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The Hillman Avenger was a sub-compact car originally manufactured under the Hillman marque by the Rootes Group, and later made by Chrysler Europe. It was produced under various guises and badges over a production run of 11 years. It was initially produced at Rootes' plant in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, England but was later assembled at the company's Linwood facility near Glasgow, Scotland.
[] 1970 - The Hillman Avenger
Introduced in February 1970, the Avenger was significant as it was the first and last car to be developed by Rootes after the Chrysler takeover in 1967. Stylistically the Avenger was very much in tune with its time; the American-influenced "Coke Bottle" waistline and semi-fastback rear-end being a contemporary styling cue, although from an engineering perspective it was conventional, using 4-cylinder all-iron overhead valve engines in 1.3 L or 1.5 L (later uprated to 1.6 L) capacities driving a coil spring suspended live axle at the rear wheels. Unlike any Rootes design before it, there were no "badge-engineered" Humber or Singer versions in the UK market. The Avenger was available in 2-door and 4-door saloon or 5-door estate body styles. The Avenger was widely praised for good handling characteristics, it was considered a significantly better car to drive than rivals such as the Morris Marina.
The engines and transmissions were all new and owed nothing to its larger brother, the Hunter or "Arrow" series. The Avenger was a steady seller in the 1970s, in competition with the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Viva. Chrysler wanted the Avenger to be a "world car", and took the ambitious step of marketing the Avenger as the Plymouth Cricket in the United States. Poor build quality and unreliability, plus apathy towards small cars amongst buyers in the United States, saw it withdrawn from that market after only two years.
[] 1972 - Introduction of more bodystyles
The existing Avenger models were joined in February 1972 with the basic fleet Avenger, which was offered with either 1250 or 1500cc engines. The fleet Avengers did not even have a sun visor for the front seat passenger.
In March 1972, the five-door estate versions of the existing 1250 Deluxe, 1250 Super, 1500 Deluxe and 1500 Super were now offered alongside the existing four-door saloon models.
A two-door saloon version was then introduced, and its trim would follow that of the four-door. Styling of the two door was similar to the 4 door, but the side profile was more subdued.
The car was extensively marketed in continental Europe, first as a Sunbeam. It was without the Avenger name in France, where it was known as the Sunbeam 1250 and 1500; later the 1300 and 1600. Some northern European markets received the car as the Sunbeam Avenger.
Chrysler's South American operations also built and marketed the car. In Brazil it was known as the Dodge 1800/Polara (it utilized a larger stroke 1800 cm³ version of its motor), and in Argentina, where it was the Dodge 1500. The station wagon was known as the Dodge 1500 Rural, while 1800 cm³ versions there were badged as the Dodge 1500M.
Other countries to market the car were South Africa (where it used Peugeot engines and was badged as a Dodge rather than a Hillman) and New Zealand.
Versions in Denmark were 1.3, 1.3 L, 1.3 GL, 1.6 GL, 1.6 GLS, 1.6 GT. These Danish versions had two-door equivalents which were sometimes exported back to the UK, since two-door models were phased out in 1979.
Despite the humble underpinnings, the Avenger was a successful car in motorsport; it was a frequent strong achiever in the British Touring Car Championship owing to the "tuneability" of its engine. The road-going version, the 4-door Avenger Tiger, is now a sought-after classic car.
[] The Avenger Tiger
Named to evoke memories of the Sunbeam Tiger, the Avenger Tiger concept began as a publicity exercise. Avenger Super 4-door cars were modified by the Chrysler Competitions Centre under Des O' Dell and the Tiger model was launched in March 1972. Modifications included the 1500 GT engine with an improved cylinder head with enlarged valves, twin Weber carburettors and a compression ratio of 9.4:1. The engine now developed 92.5 DIN bhp at 6100 rpm. Suspension is also uprated, whilst brakes, rear axle, and gearbox are from the GT.
A distinctive colour scheme with a matt black bonnet bulge, rear panel and side stripes was standard, set off with "Avenger Tiger" lettering on the rear quarters. Other colours were also produced, however.
Road test figures demonstrated a 0-60 mph time of 8.9 seconds and a top speed of 108 mph. These figures beat the rival Ford Escort Mexico, but fuel consumption was heavy.
All Avenger Tigers were assembled by the Chrysler Competitions Centre and production figures are vague but around 200 of the initial Mark 1 seems likely.
In October 1972 Chrysler unveiled the more "productionised" Mark 2 Tiger. The Avenger GL bodyshell with 4 headlights was used. Mechanically identical to the earlier cars, the bonnet bulge was lost, and there were changes to wheels and seats. These cars went on at £1350. Production was around 400. Only yellow and red were available, with black detailing.
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