Hillman

1907–1979 · Rootes Group · Coventry, Ryton and Linwood · and Petone

Rootes sold the same car under four badges at once, so the name on the bootlid tells you almost nothing. The body family and the date tell you everything.

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Hillman Minx1931–1970 Hillman Husky1954–1970 Hillman Super Minx1961–1967 Hillman Imp1963–1976 Hillman Hunter1966–1979 Hillman Avenger1970–1981

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RelatedHumber Sunbeam & Singer Commer

Not listed? Plenty of parts suit several marques and never get the model name in the title — ask us and we will check the books for you.

About Hillman

There are four body families here and they share almost nothing with each other. The Audax shell, 1956–67, carries the Minx, the Singer Gazelle, the Sunbeam Rapier, the Husky and the Commer Cob — and, in New Zealand only, the Humber 80. The Super Minx shell, 1961–67, carries the Super Minx, the Singer Vogue, the Humber Sceptre Mk I and Mk II, and the Humber 90. The Arrow shell, 1966–79, carries the Hunter, the late Minx, the Singer New Vogue and Gazelle, the Humber Sceptre Mk III and the Sunbeam Rapier and Alpine. And the Imp, 1963–76, carries the Imp, the Californian, the second Husky, the Singer Chamois and the Sunbeam Stiletto. The Avenger of 1970 stands on its own — it is the one Rootes saloon with no leaf springs anywhere. So the useful question is never “is it a Hillman?” It is which shell, and what year.

In New Zealand, Hillman is Todd Motors at Petone. Todd held the Rootes distributorship from 1931 and began assembling at its Petone plant on the Hutt Road in April 1935. It built 3,928 Hillmans and Humbers in 1960 alone, and its 200,000th car at Petone in 1973 — a Hillman Hunter station wagon. The last car left Petone in 1975, when the whole operation moved to Todd Park in Porirua; Todd took 15.3 per cent of all New Zealand car assembly in 1966. And this is why a New Zealand Hillman is not a British one: from 1939 upholstery materials could no longer be shipped in the CKD pack, so seats, headlining, trim, glass, paint, battery, tyres, wiring loom, exhaust, springs and bumpers were all made here. UK mechanical parts usually fit. UK trim parts often do not.

Hillman — the range, and what changes between the cars

Where the front discs arrive: Minx: Series V, 1963. Every Phase car and every Audax Series up to IIIC is drums all round. Super Minx: Mk II, October 1962. Sunbeam Rapier: Series III, 1959 — four years ahead of the Minx. Singer Gazelle: Series V, 1963. Humber Sceptre: from launch, 1963. Arrow and Avenger: from launch. Imp: never — drums all round for the whole 1963–76 run.
The four families, and what crosses: Audax (1956–67) Minx · Singer Gazelle · Sunbeam Rapier · Husky · Commer Cob · Humber 80. Super Minx (1961–67) Super Minx · Singer Vogue · Sceptre Mk I–II · Humber 90. Arrow (1966–79) Hunter · late Minx · Singer New Vogue and Gazelle · Sceptre Mk III · Sunbeam Rapier and Alpine. Imp (1963–76) Imp · Californian · Husky · Chamois · Stiletto.
Two exceptions inside the families: The Sunbeam Rapier and Alpine fastbacks have their own two-door upper body — roof, doors and all their glass are unique and do not cross to the saloons, in either the Audax or the Arrow range. Same for the Imp coupé roof on the Californian, the Chamois Coupé and the Stiletto.
The two Huskys: Two completely unrelated cars wore the name and no part fits both. 1954–65 is front-engined, Minx-based, with a side-hinged rear door. 1967–70 is a rear-engined Imp with a top-hinged tailgate. A customer who says “Husky” has told you nothing until they give a year.
The Humber that is a Hillman: Humber 80 = Hillman Minx. Humber 90 = Hillman Super Minx. Todd Motors badged them that way here to win extra import licences, and they exist nowhere else in the world. Hillman parts are the right parts. The full story is here.
Petone is four different plants: “Built at Petone” identifies nothing. Todd Motors (Hillman, Humber, Commer, Singer, Sunbeam, Chrysler) was on the Hutt Road. General Motors (Chevrolet, Vauxhall, Bedford, Holden) was on Bouverie Street. Austin, built by Associated Motor Industries, was on McKenzie Street — directly across the road from Todd, which is almost certainly where the confusion started. And Ford is not Petone at all — it is Seaview. The marque is the reliable test.
Earth polarity: We cannot tell you, and we will not guess. We went looking specifically and no source states positive or negative earth for any Hillman or Humber, at any date — the one marque-club thread on the subject explains how to convert without ever saying what from. 12 volt is confirmed on the Minx Phase I, the Imp and the Hunter. Polarity: check the car before you order a coil, a regulator or a radio.