Really Rare Rootes Roadster

[lemansvk]

Rather !!

A 1934/35 Hillman "Beetle Back" roadster, owned by the latest member of the Hillmancars group. Apparently they were only made in 1934 and 1935 and very few were sold as the cost at £175 was £40 more expensive that the standared Minx.

Apologies for the quality of the pic.

http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o262/sunalp63/?action=view&current=1934Roadster.jpg

 

[Pumpkin]

Rare

Rather !!

A 1934/35 Hillman "Beetle Back" roadster, owned by the latest member of the Hillmancars group. Apparently they were only made in 1934 and 1935 and very few were sold as the cost at £175 was £40 more expensive that the standared Minx.

Apologies for the quality of the pic.

http://s122.photobucket.com/albums/o262/sunalp63/?action=view&current=1934Roadster.jpg

That is something! Thanks for sharing. I enjoy lQQking at the older ones too. I wonder if that is where the MG came up with the Look in those years that carried on untill the 50's? Raining th epitts here in Oregon for that last several months, am about ready to emigrate to a well know southern hemisphire.

Do you have Happy hour there also?
Cheers
Chuck

 

[lemansvk]

Chuck,

We have many happy hours over here, and if you emigrate you will be sure to find lots of brown bubbly. You just have to beat the locals to it

You must be getting all the rain over there, hasn't rained here to speak of for months (seriously). Can you send (or bring) some over?

Cheers, Vic

That is something! Thanks for sharing.
Raining the pitts here in Oregon for that last several months, am about ready to emigrate to a well know southern hemisphire.

Do you have Happy hour there also?
Cheers
Chuck

 

[RootesRooter]

Is this the same as the Hillman AeroMinx? If so, I've read it had an all-synchro tranny, which must have been advanced for its time. Wonder why they retreated...

 

[lemansvk]

Can't give a definitive answer on that. I have a friend with a Minx Magnificent sedan from 1937 with an all-synchro box. Featured here...

http://www.sa.hillman.org.au/PMTav.htm

My guess is they that went back to the non-synchro 1st 'box because it was marginally cheaper to make. Things were pretty tough in the UK after WW II - they had spent 6 years and much of their foreign exchange fighting a war - and literally every penny (and piece of steel) counted. They had a large amount of infrastructure (factories, roads, houses etc which had been bombed), to rebuild. They had traded some of their foreign assets to fight the war, and also had a bunch of loans to repay to some of their allies.

Cheers, Vic