HILLMAN SUPER MINX saloon

THE SUPER MINX HAS AN odd place in the British market. Its engine size puts it in the ever- popular medium category among people who think of 1\ litres as big, yet an unusual structural solidity combined with what the trade calls a complete specification jacks its price up out of the usual range. In fact it fights against one of the walnut-encrusted products of the Group's own badge-engineers, the ageing , as well as Standard-Triumph's equally draw• ing-room Vitesse 6. Accordingly it must get its sales on deep-down worth rather than surface appeal. An uncommonly solid and heavy and apparently very rigid steel monocoque structure makes a fine basis. Rootes has been building integral body-chassis units for a long time and this one, more than most in our experience, shows the benefit of careful and progressive development. All three basic body styles use the same steel pan and the same box structure and sub- frame forward of the scuttle. The

small convertible, partly because it has two very wide doors instead of four relatively less weakening ones but largely because it lacks the sheet steel roof on which chassis engineers usually rely for so much rigidity, carries quite a lot of extra metal in the lower platform in the form of welded-up crossmembers and box bracings. The idea is that this local beefing should compensate for loss of strength elsewhere. Rootes has obviously been care• ful from the start to banish road- excited body noise in the form of resonance and wheel rumble. In fact we suspect sound and vibration insulation makes up quite a big proportion of the Super Minx's surprising weight. Some of the techniques applied here bring back thoughts of the big Humbers, the Hawk and the Super Snipe, which were quite revolutionary in the extent to which they insulated passengers from mechanicals and from the road without departing from orthodox suspension ideas. As a final safeguard Rootes by• passes the accessory people by covering bonnet and bulkhead with thick insulating felt. The fundamental mechanical com• ponents to which all this scientific shutting-up is applied are ordinary to a degree which some people are going to call depressing. A few major items, such as the basic engine block and the gearbox and rear axle casings, come from the other medium-size —the older, less spacious and rather cheaper Minx normal. The Super Minx supports itself on simple but notably long and flexible leaf springs at the back and on paired double wishbones with coil springs in front. Shook absorb• ers are telescopic all round and there is a torsional anti-roll bar at the front. The system is identical with that in the older Minx; only the detail design of some of the components is different, as well as the dimensions. These factors ob• viously have a big effect on hand• ling and stability. Together they account for the vast difference in character between the two re• gardless of their layout similarity. The Super Minx engine is quite highly develops1: in fact it probably represents the logical zenith for a basic unit so old, short of sporting tricks like the twin carburettors and aluminium head of the Sun• beams and the . The powerplant itself is a 1592-cc in-line four, slightly over-square at 81.5 by 76.2 mm. It has a side camshaft operating slightly in• clined in-line overhead valves via simple forged steel rockers on a

21 Super Minx dashboard is clinically plain in pseudo-baked enamel, yet neat enough four-bearing shaft atop a cast iron themselves an adequate handbrake London; we found we could get so cylinder head. Inlet and exhaust performance (still a problem with much on the tailboard and in the manifolds are on the left of the some all-disc installations) and space behind the rear seat that it engine and the spark plugs are managed actually to achieve lower was hardly worth lowering the inclined on the right. pedal pressures than they had with backrest for a short hop, but when Manifolding is quite well the earlier all-drum layout. we did the room available was contoured for a mass-production Bodywork is basically similar almost embarrassing. family application, obviously with for all three Super Minx models. Unlike some dual-purpose bodies, the idea of extracting as many free Saloon and station wagon differ the Super Minx wagon does not horses as possible from what is after externally only in the roof and tail restrict space or access for rear all a physically small engine for panels, although the wagon does seat passengers. On the other hand such a big lump of a car. The have different windowing in its the convertible does. Partly because carburettor is a single-throat back doors. The saloon is stylistic• of the extra body braces we spoke downdraught Solex 33 PSEI with a ally excellent as far back as the of and partly because of the mechan• mechanical linkage to the throttle trailing edges of the doors, but it ism for the hood, it is roughly control and a Bowden cable for the breaks down rather at the back eight inches narrower in the back choke. It draws air via a long-nose window and around the taillights. and quite a lot less deep. Legroom paper element cleaner and petrol The effect is chopped-off and dumpy for rear passengers is restricted through a mechanical fuel pump and the rigid lines of the chromium and so is the space in the boot, by General Motors. The mixture decoration on the tail clash badly which suffers intrusion from a reaches the combustion chambers with the rather self-conscious flexible plastic well for the folded by way of a small hot-spotted embryo fins; a pity, because other• hood. Two wide doors and indi• equalising chamber and four indivi• wise this is one of Britain's best- vidual tip-up seats mean that dual manifold branches and ports. looking family cars—as its choice getting-in need not be such a The exhaust manifold is a three- for assembly in Italy proves. painful business, but it does involve branch type, again cast. Looks apart, the saloon offers a good deal of shuffling about. Compression is not uncommonly quite a lot. Doors are wide enough The hood itself is something of a high at 8.3 to 1 and the engine is to give easy access even for the old masterpiece. It is styled to blend cammed for good low-speed torque and infirm (the back ones are with the cars' lines in a way we rather than for revs, so a simple hardly cut away at all, so great is have not seen equalled in a four- forged three-bearing crankshaft the margin by which Rootes chooses seat application anywhere, yet it serves adequately. The power train to provide within-the-wheelbase has a frame mechanism which runs via an eight-inch single-plate seating). The roof maintains its makes folding or raising it the clutch to the familiar Rootes four- line long enough to give adequate work of, literally, half a minute. speed,gearbox, altered slightly to headroom for back passengers. This factor alone is enough to put give a higher first gear. The boot is big and regularly the Super Minx convertible in a Of the other running gear, only shaped, with no loading lip and a class of its own. In other cars of the brakes call for any detailed lid that swings up and out of the the type from this and rival manu• description. We have never quite way on counterbalance springs. facturers, nuisance-value has decided whether the smaller family The Super Minx station wagon always done so much to counteract saloon really needs disc brakes gets high marks for styling. Its the pleasure of having open body• rather than drums; often we're tail contours fulfil adequately the work that few people have bothered inclined to think manufacturers promise shown in front, and such with the extra outlay—or even if fit them out of a combination of details as a ribbed roof panel (for they have, they have tried the laziness and eagerness to cash in rigidity as well as neatness) and a hood once and contented them• on a status symbol. But there is no properly sealed and silenced tail• selves thereafter with an occasional harm in their doing that provided gate mechanism show evidence of daring and self-conscious sally in the application is properly carried more design sophistication than coupe-de-ville form. through, and in the Hillman it one usually looks for in an inexpen• The Super Minx sacrifices the de- certainly is. By fitting discs only sive British product. The utility ville facility altogether (and who on the front wheels and keeping the bodywork serves well. We used the cares, now that flexible sunshine old nine-inch drums at the back test car to move a lot of bulky and roofs are with us in such a big way?) Rootes engineers have guaranteed unwieldy office equipment across in favour of really easy up-and-

small car 23 Rootes Ltd Piccadilly London, England

Figures are the mean of several runs in opposite directions, using a corrected speedometer. In the case of sports cars they are recorded with hood and windows in place. Surface : smooth bitumen

ACTION TRANSMISSION Top speed, mph 86 2 Speeds in gears, mph 1 30 Type Manual gearbox II 52 Number of speeds 4 III 71 Synchromesh, type baulk ring IV 86 arrangement top three Acceleration, sec * 0- 30 5 8 Control remote, floor 0- 40 9 2 Ratios, overall (sal, conv) (wag) 0- 50 14 6 I 13 01 14 13 0- 60 22 1 II 8 32 9 04 0- 70 30 5 III 5 41 5 88 0- 80 NA IV 3 89 4 22 0- 90 NA Clutch dry single-plate 0-100 NA Propellor shaft open Fuel consumption, mpg overall 25 4 Final drive type hypoid bevel driven carefully 31 2 ratio 3 89 (sal, conv) normal range 22-28 4 22 (wag) Braking Tyre size 6.00 by 13 stopping distance from 30 mph, ft 33 Steering Type recirculating ball degree of fade after 10 stops from Turning circle, ft 36 50 mph, per cent Nil Turns lock to lock 3 2 Speedometer error, mph Brakes Type hydraulic recorded speed 30 true speed 30 Operation, front disc 40 40 rear drum 50 52 Size, in front 10 3 60 63 rear 9 70 73 Swept area, sq in 298 80 84 Friction area, sq in 80 5 90 NA Suspension Type steel springs 100 NA Operation, front coil, wishbones (sal) (conv) (was rear leaf, rigid axle Weight, lb dry 2256 2330 2392 Dampers, front telescopic kerb 2355 2429 2484 rear telescopic as tested, with two people 2705 2779 2834 Anti-roll bar front torsional kerb distribution front 55 rear NA rear 45 Structure Type monocoque shell Material steel * SPECIAL NOTE: In this cue performance figures are averaged from the capabilities of all three versions, so that in effect they represent a mean between the slightly Number of seats 4/5 slower station wagon and the marginally faster convertible. doors 4 (sal, wag) 2 (conv) Location of luggage space rear boot (sal, conv) rear platform (wag) SPECIFICATION General List price, UK purchase tax paid, £ 744 CALCULATION Delivery UK, weeks 2-3 Engine power, bhp/rpm 62 at 4400 Road tax UK annually, £ 15 Engine torque, lb ft/rpm 86 3 at 2500 Approx insurance UK annually, £ Usable rpm range 1500 to 5000 London 40 Mph per 1000 rpm, top gear 17 6 (sal and conv) country 21 Mph per 1000 ft min piston speed, top gear 35 2 Guarantee period miles 12,000 Mph at peak power, top gear 77 4 months 12 Mph at peak torque, top gear 44 Dimensions, In Wheelbase 101 Piston speed at peak power, ft min 2200 Track front 51 5 rear 48 5 Length 165 OPERATION Width 63 75 Height (sal, wag) 58 25 Fuel Type premium (conv) 57 25 Capacity, gal 10 25(sal,conv) 10(wag) Ground clearance (sal, wag) 6 5 (conv) 5 Range, miles 220-280 Headroom front 38 5 Pump type AC mechanical rear 36 Oil Type, SAE 10W/30 Legroom front 32 5-36 5 Capacity, pints 8 rear 42-48 Change interval, miles 3000 Hlproom front 45 Lubricant Type, SAE (oil) 90 rear 48 grade (grease) normal Shoulder room front 50 Number of points None rear 50 Change interval, miles None Engine Material Iron Air Tyre pressures front 25 Cooling water rear 25 Configuration in-line High-speed pressures front 28 (sal, conv) 28 (wag) Valve gear pushrod overhead rear 28. 33 Cylinders four Electricity Battery type wet cell Bore, mm 81 5 Location front right Stroke, mm 76 2 Voltage 12 Capacity cc 1592 Amperage 31 Piston area, sq in 32 4 Current direct Compression 8.3 Number of fuses 2 Carburettors single Solex 33 PSEI Location scuttle Number of spark plugs 4 Type Champion N5 Legroom measurements are for the whole leg, taken from the Gap setting, in, plugs 025 back of the cushion to the furthest convenient point on the floor Contact breaker 015 small car 25 down action and a tautness of hard and somewhat perchy, with corners. As it is, the blades leave fabric that makes the car almost cushions that are too flat and the screen at the point where the better-looking with the hood up. squabs which w,e found over- glass wraps over. Raised and with all windows up, vertical. The saloon and station Comfort in the rear is obviously the hood gives a first-class seal via wagon items give marginal support relative. Quite thin backrests on soft rubber strips against rain and from the cushion for cornering, the the front seats coupled with deep draughts. It is also flap-proof even convertible seats none. footwells in the carpeted floor mean at maximum speed in a crosswind. Rearward adjustment range is that two people can be quite com• Driving position in the Super just enough in all three cars to put fortable in the back of the saloon. Minx varies with the model. The a tall driver at ease. Full-arm There is room for a third on short latest versions of the saloon and stretch isn't quite possible, but hops, but he gets a pretty poor ride the station wagon have seats very then neither is it really desirable because of the transmission tunnel much in the modern manner, with in a car that is anything but sport• and because the seat cushion is cut webbed rubber cushions and shal• ing. Visibility is good forward thin in the middle to allow for the low but slightly shaped bolstering through a wide and steeply curved final drive. There is no intrusion at front, sides and top. They are screen, although tall men tend to at the sides from the wheel arches. big seats, offering support as high have trouble seeing under the top The doors do not have armrests or as the shoulders and right under rail in the convertible because the pockets (they don't in the front the thighs; altogether we found seats are higher. Headroom is either) but there are plenty of them comfortable well beyond the adequate and rear vision excellent ashtrays. There is a shelf behind usual family-car limits. in all versions. Visibility in the rain the rear seat. We found it took The convertible's seats are less would be better if Rootes fitted some people a long time to get the satisfactory. They are surprisingly wiper blades which wipe round hang of the pull-out door catches From the front, Super Minx is among our happiest-looking saloons. Tail is dumpy

Seats fitted to saloon and wagon show careful design. Convertible's are poorer

Station wagon body is wonderfully useful, but tailgate has stiff and clumsy catches

SMALL CAR comes to Mitre House! Super Minx helped in last stages of move in all models of the Super Minx. and total mileage strips (including The station wagon has a back decimals). The opposite dial is de• seat which is slightly harder and signed to take three auxiliary less generously proportioned than gauges, but as usual the Super the one in the saloon, but it still Minx comes with only one fitted: gives acceptable comfort for two a water thermometer. You must on quite long trips provided tall order the rest separately, along people in the front don't make with a clock to replace the round things too difficult. plaque in the centre of the dash if The back seat of the convertible you like. Rootes continues its is less satisfactory than the others. habit, inherited when it took over Because of its restricted dimen• the old London Talbot factory, of sions it is probably best to think of marking instruments metrically as it as a fairly luxurious occasional well as in English-a good thing- seat for two rather than as regular and also of calibrating the fuel accommodation, although children gauge in gallons instead of the up to their middle teens are quite usual E-i-F nonsense. happy there even on long trips. Minor controls are well enough Headroom is short for tall people located. Choke, lamps, wipers and and so is kneeroom with the front ignition have differently shaped seats back. With the hood down switches and knobs in the middle the seat becomes much more use• of the dash; the choke is rather too able because there are more places far away to reach comfortably with to put arms and shoulders, but even a safety belt on, but otherwise all with all the windows up there is is well. Heater and demister slides the usual charabanc feeling of wind- are just above, impossible as usual on-the-heath above about 40 mph. to get the hang of on short acquaint• The Super Minx in all its models ance but productive of adequate has a satisfactory if not outstand• results when you fetch the book and ing driving position. The wheel is spell it all out. The other switches, quite big and fairly high-set, with a under the lip of the dash in front horn ring in its middle and a rim of the driver, are less satisfactory contour that gives a good grip because unmarked. The bonnet re• without harshness. Pedals are off• lease is a T-handle down below the set, oddly, to the right — presumably padded parcel shelf which runs to give off-street parking for the across the whole width of the car, driver's left foot. Except for the supplementing a wide but rather organ-type accelerator, they are shallow lockable glovebox-useful annoyingly heavy to use. in the convertible at least. The gear lever is intelligently The winker stalk incorporates sited atop an enormous transmis• an efficient headlamp flasher. sion hump in the centre of the Safety in the driving compart• neatly carpeted floor. ment is obviously a consideration The handbrake, a sturdy pull-up with Rootes. The thick crash roll lever, lies on the floor to the which covers the tops of the dash is driver's right. resilient enough to be a real help Instruments live in three dials, in a bad prang, even if the strip of two big ones on either side of the foam plastic in front of the parcels steering column and a small one shelf is not. Sun visors are the for the fuel gauge in between. The flexible foam kind, a good idea (the speedometer takes up all of the passenger's has a small mirror), and left-hand circle, along with trip the door catches point away from

small car the people. Items we didn't like behave itself in corners, but that the look of accident-wise were the isn't strictly true. Certainly the projecting knobs in front of the car understeers markedly and gives passenger (particularly a beltless off a lot of tyre noise, but if you in• middle one, whom you might be sist and particularly if you help tempted to carry since the seats, matters by pumping the tyres up except on the convertible, meet in five or six pounds above normal, the middle) and the window wind• it will give a surprisingly good ers, which in some positions are apt account of itself. Pressed to ex• to knock the driver's knee. tremes, the whole oar will slide The Super Minx does not always bodily until you back off. start at once. The delay comes Braking is a field in which it is when it is either very hot or very becoming harder to find fault. cold; in both cases you must some• Most ordinary cars these days are times give it three or four bursts good, a few excellent. The Super on the starter to get lasting re• Minx comes about halfway in sults. Warm-up takes longer than between. It stops sharply and con• it should, although luckily the sistently from any speed of which it choke gives quite fine adjustment is capable, with no fade and little so there is no need for any kangaroo mess or smell. Pedal pressures are antics. The engine is quiet in most relatively low for panic stops but ways, in fact surprisingly so con• over-high for light braking. sidering its size and degree of Ride, too, is generally satis• stress, but it is inclined to make factory. It is soft enough to be its presence felt via a subdued but comfortable but not floppy, yet still audible rumble at low speeds. firm enough to give control without The big fault with Rootes gear• excessive roll or body-sway in boxes has always been noise. The corners. Isolated bad bumps pro• Super Minx is no exception in that duce little effect and almost no it emits a distinct growl in first and sound at all, and the car will attack an audible whine in second and whole stretches of shockingly third. In other respects the box is mutilated road with no special satisfactory. Its ratios are intel• qualms. At least, the saloon version ligently spaced to give lusty per• will. The station wagon is less formance both on hills and for happy on really bad going because overtaking—in fact outstanding of its choppier rear springing. performance for such a rugged car. The convertible-well, it's sad to First, as we said, is strictly for have to report that in spite of starting only (you can use second Rootes engineers' patient attempts but it is unkind to the clutch) but at strengthening their latest roof• the other three ratios are very less structure the Super Minx much driving gears. Third will take convertible suffers from scuttle you well over an indicated 70 and shake and body distortion on bad second is the ideal ratio for nifty roads to an extent that is frighten• cornering in winding country lanes. ing. The only answer is to stay off Top is unusually high for a heavy Status symbol! Super Minx's virtues give unmade routes altogether, or at British car and particularly high it a ready sale in Italy, where assembly worst to take them very slowly for a Rootes one, a change of heart contractor Touring adds hisfamous cachet indeed. At anything above 30 mph, which most owners will welcome pulling in third it's hard to believe especially with the hood down, since it means the Super Minx will you are in anything but a genuine body tremors becomes so bad that hold 90 mph on the clock (a genuine big car. Wind roar is more of a prob• the doors threaten to come open. 85) for the entire length of any lem, rather naturally, in the station Is the Super Minx just another motorway in England. wagon with its uncompromising bread-and-butter family car? In The gear change itself is good tail. What little there is in the most ways it is, but then that is without being outstanding. It has saloon and convertible takes the hardly a criticism in Britain today. synchromesh powerful enough to form of a shrill whistle from the Apart from the body shake in con• resist all but lightning-fast changes corners of the rain gutters. vertible form which we have just (it will even take those from third The Super Minx has rather unin- mentioned, the Super Minx has no to top) but a poorly chosen reverse pressive steering. It is low-geared, apparent major faults and a great resist mechanism means that an with a lot of whip or lost motion many virtues. As a saloon it is enthusiastic attempt to snatch around the straight-ahead position, roomy, acceptably comfortable, second gear for a corner can often and it transmits too little feel from surprisingly fast, smooth, quiet and result in a loud shriek of protest as the road to the driver's hands. safe. It has no sporting breeding or the lever wrong-slots. Marked heaviness tends to dis• pretensions, and rightly so. The Apart from the slight engine courage really energetic cornering. station wagon sacrifices a little bit rumble and gearbox whine we spoke It may even fool you into thinking of refinement for even greater of, both of which disappear as the Super Minx is unwilling to practicality —an excellent dual- speed rises, the Super Minx is an purpose family automobile. The extremely quiet car. It will ghost convertible loses quite a lot of along in top at 50 or 60 mph with Last month's first Giant Road Test con• space and virtually all suitability only very moderate wind noise and tained an error which affected our con• for very bad roads but gains in clusions. We said the Ford Cortina GT glamour, versatility and (you may not a murmur from the mechan• cost £649 ; in fact it costs £100 more. icals, and even with the engine We apologise sincerely to every reader think) sex-appeal. #

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