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Hillman Avenger

1970–1981 · Linwood · the one Rootes saloon with no leaf springs anywhere

Nothing from a Minx, Super Minx or Hunter rear end goes near an Avenger.

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RelatedHillman HunterHillmanSunbeam & Singer

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About the Hillman Avenger

The Avenger was a clean sheet — Rootes’ Escort and Viva rival — and it is mechanically unlike every Rootes car before it. MacPherson struts at the front, and at the rear a four-link coil-sprung live axle. No leaf springs anywhere. Front anti-roll bars were standard on all models and the steering is rack and pinion. The engines were all new too: overhead-valve all-iron fours in 1248, 1295, 1498 and 1599cc, with the camshaft set unusually high so the pushrods could be as short as possible. In October 1973 the 1250 became a 1300 and the 1500 became a 1600. Brakes are front disc and rear drum — the export Plymouth Cricket is specified at 9.5in front discs and 8in rear drums.

The 1976 facelift is the identification point. The car was rebadged as a Chrysler and given a new frontal treatment and dashboard, and the distinctive “hockey-stick” rear lamp clusters were dropped for a straight light-bar arrangement. Talbot badges followed in 1979. Bodies: four-door saloon from 1970, five-door estate from March 1972, two-door from March 1973. New Zealand matters a lot on this model. Todd Motors assembled it from July 1970 to September 1980 — about 26,500 cars, at Petone until 1974 and then at Todd Park in Porirua, and built six variants that existed nowhere else: Avenger Super, TC, Alpine, Alpine GLS, Estate and Van. New Zealand cars also got extra rustproofing — paint dips below the window line, extra electro-coating on the floors and underseal — where UK cars had only charged primer and acrylic enamel.

Hillman Avenger — specification & changes within the model

Suspension — a clean break from every other Rootes car
MacPherson struts at the front. Four-link coil-sprung live axle at the rear. No leaf springs anywhere on the car. Front anti-roll bars standard on all models; rack and pinion steering. Nothing from a Minx, Super Minx or Hunter rear end fits.
Brakes
Front disc, rear drum. The export Plymouth Cricket is specified at 9.5in front discs and 8in rear drums. One caution: a single marque-history site says the smaller-engined 1973 cars went back to front drums. Wikipedia describes the same October 1973 update and does not mention it. Single-sourced — check the car before ordering a front drum part.
Engines and the 1973 change
All-new overhead-valve all-iron fours: 1248, 1295, 1498 and 1599cc, with a high camshaft and short pushrods. In October 1973 the 1250 became 1300 and the 1500 became 1600. South African cars used a 1618cc Peugeot XC6; South American cars offered 1798cc.
1976 — the identification point
Hockey-stick rear lamp clusters = pre-1976, Hillman. Straight full-width light bar = 1976 on, Chrysler. The facelift also brought a new front end and dashboard. Talbot badges from 1979.
Bodies
Four-door saloon 1970 · five-door estate March 1972 · two-door March 1973.
Gearboxes
Four-speed manual, described as tough and reliable. Three-speed automatic at first, replaced by the four-speed Borg Warner BW45 in 1973.
New Zealand — six variants that exist nowhere else
Avenger Super (1970) · TC, twin-carb (1971) · Alpine (1972) · Alpine GLS (1974) · five-door Estate (1975) · Van. About 26,500 built here, July 1970 to September 1980, over 20,000 of them Hillman-badged. NZ cars have a silver grille with chrome surrounds, bumpers with rubber inserts, and a single-carburettor setup on most models where the UK had twin carbs. Metric instruments from 1974, electronic ignition from 1978.
The Tiger
Mk1, March 1972, about 200 built — the 1500 GT engine with an improved head, enlarged valves, twin Webers and 9.4:1 compression, 92.5bhp at 6,100rpm. Mk2, October 1972, about 400 built.
Where they rust
Front wings, rear arches, lower rear corners, front and rear valances, inner and outer sills, the bottom of the B-post, and the chassis rail around the strut mounting.
Not claimed
Earth polarity, and any chassis or VIN breakpoint.
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