Hillman Avenger: Rootes’ last own design

The Hillman Avenger was a small family car engineered by the Rootes Group and launched in February 1970. It was the first and last car the company developed after Chrysler took it over in 1967, and it stayed in production in Britain until 1981 under Hillman, Chrysler and finally Talbot badges.

Hillman Avenger at a glance

Figures differ between sources: German Wikipedia gives a production span of 1970–1981 in Britain, English Wikipedia about 790,000 cars, Italian Wikipedia 638,631 examples.

History of the Hillman Avenger

The project began in 1963 as the Rootes B-Car. Design director Roy Axe received his styling brief in 1965 and engineering started in 1966. The Avenger was one of the first cars to use computer-aided design in engineering its unitary body, and one of the first to be shaped around new safety requirements: a rigid passenger compartment, a front crumple zone, strengthened windscreen glass and a heavily padded dashboard.

The car was shown to the press in Malta in early 1970 and built at Ryton-on-Dunsmore near Coventry, in a plant renovated at a cost of £8 million. Bodies and panels came by train from Linwood in Scotland and powertrains from Stoke; from 1976 all production moved to Linwood. Rootes sold it only as the Hillman Avenger until 1975, then as the Chrysler Avenger from 1976 to 1978, and after the sale of Chrysler Europe to PSA as the Talbot Avenger from 1979 to 1981.

Chrysler used the Avenger as a world car. It was sold in North America as the Plymouth Cricket from 1971 to 1973, built in Brazil as the Dodge 1800 and later Dodge Polara, and in Argentina as a Dodge and finally a Volkswagen 1500. In Europe it also appeared as the Sunbeam Avenger and Sunbeam 1250 and 1500. By the end of British production some 790,000 had been built, though by 2016 fewer than 260 were reported to remain in use in Britain.

Design and features

• Purpose-built engineering: the body, engine and transmission were designed for the Avenger alone, with no parts carried over from other Rootes models.
• Coke-bottle styling: an American-influenced waistline over the rear wheels and a semi-fastback tail, with J-shaped or “hockey stick” tail lights.
• Plastic grille: claimed as the largest mass-produced plastic component used by a European car at 4 ft 6 in wide.
• Rear suspension: a coil-sprung live axle on four links, which the press singled out for the car’s road manners.
• Safety work: extensive crash testing during development shaped the body structure and interior padding.

Hillman Avenger versions

• DL, Super and GL (1970): four-door saloons with 1250 or 1500 cc engines; the GL had four round headlights and brushed nylon seats.
• GT (October 1970): twin-carburettor 1500 with 75 bhp in Italy’s figures, twin round headlights, stripes and “dustbin lid” wheel covers.
• Estate (March 1972): five-door with heavy-duty springing and a 470 kg maximum load against 380 kg for the saloon.
• Tiger (1972–1973): two batches of sporting 1500s, the Tiger II with twin round headlights and more power.
• Two-door saloon (March 1973): added with the full range of engines and trim levels.
• GLS (October 1972): replaced the GT with a vinyl roof and Rostyle sports wheels.

The Avenger was Rootes’ answer to the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Viva, and it sat below the larger Hillman Hunter in the range. The Minx it helped to replace had been the company’s mainstay for decades. More cars are in the Hillman collection.

Video: Hillman Avenger first engine start after 24 years

Video by classiccarbuyeruk1281 on YouTube.

Sources

• Hillman Avenger, English Wikipedia: development, launch, production, bodies
• Hillman Avenger, German Wikipedia: history, styling, engine details
• Hillman Avenger, Italian Wikipedia: trim levels, Tiger, world markets