A motor car does not have to be beautiful or incredibly fast, to become a classic. It must, above all, stand out as a great example of what was right for its day. Just as there were important sports cars between the wars, so were there also commercially successful family cars. The Hillman Minx of 1935–39 was one of them.
Until 1928, Hillman had been independent, but following its purchase by Rootes Ltd (motor traders and distributors whose guiding light was ‘Billy’ Rootes, of Maidstone), it was rapidly turned into a mass production concern. Along with Humber, it became a major constituent part of the Rootes Group, which immediately became one of the British ‘big six’ car makers.
The original, and all-new Minx was previewed in 1931, and went on sale in 1932, but it was the second-generation Minx (the ‘Minx Magnificent’, as its bonnet badge advertised) which finally established the type. From then until the 1970s, there would always be a Hillman Minx in the Rootes Group line-up. |
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Mechanically it was conventional, with a separate chassis, beam-axle front and rear suspensions, and a side-valve engine, but there was interest in the detail, and it may be significant that both Bill Heynes (later legendary at Jaguar) and Alec Issigonis (of Mini fame) were both employed at Rootes at this time.
The most popular version was a rounded four-door saloon (Pressed Steel supplied the bodies), but a few limited-edition styles were also produced. It was neither fast (the top speed was about 60 mph), nor temperamental, but it was reliable, refined by the standards of the 1930s, and roomy enough to carry four or even five adults.
More than all this, a Minx was remarkably cheap, for in 1935 British prices started at a mere £159. No wonder the first 10,000 were built in a matter of months, or that a total of 92,095 cars were built in only four full years and the side-valve engine itself would be used in Rootes Group cars until 1957.
Built in large quantities in Coventry, it was the highest-selling Rootes Group car of the day, and eventually donated its running gear to more up-market machines such as the Talbot Tens of the period.
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