• Welcome to the new SAOCA website. Already a member? Simply click Log In/Sign Up up and to the right and use your same username and password from the old site. If you've forgotten your password, please send an email to membership@sunbeamalpine.org for assistance.

    If you're new here, click Log In/Sign Up and enter your information. We'll approve your account as quickly as possible, typically in about 24 hours. If it takes longer, you were probably caught in our spam/scam filter.

    Enjoy.

UK Hillman Avenger

husky drvr

Platinum Level Sponsor
Tripped over this review. Thought I'd post it.

One thing I noticed in the review, the trans has the shift pattern with reverse LEFT and FORWARD. In the US the Avenger was marketed as a Plymouth Cricket. Unfortunately, they didn't stand a chance in this market. I'm sure I saw only a few Crickets around in the day and almost certain I never saw one broken down to compare parts. I do recall hearing that when the engine was redesigned, that nothing was usable in an Audax based car.

If any one has knowledge about these cars, how things were different, and how things compare to the earlier Audax cars, then please post what you know about them.

 

husky drvr

Platinum Level Sponsor
An article by Hagerty (notice the sales figures compared to Pintos and Vegas):

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjV_pOOnanvAhWOjVkKHVuqAR0QFjAAegQIAxAD&url=https://www.hagerty.com/media/buying-and-selling/the-1971-plymouth-cricket-was-an-epic-failure/&usg=AOvVaw0hP89VkGHrH_3OeBwk6dQC

comments by article on Wikipedia:

In North America, a rebadged variant of the Avenger was marketed as the Plymouth Cricket through Plymouth dealers as a captive import in 4-door saloon and 5-door estate variants. It had 9.5" front disc brakes and 8" rear drums. Brochures included a cartoon cricket, possibly trying to capitalize on the popularity of the VW Beetle.

A Chrysler Plymouth press release dated 30 June 1970 said the Cricket would be presented to the automotive press in November 1970. The first shipment of 280 Crickets from the UK arrived in the U.S. on 20 November 1970. Another press release issued on 23 February 1972 stated that the "station wagon" version would debut in early spring of 1972.

The 1500 cc engine was offered on the Plymouth Cricket. Side marker lamps (US DOT required) were added, and front disc brakes were standardized; these were originally optional in the UK. The single carburetor / manual choke combination was standard. From 1972, the single carburetor / automatic choke combination, dual carburetors, and air conditioning were all options.

North American federal headlight standards required the round four-headlight grille of the GL and GT model Avengers.

The Cricket was discontinued midway through the 1973 model year, despite a sharp increase in demand for small cars brought on by the gas crisis of 1973. The success of the similarly-sized Dodge Colt captive import, built by Mitsubishi Motors, doomed the Cricket. With the Colt selling much better, reengineering the Cricket to meet new safety and emissions legislations did not make financial sense.

The Cricket nameplate continued when Chrysler Canada replaced the British-built Cricket with a rebadged Dodge Colt in mid-1973 model year. The Cricket's version of the Colt GT was called the Cricket Formula S. For the 1975 model year, the Plymouth Cricket was rebadged as the Plymouth Colt. Thus began Chrysler Canada's dual marketing system, selling the Colt as both a Dodge and a Plymouth. The later Plymouth Arrow was similarly sold as a Dodge Arrow.

The last British-built Crickets were exported to the U.S. in the later part of 1972, and were marketed until mid-1973 as "1973" models. This was because U.S. safety and emission laws became effective based on the calendar year the car was manufactured in or imported in, as opposed to the model year.
 

John W

Bronze Level Sponsor
Interesting that the Avenger in the video is the car whose measurements were used to make die cast scale models.

The design of the car is outstanding (for a four door). Not only looks, but also like where the guy sits in the back seat and has plenty of room.

My memory is that the competition was the Corolla, not the Vega or Pinto.

The Haggerty article comments are brutal (and funny).

That everyone doesn't just get a Corolla makes the world a better place. The guy in the video is like a guy I knew (what seems like long ago) that maintained an old 60's Jag (at great expense). That was one enjoyable car to ride in.

The video reminds me to never drive in England, should I ever visit there. Almost makes me dizzy on the wrong side of the road.
 

husky drvr

Platinum Level Sponsor
Found this video of the engine's component pieces during a rebuild. There are also some shots of the bare engine compartment. The steering is R&P in a rear steer configuration, as allowed by the engine's front sump. The transmission seems to be a unitized casting complete with integral clutch housing. I wonder if when this engine was designed, expansion to 2000cc was delayed? A two liter displacement and five speed/overdrive might have been a game changer in the US market. It also seems that all versions carried a 3.89:1 rear axle ratio. The bell pattern is completely different due to the new starter location. Just some of the interesting things to observe.




Gearbox:


Transmission type:

manual


Number of gears:

4

Gear ratios (overall):
I

3.538 (13.76)

II

2.165 (8.42)

III

1.387 (5.39)

IV

1 (3.89)

Reverse
3.68

Final drive ratio std:

3.889


Front brakes:

disc



241 mm / 9.5 in

Rear brakes:

drum



203 mm / 8 in





Standard tires:

155 SR 13
 
Top