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40-422: The Hillman Husky was a line of British passenger vehicles manufactured between 1954 and 1970 by Hillman . The first (or "Mark 1") Hillman Husky, introduced in 1954, was a small estate car based on the contemporary "Mark VIII" Hillman Minx . The two-door Husky entered the range alongside an existing Minx estate car, which had a 9-inch (230 mm) longer wheelbase. The Husky was not a hatchback, having instead

80-405: A corner with very little roll. Once more Commer sold a commercial version of the same car, the van version which was launched in 1965 and had the engine in low-compression form. The last Husky was built in 1970, at which point Chrysler Europe , new owners of Rootes, engaged in a major rationalisation of their products. Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by

120-577: A depressed area. A fastback version, the Californian, and an estate re-using the Husky name were also made. A new car called the Hunter was introduced in 1966 with, in 1967, a smaller-engined standard version using the old Minx name. These are frequently given their factory code of "Arrow", but this name was never officially used in marketing. Chrysler had assumed complete control of Rootes by 1967, and

160-477: A fuel consumption of 30.8 miles per imperial gallon (9.2 L/100 km; 25.6 mpg ‑US ). The test car cost £674 including taxes. The final iteration of the "Audax" Hillman Husky, the "Series III", made its debut in 1963, along with a face-lift for the whole Minx range (and its badge-engineered derivatives). The face-lift bodywork changes were applied to the Husky, but the reduction in wheel size from 15-inch (380 mm) to 13-inch (330 mm), which

200-432: A major investment decision regarding retooling for the radial tire, following the 1973 oil crisis . Despite heavy criticism at the time, Pilliod invested heavily in new factories and tooling to build the radial tire. Today, only Goodyear, Cooper , Titan, and Specialty Tires of America remain independent among US tire manufacturers, and the radial has practically replaced all other construction methods for automobile tires on

240-520: A panel van version of the same vehicle as the Commer Cob. A "Series II" Husky followed in 1960 with a four-speed gearbox, slightly lowered roof, a deeper windscreen, and altered seats. The engine compression ratio was raised to 8:1 and the carburettor changed to a Zenith 30 VIG type. Testing the Husky in 1960, The Motor magazine recorded a top speed of 73.4 mph (118.1 km/h), acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) of 26.9 seconds and

280-574: A series of updates in body style and construction until the end of the Second World War. In 1934 the Hillman Wizard "65" and "75" were replaced by the 2110 cc Hillman "16 hp" and 2810cc "20/70" , which lasted until 1936 when a new body design in the form of the 2576 cc Hillman "Sixteen" and the 3181 cc "Hawk" and "80" , all with side valve straight-six engines , were introduced. These later cars were also sold as Humbers. After

320-470: A single side-hinged rear door. While the new Mark VIII Minx DeLuxe saloon, convertible and "Californian" hardtop used a new OHV 1,390 cc (85 cu in) engine, the Husky continued to use the older 1,265 cc (77.2 cu in) 35 bhp (26 kW) sidevalve engine with single Zenith carburettor which it shared with the Minx "Special" saloon and estate. Unlike the Minx with its column change,

360-596: A sixty per cent holding of Humber in 1932 which they retained until 1967, when Chrysler bought Rootes and bought out the other forty per cent of shareholders in Humber. The marque continued to be used under Chrysler until 1976. In 1857 Josiah Turner and James Starley formed the Coventry Sewing Machine Company, and recruited skilled engineers from the London area to join them, one of whom

400-499: A slick, but with a radial construction for the Monte Carlo Rally winning works Stratos. Radial technology is now the standard design for essentially all automotive tires. Bias tires are still used on trailers due to their weight carrying ability and resistance to swaying when towed. For aircraft, the transition is happening more slowly, as tires are certified along with the airframe . A radial has less material in

440-634: A tire manufacturer (1915–1919), firearm designer and inventor in San Diego, CA - U.S. patent 1,203,910 . No actual products were created. Michelin in France designed, developed, patented, and commercialized the radial tire. The first Michelin X radial tire for cars was developed in 1946 by Michelin researcher Marius Mignol. There is no evidence that the former accountant turned researcher Mignol had knowledge of Hamilton or Savage's earlier work when he began his experiments in 1941. Michelin owned

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480-446: A useful horizontal loading platform with a ribbed rubber surface, and 50 cubic feet (1.4 m) of capacity. To take the increased load, this was the first Hillman derivative to have radial-ply tyres . It also had uprated rear shock absorbers and rear springs were fitted along with a strengthened rear suspension. These gave the Husky more sporty handling than the standard Imp, and looked surprising when this tall vehicle went quickly round

520-409: The heat buildup in the tire . By comparison, radial tires lay all of the cord plies at 90 degrees to the direction of travel (that is, across the tire from lip to lip). This design avoids having the plies rub against each other as the tire flexes, reducing the tire's rolling friction. This allows vehicles with radial tires to achieve better fuel economy than with bias-ply tires. It also accounts for

560-414: The "parent" Minx was itself replaced). The Motor magazine tested a Husky in 1954 and found it to have a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h) and acceleration from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 24.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of 33.4 miles per imperial gallon (8.5 L/100 km; 27.8 mpg ‑US ) was recorded. The test car cost £564 including taxes. In 1958 the new "Series I" Husky

600-572: The 24HP Hillman-Coatalen, which was entered into that year's Tourist Trophy. The car was put out of the race by a crash, but it had made a splash. Coatalen left in 1909 to join Sunbeam and the company was re-registered as the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The first cars were large, featuring a 9.76-litre 6-cylinder engine or a 6.4-litre four. A smaller car, the 9 hp of 1913 with a 1357 cc side-valve four-cylinder engine,

640-466: The Commer badged panel van from which it derived, the Husky body also had extra stiffening at the rear window apertures. Loading access was by a vertical top-hinged rear tailgate with the bottom of the opening level with the floor, making it easy to load without stooping down. Sliding windows gave ventilation and a view out from the rear bench seat. The top part of the back seat squab folded forward forming

680-632: The European market, closed in 2007. The French company still owns the rights to the Hillman name. Cars introduced after 1930 were a new range to the specification of the Rootes brothers Cars to the specification of the Rootes brothers Radial tire The first radial tire designs were patented in 1914 by G. H. Hamilton and T. Sloper -patent № 467 filed in London , and in 1916 by Arthur W. Savage ,

720-613: The Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore , near Coventry , England. Before 1907 the company had built bicycles. Newly under the control of the Rootes brothers, the Hillman company was acquired by Humber in 1928. Hillman was used as the small car marque of Humber Limited from 1931, but until 1937 Hillman did continue to sell large cars . The Rootes brothers reached

760-675: The Husky gained an all-synchromesh gearbox and changes to the clutch and suspension. Production of the Series III ended in 1965. No further Huskies were made until a new model based on the Hillman Imp appeared in April 1967. This new Husky shared the Imp's rear-mounted 875 cc (53.4 cu in) overhead camshaft engine, and had slightly better performance than the Imp, being approximately 330 lb (150 kg) lighter. The same engine

800-409: The cords in the tire to assume an S-shape from bead to bead. The angle under the tread, the crown angle, stretched down to about 36 degrees. In the sidewall region the angle was 45 degrees, and in the bead it remained at 60 degrees. The low crown angle gave rigidity to support the tread and the high sidewall angle gave comfort. To increase strength, the manufacturer would increase the number of plies, and

840-629: The first new Hillman model whose development was financed by the American giant was the Avenger of 1970. The Avenger and Hunter ranges were badged as Chryslers from 1976 until 1979, when Chrysler sold its European division to Peugeot . At this point, Hunter production was shelved and the Avenger was rebadged as a Talbot until it was finally withdrawn from sale at the end of 1981. Hillman's Ryton factory, which had assembled various Peugeot models for

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880-401: The gear lever for the Husky was floor mounted. There were individual seats in front and a bench seat in the rear which would fold flat to increase load area. The trim material was leathercloth. Both the heater and radio were optional extras. The car was available in blue, grey, green or sand paint (1954 colours). 42,000 of this Husky were sold until the model was replaced in 1958 (a year after

920-465: The leading automaker Citroën , so it was quickly able to introduce its new design, including on the new 1948 Citroën 2CV model. In 1952, Michelin developed a radial truck tire. Because of its significant advantages in durability and fuel economy, this technology spread quickly in Europe and Asia in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1968, Consumer Reports , an influential American magazine, acknowledged

960-453: The market. Sam Gibara, who headed Goodyear from 1996 to 2003, has noted that without the action of Pilliod, Goodyear "wouldn't be around today." In 1974, Pirelli developed the wide radial tire on a request of the Lancia rally racing team for a tire to handle the power of the new Lancia Stratos and in the succeeding year, Pirelli introduced a wide tire with a reduced sidewall height like

1000-540: The old side-valve engine, was also new for 1954. The floor pan of this model was later to form the basis for the Sunbeam Alpine , Sunbeam also being part of the Rootes empire. A complete departure in 1963 was the Hillman Imp using a Coventry Climax derived all alloy, 875 cc rear engine and built in a brand new factory in Linwood , Scotland. The location was chosen under government influence to bring employment to

1040-432: The past, the fabric was built up on a flat steel drum, with the cords at angles of about +60 and −60 degrees from the direction of travel, so they criss-crossed over each other. They were called cross ply or bias ply tires. The plies were turned up around the steel wire beads and the combined tread/sidewall applied. The green (uncured) tire was loaded over a curing bladder and shaped into the mold. This shaping process caused

1080-494: The sidewall, so it weighs less, runs cooler and lasts longer. For smaller planes, bias tires afford more stability at higher speeds and have stronger sidewalls. A series of plies of cord reinforces a tire. Without this, a tire would be flexible and weak. The network of cords that gives the tire strength and shape is called the carcass. Since the 1960s, all common tires have a carcass of cords of polyester, steel, or other textile materials, inlaid with several layers of rubber. In

1120-417: The slightly "low on air" (bulging) look that radial tire sidewalls have, especially when compared to bias-ply tires. With only radial cords, a radial tire would not be sufficiently rigid at the contact with the ground. To add further stiffness, the entire tire is surrounded by additional belts oriented closer to the direction of travel, but usually at some "spiral" angle. These belts can be made of steel (hence

1160-510: The superiority of the radial tire design, documenting its longer tread life, better steering characteristics, and less rolling resistance, which improves fuel economy . In 1970, Ford Motor Company produced the first American-made vehicle with radial tires as standard equipment, Michelin tires fitted to the Continental Mark III . In 1974, Charles J. Pilliod, Jr. , the new CEO of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company , faced

1200-399: The term steel-belted radial), polyester , or Aramid fibers such as Twaron or Kevlar . In this way, low radial tires separate the tire carcass into two separate systems: Each system can then be individually optimized for best performance. Radial tires have different characteristics of springiness from those of bias-ply tires , and a different degree of slip while steering. A benefit

1240-495: The time of the Rootes takeover and went to Standard Motor Co . Another daughter married Maurice Wilks who left Hillman in the same period and eventually went to Rover Company . In 1928, Hillman fell under the control of the Rootes brothers and then merged with Humber . The Rootes brothers obtained further backing from Prudential Assurance during 1931 and brought their holding up to 60 per cent of Humber. Then, in stages, Hillman

Hillman Husky - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-573: The turn of the 20th century, Hillman was a millionaire. With wealth came the means to fulfil Hillman's next ambition, to become a car producer. Hillman had moved into Abingdon House in Stoke Aldermoor near Coventry and decided that a sensible plan would be to set up a car factory in its grounds. In 1907 Hillman-Coatalen was founded by William Hillman with the Breton Louis Coatalen as designer and chief engineer. They launched

1320-619: The war, the Minx was reintroduced with the same 1185 cc engine. It went through a series of models given Phase numbers and the Phase VIII of 1955 saw the arrival of an overhead-valve engine 1390cc, the Mk 8. The later 1956 Two Tone version of this model, the Mark 8A, was called the "Gay Look" and led to the advertising slogan "As Gay as a Mardi Gras". A smaller car, the Husky with van like body and using

1360-570: Was William Hillman. In 1869 the firm changed its name to the Coventry Machinists Company, and like many other manufacturers in the area embarked on producing velocipedes . In 1870 Hillman and Starley patented a new bicycle called the "Ariel" and by 1885 Hillman was a partner of the bicycle manufacturer Hillman Herbert and Cooper, producing a bicycle called the Kangaroo . Hillman's new company soon established itself, and before

1400-477: Was also adopted by the Bond 875 . Like the earlier van version, the "Imp estate" was based on the two-door car, with the roof raised by 4 inches (100 mm) to provide a large carrying space above the engine bay, giving the car a square boxy look. The unusually flat roof was reinforced with stiffening ribs and supported on the inside of the vehicle with "synthetic foam noise-deadening material". When compared to

1440-473: Was applied to the saloons, was not applied to the Husky in order to maintain its ground clearance. In addition, whilst the contemporary Series V Minx got front disc brakes , the Husky continued with four-wheel drum brakes . While the 1390 cc engine continued to be used in most markets, for the USA the Husky adopted the 1,592 cc (97.1 cu in) engine used in the contemporary Minx Series V. From 1964

1480-514: Was introduced. It followed the same formula as its predecessor, but was based on the new "Audax" or "Series" Hillman Minx. This time the engine was the new Minx's 1390 cc overhead-valve unit but de-rated to an output of 51 hp (38 kW; 52 PS). As before, there was also a four-door "Minx estate", and the Husky had two doors (plus the side-hinged rear door) and a shorter wheelbase (by 8 inches (200 mm)). It was, however, 2 inches (51 mm) longer than its predecessor. Again Commer sold

1520-523: Was switched to manufacturing small cars and became the best known brand within the Rootes empire alongside Humber, Sunbeam and, in the Rootes Group's final decade, Singer. The 1930s saw a return to side valves with a 6-cylinder Wizard first produced in April 1931 and, in 1932, inspired by the Rootes brothers, the first car to carry the Minx name. This had a 1185 cc four-cylinder engine and went through

1560-414: Was that cars could now be made lighter because they would not have to make up for the deficiencies of bias-ply tires. However, motorists were not accustomed to the feel, hence the suspension systems of cars had to be modified. Ford Motor Company engineer Jack Bajer experimented in the 1960s on a Ford Falcon , by giving it less tight steering, and adding both isolators to the drive shaft and bushings to

1600-587: Was the first to sell in significant numbers and was re-introduced after the First World War as the 11 hp, having grown to 1600 cc. The big seller was the 14 hp introduced in 1925, and the only model made until 1928. Following the fashion of the time a Straight Eight of 2.6 litres and Hillman's first use of overhead valves came in 1928 but soon gained a reputation for big-end problems. William Hillman had six daughters and no sons. A daughter married John Black , managing director of Hillman, who left at

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