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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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.