Great history of Hillman cars my Dad had a 1968 69 Hillman Minx saloon which was a base model of the mid 60's Hillman Hunter in the mid 70's in the UK another motoring brand long gone
I had the pleasure of working for the Rootes group in Coventry in the mid 60's as a body design engineer and was involved in all of the models at that time. (Imp, Arrows, Avenger, Sunbeam, & Humber) They were all better than the press gave them credit from the engineering point of view! Unfortunately they were starved of development funding and the industry wide industrial discord between workers and management!
Hillman are an often forgotten marque even here in the UK. Back in the very early 60's my father bought a '56 Husky after wrecking his '48 Vauxhall 12 following our return to the UK from Malta. I have always had a 'soft spot' for Hillmans and 'Roots Group' cars in general, the post war '48 Minx Mk 3 designed by Raymond Lowey of Studebaker fame was in my opinion a very pretty, if underpowered little car.
I love looking back at these marques with rose colored glasses and I really love the history lessons. A couple of friends had Crickets back in the day. Man, were they awful. Come to think of it, none of the small cars of the 70's and earlier, foreign or domestic were any good, but us youngsters with no money bought (or were gifted) every used example and proceeded to trash them, sometimes in rapid succession. Some of us can look back at them fondly as our first cars. Thanks for the vid!
@@thehopelesscarguy It took me two years to find a candidate for restoration (Oklahoma City) but ebay supplied more than you might imagine. Finding, buying and stripping four in a PA yard sure helped!
My late uncle was a teacher back around 1960, in Europe. He taught at Army bases, teaching the kids of American soldiers. While over there, he bought a Hillman Minx. He liked it so much, that he had it shipped back to the states when he came back...within a year of owning it here, he no longer liked it!...Electrical problems showed up, and the car was not happy cruising on modern American freeways. He sold it just before leaving to teach in Japan....he had to accept a low offer from a used car dealer, as nobody wanted to buy that crappy vehicle. He never owned a European car again...but he did like Japanese cars--and so did the American Public!
I drove an Imp once (Sunbeam badged, in the US), Loved it , but the clutch couldn't take 8 passengers at once. Still have a framed picture on the wall, of an Imp, with Minilites. Would love to have one for Vintage Racing, or a NSU TTS.
Hillman up until about 1966 were solid reliable cars, if serviced properly, thought slightly dull to drive. They were the sort of car a Pastor or spinster school teacher would drive. After about 1968 quality rapidly deteriorated, especially so in the 1970's. The Imp was produced near Glasgow in Scotland as a result of the Governments insistence on moving industry to areas where other industry was declining, (ship building) and was rushed into production before it was ready and fully developed. Please also note that Humber is pronounced HumBer, not Hummer. Thanks.
Thanks for taking us down memory lane, some of which I would rather forget. lol
I understand.
The Imp was one of my favorite Hillmans. Great video. 😊
I knew a guy that hot rodded a Husky. One of the few Hillmans I've seen in the U.S. .
Great history of Hillman cars my Dad had a 1968 69 Hillman Minx saloon which was a base model of the mid 60's Hillman Hunter in the mid 70's in the UK another motoring brand long gone
Glad you enjoyed.
My Aunt had a Hillman Minx. Was quite a handsome car. Cheers from Australia
Cheers.
Thank you, HCG. 👍👍👍
Thank you.
I had the pleasure of working for the Rootes group in Coventry in the mid 60's as a body design engineer and was involved in all of the models at that time. (Imp, Arrows, Avenger, Sunbeam, & Humber) They were all better than the press gave them credit from the engineering point of view! Unfortunately they were starved of development funding and the industry wide industrial discord between workers and management!
There are many things between the drawing. board and the driveway that can impact a cars success, and they can be as trivial as timing.
I think most have never heard of a Hillman, great video!
Kind of a forgotten brand these days.
Hillman are an often forgotten marque even here in the UK. Back in the very early 60's my father bought a '56 Husky after wrecking his '48 Vauxhall 12 following our return to the UK from Malta. I have always had a 'soft spot' for Hillmans and 'Roots Group' cars in general, the post war '48 Minx Mk 3 designed by Raymond Lowey of Studebaker fame was in my opinion a very pretty, if underpowered little car.
Loewy certainly got around.
I am happy to see you cover Hillman. Ive had a couple. Great little cars in their own way.
By popular demand.
I love looking back at these marques with rose colored glasses and I really love the history lessons. A couple of friends had Crickets back in the day. Man, were they awful. Come to think of it, none of the small cars of the 70's and earlier, foreign or domestic were any good, but us youngsters with no money bought (or were gifted) every used example and proceeded to trash them, sometimes in rapid succession. Some of us can look back at them fondly as our first cars. Thanks for the vid!
Small cars did tend to be a bit fragile back in the day, but could still get a person in more than a bit of trouble if they tried.
Some of them were good to begin with, but the ones we could get used, were the disposable ones. 😁
@@ramblerdave1339 I'd say that is pretty normal.
Nice one. I have recently restored a Plymouth Cricket complete with vinyl top and rostyle wheels!
I'm guessing that was a challenge to find parts for.
@@thehopelesscarguy It took me two years to find a candidate for restoration (Oklahoma City) but ebay supplied more than you might imagine. Finding, buying and stripping four in a PA yard sure helped!
@@rumcove07 Nice.
One of our neighbors had an Imp. Same family also had a Vauxhall, and a Renault Dauphine.
They had interesting taste.
The Imp looked a lot like the Corvair to me. Informative and interesting, as always.
A lot of similar lines, in a smaller package. Thanks.
My late uncle was a teacher back around 1960, in Europe. He taught at Army bases, teaching the kids of American soldiers. While over there, he bought a Hillman Minx. He liked it so much, that he had it shipped back to the states when he came back...within a year of owning it here, he no longer liked it!...Electrical problems showed up, and the car was not happy cruising on modern American freeways. He sold it just before leaving to teach in Japan....he had to accept a low offer from a used car dealer, as nobody wanted to buy that crappy vehicle. He never owned a European car again...but he did like Japanese cars--and so did the American Public!
Interesting.
I drove an Imp once (Sunbeam badged, in the US), Loved it , but the clutch couldn't take 8 passengers at once. Still have a framed picture on the wall, of an Imp, with Minilites. Would love to have one for Vintage Racing, or a NSU TTS.
I think I'm getting the impression of the style of vehicle your looking for.
@@thehopelesscarguy that's just two of many! I own a 63 Rambler American wagon, and a 68 Javelin Street/ Track project. Daily a 02 Ford Ranger pickup.
@@ramblerdave1339 Nice
Hillman up until about 1966 were solid reliable cars, if serviced properly, thought slightly dull to drive. They were the sort of car a Pastor or spinster school teacher would drive. After about 1968 quality rapidly deteriorated, especially so in the 1970's.
The Imp was produced near Glasgow in Scotland as a result of the Governments insistence on moving industry to areas where other industry was declining, (ship building) and was rushed into production before it was ready and fully developed.
Please also note that Humber is pronounced HumBer, not Hummer. Thanks.
Believe it or not, I was pronouncing the B.
The Hillman brand was scrap
I loved him on Ice Age.
Yup...they fell apart, after 20,000 miles or so.