A Real Minx

Many early automobile companies got their starts manufacturing something else. In the case of Great Britain's Hillman, which ran out its first car in 1907, it was bicycles. They had a successful string of family cars until they were taken over by Humber in 1928. As the Hillman name was the better known it served as the primary marque for this merger. Still, two years later the Rootes Group swooped in and bought up this new entity.

The Rootes Group was the parent company of a number of popular British lines including Sunbeam, Talbot, Singer, Commer and Karrier in addition to the Hillman and Humber brands. By 1967 Chrysler had moved in and purchased the relatively successful firm.

One of the more noted and popular Hillmans was the Minx. First introduced in 1932 one version or other of the car was made through the 1970 car year. In fact, through most of the 1960s the Minx was the largest selling car in its class for Rootes.

In 1956 a new design for the Minx, the Audax, was introduced. This Series I version of the car presented buyers with a solid blend of both economy and a surprising amount of room. For the first two model years little changed but in 1958 the Series III was released. This saw a larger, more powerful engine. The 1494 cc engine could move the car up to a maximum speed of nearly 75 miles per hour. While its 0-60 time was lacking, getting there in a yawning 25.4 seconds, raw power was never the main selling point.

The 1960 model seen here was purchased as a barn find by William Renz who said he patched up a few cosmetic problems (like a huge rip in the convertible top that had to be replaced) but has still put 300 miles on it since he brought it in from California. He said he likes the car and "even my wife likes to drive it," he added. "Usually when I bring home a car she asks when I'm going to sell it."

Though he's still looking for a nearby garage in which to store the car when he isn't driving it, driving it is the main reason he bought it. "It's fun to drive and it gets great gas mileage," Renz said. What's not to like about a car like that?