FIVE TRIALS
We enjoy the Hillman Minx and put it fully to the test
1 DAILY DRIVING
We’d love to be able to use one of these cars every day, though our conscience would probably get in the way. These Hillmans are extremely well built and a revelation to drive. This example will happily cruise at 55-60mph, there’s lots of low-down torque and the controls are light. Visibility isn’t a problem even with the hood up – there’s a large rear window, so no parking problems. This car’s owner tells us that operating the hood is straightforward but a two-person job. It can be either lowered fully or partly like a sort of Hillman Minx landaulet. Once up the hood is free from leaks and largely free of wind noise.
IN THE SERVICE BAY
No-one is pretending that spares for Rootes cars are as easy to come by as BMC stuff, which sold millions of Minis, but marque expert and spares supplier, Andrew Mcadam, of Mac’s Factors (macsfactors.co.uk) says that just about every mechanical part for these cars is available at reasonable cost and service items are no problem. Body panels are scarce, however, and some for convertibles are common to the Sunbeam Rapier rather than the Minx. The cars are easy to work on – with no jobs being difficult. Minxes had engines of different capacities during their lifetime but most parts should be interchangeable.
3 ON THE SHOW CIRCUIT
‘Oh no, are we going to have to wend our way through all those Ferraris to get to the Hillman Minx convertible?’ That’s the general feeling at just about every show that this car attends. The styling, the colour, the ease of use and there being no problems in keeping up with other entrants on a road run. You could even demonstrate some of the car’s most enjoyable features – the rear side windows can disappear into the bodywork by operating a cream knob on the inside panels and the upper parts of the front seats fold forwards at a 45-degree angle making it easier to access the rear of the car. Now that is class!
THE LONG WEEKEND
Ooh, it might be tempting to leave everyone else at home so it’s just you and the car. Otherwise, the Hillman can easily accommodate four adults – or five at a squeeze; cars with column gearchange were frequently advertised as six-seaters but that was in the 1950s when fewer people were quite so… substantial. The Minx has a huge boot, which should swallow everyone’s suitcases, picnic baskets and cuddly toys, and there should be no problem with performance if the car has a full load. We certainly wouldn’t recommend hundred-mile motorway jaunts in one of these cars in any case…
THE B-ROAD BLAST
This car would possibly not be the first choice for hounding around hairpin bends, but goodness me it would do the job better than just about any of its non-sporting contemporaries. The handling, aided by an anti-roll bar, is excellent, with only a touch of understeer. The steering is really responsive and there is no sense that the car is wandering on the road. There’s lots of lowdown torque, too, and these cars – and their Sunbeam Rapier cousin in particular – were no strangers to the rally circuit; you could easily uprate your Minx. But best leave it as the maker intended, if you ask us.