3 days ago
UK's rarest cars: 1968 Hillman Minx Estate, one of only a handful left
A beige Hillman Minx Estate is probably far more representative of British motoring in 1968 than a voguish Jaguar E-Type or a Mini Moke. This example, on sale with the Percival Motor Company for £9,995, is the type of smart (but never flamboyant) car that was less King's Road and more Terry Scott in Carry On Camping.
Today, their survival rate is minimal – registration records before 1972 are notoriously unreliable, one of several reasons why the resource How Many Left does not have a listing for the number remaining in use.
As with so much of the British motor industry of that era, the narrative of the Rootes Group's Arrow-series cars is not straightforward. Rootes unveiled the 1,725cc Hillman Hunter to replace the Super Minx, accompanied by the more opulent Singer New Vogue, at the 1966 London Motor Show. The year after saw the Sunbeam Rapier fastback coupé and the Humber Sceptre for the managerial classes. For those at the foot of the corporate ladder, there were the 1.5-litre New Minx and the slightly more luxurious Singer Gazelle.
The Minx-based 'Hillman Estate Car' followed in spring 1967; dealers could highlight its MacPherson strut front suspension and all-synchromesh gearbox. 'Today the estate car is sophisticated,' proclaimed Rootes, as the Estate came with self-adjusting front disc brakes, 'curved side windows' and 'controlled fresh air ventilation'.
However, prospective Hillman customers should not be 'fooled by the long lines' as it could provide 62 cubic feet of load bay space (about 1,760 litres) with the back seats folded. For comparison, that's more than the current Toyota Corolla Estate. Autocar approved how 'the back seat comfort has not been reduced in the interests of greater load space'. Meanwhile, this newspaper appreciated the 'front bucket seats', 'door-operated courtesy lights' and 'passenger vanity mirror'.
The Hillman Estate originally cost £860, while the £911 Vauxhall Victor 101 De Luxe Estate was pleasantly furnished but still had a dated three-speed steering column-mounted gearchange. From BMC, the Austin A60 Cambridge Countryman and the nearly identical Morris Oxford Series VI Traveller were £878 and £887 respectively. However, their appeal was to Britons who thought Mrs Dale's Diary was radical programming, whereas the Hillman looked far more contemporary.
Other options included the Toyota Corona 1500 at £872, but few prospective Hillman buyers were likely to have considered owning a 'foreign car'. The same applied to the £868 Renault 16 DL, which was also front-wheel drive, a space-saving layout some Britons still regarded with suspicion. For the buyer who wanted a UK-built, medium-sized estate car, there was only one alternative to the Hillman: the Ford Cortina Mk2 Estate, in 1500 De Luxe form, for £853.
The Cortina Mk2 debuted at the same motor show as the Hunter, with Ford introducing the Estate version in 1967. The Hillman arguably suffered from a less cohesive line-up than the Cortina, with Rootes selling the Arrow range under four badges. One of the Hillman Estate's advantages was its pleasantly restrained appearance. The Telegraph 's motoring correspondent thought it 'one of the most elegant-looking dual-purpose cars I have seen'.
In 1968, the Estate gained Minx badging and the option of the 1,725cc engine. That year, Andrew Cowan's Hillman Hunter won the London to Sydney Endurance Rally, although the average Minx Estate owner was probably more concerned with parking spaces at Victor Value supermarket.
This example left the premises of dealer Armstrong and Fleming Ltd of Penrith on 13 March 1968, shortly after United States giant Chrysler acquired a majority share in the Rootes Group. In 1970, the Minx badge was no more after nearly four decades, while Rootes had become Chrysler UK. The Hillman badge lasted until 1976, while sales of the now-archaic-looking Hunter wearing a Chrysler badge ended in 1979. The Arrow design continued in Iran as the Paykan, where the last saloon left the factory as recently as 2005.
From a 2025 perspective, the Minx name seems as remote as steam locomotives or telephone operators instructing callers to 'press button A'. But the Arrow represented a genuine attempt at transport for the late 1960s. It was a car that looked completely at home outside the office and encouraged the owner to don their finest leisurewear on their day off.
And the 'two recessed ashtrays' demonstrate how the Minx was 'designed for your comfort all the way'.
