1965 Hillman Super Minx 1600 review from UK and Ireland
"British born and bred and fun to own!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Nothing really, except I didn't look after it and the radial tires were worn through to the canvas, I left it parked in the road and was forced to scrap it because the tax was out of date, the battery dead and I couldn't afford to get it back on the road! The Police were on to it, so I had no choice.
General comments?
I bought this car for £25 and drove it for a year until the tires were shot and the tax ran out!
I drove it around for a year or so and spent next to nothing on it, the bits I needed were easily obtainable from breakers yards, such as light bulbs etc.
It had a little rust and was thirsty on the juice, but it did about 60-70 MPH in reasonable comfort.
I was 19 when I got the car and the bench seat was cool, my girlfriend (s) could snuggle right up and steer the car while I lit a cigarette etc.
It had a good few dials and I managed to get an artificial horizon gauge from a scrapped military jet, which moved quite a bit when this heavy old car lumbered around corners, it was a scream.
The fake leather seats could be slippery and bouncy, they were horsehair and springs I think, it was too easy to slide across the bench seat when turning right too sharply, but that was all the more fun.
Where I lived at the time, near Malmsebury, there was a country road with a bridge over it, with a deep inverted hump under it, if I could get the car up to 60 MPH, it would leap over the hump and everyone in the car would fly off the seats, a real thrill.
The back seats meant I could travel around and two people could sleep in comfort in the car, great for those wet nights when camping out at the Cotswolds windsurfing lake.
Don't ask about performance and cornering, this car was bad in every way, it was however a car with real character, solid, heavy and fun!
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| Stylish and reliable |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1965 |
| First year of ownership | 1977 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1978 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 CC Manual |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 60000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 70000 miles |
| Previous car | Rover - Austin Cambridge |
| Date of Entry | 10th March, 2004 |