good looks, which are enhanced by either of the colour schemes in which it is available — pastel green, dove grey or black.
ENGINE. Type: 1.25-litre. Cylinders: 4. Bore X Stroke: 65 mm. X 95 mm. Compression ratio: 6.6 to 1. Maximum b.h.p.: 37.5 at 4,200 r.p.m.
PERFORMANCE. Maximum speed in excess of 65 m.p.h. Fuel consumption: 35 to 40 m.p.g.
DIMENSIONS. Length: 13 ft. 1.5 ins. Height: 5 ft. Width: 5 ft. 1.875 ins. Wheelbase: 7 ft. 9 ins. Track: 4 ft. 0.875 ins. (front); 4 ft. 0.5 ins. (rear). Weight (dry): 1,995 lbs. Fuel capacity: 7.25 gallons. Tyre size: 5.00 X 16.
BRAKES. Lockheed Hydraulic.
PRICE. £395 plus £110.9.5 Purchase Tax. Total: £505.9.5.
See Also
Sources of Information
- British Motor Cars 1950/51
- [1] Wikipedia