Hillman History:
Hillman was originally called Hillman-Coatalen and was founded by William Hillman. The design and engineering was done by Breton Louis Coatalen. Their first car used a 9.76 litre 6-cylinder engine or a 6.4 litre four. They were generally large cars. In 1913, they brought a smaller model; the 9hp. It had a 1357 cc side valve four cylinder. From 1925 to 1928, the only model made was the 14hp introduced during world war one. In 1928, Hillman was taken over by Humber and both were taken over by Rootes in 1931. Hillman later became the dominant brand within the Rootes Empire with other models like the Humber, Sunbeam and Singer. The side valve returned in 1930 with first the 2.1 (later 2.6) litre 6 cylinder Wizard in 1931 and the first car to carry the Minx name was introduced in 1932.It had a 1185 cc four cylinder and went through a series of updates in body style and construction until the end of World War two. In 1934 the Wizard was replaced by the 20/70 which lasted until 1936 when the Hawk with a 2576 side valve straight six. This car was later rebodied and sold as a Humber. After the war the Minx was reintroduced with the same 1185 cc engine. It went through a series of models given Phase numbers and the Phase VIII of 1954 saw the arrival of an overhead valve engine. A smaller car, the Husky with van like body and using the old side valve engine was also new for 1954. The floor pan of this model was later to form the basis for the Sunbeam Alpine, Sunbeam also being part of the Rootes Empire. A complete departure in 1963 was the Hillman Imp using a Coventry Climax all alloy, 875 cc rear engine and built in a brand new factory in Linwood, Scotland. A fastback version, the Californian, and an estate re-using the Husky name were made from here. A new car called the Hunter was introduced in 1966 and in 1967, a smaller engined standard version using the old Minx name was built. The Avenger and Hunter ranges were rebadged as Chryslers until 1979 when Chrysler sold its European division to Peugeot. At this point, Hunter production was shelved and the Avenger was rebadged as a Talbot until it was finally withdrawn from sale at the end of 1981.

Hillman Overview:
Hillman was a very prominent British automobile margue, manufactured by the Rootes Group. Their headquarter was located in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England, from 1907 to 1976. The company only manufactured bicycles before 1907. Chrysler assumed complete control of Rootes in 1967, and the first new Hillman model whose development was financed by Chrysler was the Avenger of 1970.

Other Hillman Details:
Although the brand was stopped in 1970, Hillman’s Ryton factory still exists to the present day, assembling various Peugeot models for the European market, but it was announced in April 2006 that Peugeot would end production there, the last car leaving the factory in December 2006. The plant formally closed in January 2007. The French company still owns the rights to the Hillman name.