5 photos
1958' Hillman Minx Convertible
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£4,900Published 19 April 2017ID: 92Gf7j
Expired
7 years, 7 months ago
7 years, 7 months ago
Information from the owner
Age: 59 years
Seller's comments about 1958' Hillman Minx Convertible
The sad time has come to part with Milly, the Hillman Minx - she will be greatly missed. If ever a car was the star, then this car is it. When people see this car, they smile. Girls appear from nowhere and pose next to her! This car has so much charisma.
Milly is a remarkable survivor, most of these convertibles have rotted and been scrapped. Milly may have been an export car because the vinyl and plastics appear sun-bleached, and because the date of first registration on the V5 is 1978. I suspect she was a South African car that was brought back to England when the political situation looked like it could go awry. The long and short is that she is a remarkably solid car. Most importantly, the sills are solid. The floor, whilst covered in surface rust, is also solid. I removed the carpets to stop any further degradation through condensation. The paintwork has blistered in places, but the metal on this beauty is so thick, there's no chance of it rotting through. No need to repaint her, the paint is good old-fashioned lead paint, so will buff up beautifully with a bit of effort. The interior is showing its age: cuts in the vinyl, bending door cards, no carpets, etc. but don't be put off, none of this matters, indeed, it all adds to her charm. She is what she is, a totally original survivor
Incredibly, she is probably the most reliable car I have ever owned. Indeed, my friend's mother drove down to Sicily on one with four friends and it didn't miss a beat. Milly seats five adults comfortably (six at a push) and will alway start - even when you think the battery hasn't got enough power to light a bulb, POP!, and off she goes. You can even hand crank her, though I haven't got the starting handle.
The engine's number matches the chassis number, and it runs like a sewing machine, with no knocks, bangs, twangs, squeaks or any other worriesome noises. She leaks hardly any oil - indeed, far less than my old Porsche 911. Put her in the barn, leave her there over winter, take her out and off she goes. The carb doesn't even gum up, unlike my other cars. The tyres are new, as are the brakes which have been overhauled. The brake lines are new copper ones. The lights work as they should. She doesn't need an MOT and if you put her in for one, she'd fail - but only because I can't figure out how to remove the old windscreen wiper, and don't want to force it. Not that you're going to take her out on a rainy day anyway. Are you!!!
The hood is original, i.e. very tatty, but the mechanism is sound and is a three position affair. That means you can open up the bit above the driver only, or take it all down. The hood does raise and lower but, it's a faff and wouldn't keep out the water - for that you will need some restoration, or creative use of waterproof tape.
The photo shows the hood not quite in place. It does fit, but the locking bits are worn and if you drive over a pothole, the roof pops out into the position shown in the photo. (You can still drive it like that - this isn't a Formula 1 car!
One of the rear windows keeps falling out of its winding cradle, however, since I only ever use this car with the hood down, that's not a problem. The only thing that doesn't work is the water temperature gauge. I think this is probably a consequence of the car being converted from positive to negative earth. I have checked the sender and that works. The gauge also seems to work, but sends out non-sensical readings, so I'd recommend getting it checked. The longest journey I have done in her is about forty miles on a hot day and she showed no sign of overheating. The doors make the most wonderful 'clunk!' you've ever heard - a sound you only get when there's lots of metal - and are an absolute joy to use.
If you are looking for a solid car to restore to perfection, I would say that this is a prime candidate - not least because all the hard-to-find trim is still present - but why would you want to do that? As far as I can see, this car is totally original. How many are there left in this glorious condition?
She is ready to be used as she is, driven away to lighten up someone else's life. I hope the car goes into a long term collection where it will be kept exactly as it is - ORIGINAL and full of stories - and used as often as possible on every dry day available. I can't imagine a cooler car to arrive in at a cricket match or day at the beach.
Located near Lyme Regis in Dorset.
Milly is a remarkable survivor, most of these convertibles have rotted and been scrapped. Milly may have been an export car because the vinyl and plastics appear sun-bleached, and because the date of first registration on the V5 is 1978. I suspect she was a South African car that was brought back to England when the political situation looked like it could go awry. The long and short is that she is a remarkably solid car. Most importantly, the sills are solid. The floor, whilst covered in surface rust, is also solid. I removed the carpets to stop any further degradation through condensation. The paintwork has blistered in places, but the metal on this beauty is so thick, there's no chance of it rotting through. No need to repaint her, the paint is good old-fashioned lead paint, so will buff up beautifully with a bit of effort. The interior is showing its age: cuts in the vinyl, bending door cards, no carpets, etc. but don't be put off, none of this matters, indeed, it all adds to her charm. She is what she is, a totally original survivor
Incredibly, she is probably the most reliable car I have ever owned. Indeed, my friend's mother drove down to Sicily on one with four friends and it didn't miss a beat. Milly seats five adults comfortably (six at a push) and will alway start - even when you think the battery hasn't got enough power to light a bulb, POP!, and off she goes. You can even hand crank her, though I haven't got the starting handle.
The engine's number matches the chassis number, and it runs like a sewing machine, with no knocks, bangs, twangs, squeaks or any other worriesome noises. She leaks hardly any oil - indeed, far less than my old Porsche 911. Put her in the barn, leave her there over winter, take her out and off she goes. The carb doesn't even gum up, unlike my other cars. The tyres are new, as are the brakes which have been overhauled. The brake lines are new copper ones. The lights work as they should. She doesn't need an MOT and if you put her in for one, she'd fail - but only because I can't figure out how to remove the old windscreen wiper, and don't want to force it. Not that you're going to take her out on a rainy day anyway. Are you!!!
The hood is original, i.e. very tatty, but the mechanism is sound and is a three position affair. That means you can open up the bit above the driver only, or take it all down. The hood does raise and lower but, it's a faff and wouldn't keep out the water - for that you will need some restoration, or creative use of waterproof tape.
The photo shows the hood not quite in place. It does fit, but the locking bits are worn and if you drive over a pothole, the roof pops out into the position shown in the photo. (You can still drive it like that - this isn't a Formula 1 car!
One of the rear windows keeps falling out of its winding cradle, however, since I only ever use this car with the hood down, that's not a problem. The only thing that doesn't work is the water temperature gauge. I think this is probably a consequence of the car being converted from positive to negative earth. I have checked the sender and that works. The gauge also seems to work, but sends out non-sensical readings, so I'd recommend getting it checked. The longest journey I have done in her is about forty miles on a hot day and she showed no sign of overheating. The doors make the most wonderful 'clunk!' you've ever heard - a sound you only get when there's lots of metal - and are an absolute joy to use.
If you are looking for a solid car to restore to perfection, I would say that this is a prime candidate - not least because all the hard-to-find trim is still present - but why would you want to do that? As far as I can see, this car is totally original. How many are there left in this glorious condition?
She is ready to be used as she is, driven away to lighten up someone else's life. I hope the car goes into a long term collection where it will be kept exactly as it is - ORIGINAL and full of stories - and used as often as possible on every dry day available. I can't imagine a cooler car to arrive in at a cricket match or day at the beach.
Located near Lyme Regis in Dorset.
