Hillman Avenger
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- For the pre-1964 Sunbeam-Talbot or Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq cars see Sunbeam Car Company#Post-war
| Hillman Avenger | |
|---|---|
 / |
|
| Manufacturer | Rootes Group Chrysler Europe |
| Production | 1970–1981
Argentina until 1988 |
| Predecessor | Hillman Minx |
| Successor | none |
| Body style(s) | 2-door saloon 4-door saloon 5-door estate |
| Engine(s) | 1248 cc Straight-4 (1970-1973) 1295 cc Straight-4 (1973-1981) 1498 cc Straight-4 1598 cc Straight-4 (1973-1981) 1798 cc Straight-4 (South America) |
| Transmission(s) | 4 speed manual 3-speed Automatic |
| Wheelbase | 98 in (2,500 mm) |
| Length | 161 in (4,100 mm) |
| Width | 62 in (1,600 mm) |
| Height | 53 in (1,300 mm) |
| Related | Chrysler Avenger Talbot Avenger Sunbeam Avenger (Europe) Plymouth Cricket (U.S) Dodge 1800 (Brazil) Dodge Polara (Brazil) Dodge 1500 (Argentina) Volkswagen 1500 (Argentina) |
The Hillman Avenger was a rear-wheel drive Small family car originally manufactured under the Hillman marque by the Rootes Group between 1970 and 1976, and made by Chrysler Europe from 1976 to 1981 as the Chrysler Avenger and finally the Talbot Avenger. The Avenger was exported to North America and sold there as the Plymouth Cricket.
The Avenger was initially produced at Rootes' plant in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, England, and later at the company's Linwood facility near Glasgow, Scotland.
[edit] 1970: 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 undoubtedly very much in tune with its time; the American-influenced "Coke Bottle" waistline and semi-fastback rear-end being a contemporary styling cue. However, from an engineering prospective it was rather conventional, using a 4-cylinder all-iron overhead valve engine in 1250 or 1500 capacities driving a coil spring suspended live axle at the rear wheels. Unlike any previous Rootes design, there were no "badge-engineered" Humber or Singer versions in the UK market. The Avenger was immediately highly praised by the press for its good handling characteristics and generally good overall competence on the road and it was considered a significantly better car to drive than rivals like the Morris Marina.
Initially the Avenger was available as a four-door saloon in DL, Super and GL trim levels. The DL and Super could be had with either the 1250 or 1500cc engines but the GL was only available with the 1500 cc engine. Since the DL was the basic model in the range, it featured little more than rubber mats and a very simple dashboard with a strip style speedometer. The Super was a bit better equipped, featuring carpets, armrests, twin horns and reversing lights, though the dashboard was carried over from the DL. The top-spec GL model featured four round headlights (which was a big improvement over the rectangular ones from the Hillman Minx that were used on the DL and Super), internal bonnet release, two-speed wipers, brushed nylon seat trim (previously never used on British cars), reclining front seats, and a round dial dashboard with extra instrumentation.
Not only was the Avenger's styling totally new, but so were the engine and transmission units, which were not at all like those used in the larger "Arrow" series Hunter. Another novelty for the Avenger was the use of a plastic radiator grille (a first in Britain!). 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. Complaints of rust, unreliability, plus apathy towards small cars amongst buyers in the United States, saw it withdrawn from that market after only two years.
[edit] Introduction of body & trim variations
In October 1970, the Avenger GT was added to the range. It had a twin-carburettor 1500 cc engine, four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission (also optional on the 1500 DL, Super and GL). The GT featured go-faster stripes along the sides of the doors and dustbin lid wheel covers, which were not unlike those found on the various Datsuns and Toyotas of the seventies.
The basic fleet Avenger was added to the range in February 1972. It was offered with either 1250 or 1500 cc engines (the latter available with the automatic transmission option). Since the fleet Avenger was very basic, it did not even have a sun visor for the front passenger. In October 1972, the Avenger GT was replaced by the Avenger GLS, which came with a vinyl roof and Rostyle sports wheels.
In March 1972, the five-door estate versions were introduced, in DL and Super forms (both available with either 1250 or 1500 cc engines) and basically the same specifications as the saloon versions.
The two-door saloon models were added in March 1973, with all engine and trim options of the existing four-door range. 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.
Both engine sizes were upgraded in October 1973. The 1250 became the 1300, while the 1500 became the 1600, with nearly all the same previous trim levels except for the basic fleet Avenger. The GL and GT trim levels were now also offered with the 1300 engine and two-door saloon body.
[edit] 1971–73: Plymouth Cricket for North America
In North America, the Avenger was sold as the Plymouth Cricket through Plymouth dealers as a captive import. The car was essentially an example of badge engineering and Plymouth made few changes to it. Only the 4-door saloon and 5-door estate variants were ever offered, due to the 2-door Avenger being unavailable at the time.
A Chrysler Plymouth press release dated 30 June 1970 stated that the Cricket was going to be shown to the automotive press for the first time in November 1970. The first shipment of 280 Crickets from the UK arrived in the USA on 20 November 1970. Another press release issued on 23 February 1972 stated that the "station wagon" version was going to début in early spring of 1972.
[edit] Differences from the Avenger
The 1500 cc engine was offered on the Plymouth Cricket, the 1250 being a little underpowered for United States tastes. Side parking lights were added, and front disc brakes were standardised; these were originally optional in the UK. The single carburettor / manual choke combination was standard. From 1972 the single carburettor / automatic choke combination, dual carburettors, and air conditioning were all options.
Due to American federal laws regarding headlight design, all Cricket models regardless of trim level used the round four headlight grille of the "GL" and "GT" model Avengers.
[edit] Demise of the Cricket
The Cricket was discontinued midway through the 1973 model year, paradoxically, just as the gas crisis of 1973 began to increase demand for small cars sharply, and Dodge began to see real success with its similarly-sized Dodge Colt, built by Mitsubishi Motors.
The Cricket name lived on in Canada though, as 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 actually imported into the USA in the later part of 1972 but were sold until mid-1973 as "1973" models. This was because US safety and emission laws became effective based on the calendar year the car was manufactured in or imported in, NOT the model year. Chrysler used this loophole to continue selling what were essentially 1972 cars through 1973 as 1973 models.
[edit] 1972: the Avenger Tiger
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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 orange colour scheme (although described as "yellow") with a bonnet bulge, rear panel and side stripes was standard, set off with "Avenger Tiger" lettering on the rear quarters.
Road test figures demonstrated a 0-60 mph time of 8.9 seconds and a top speed of 108 mph (174 km/h). These figures beat the rival Ford Escort Mexico, but fuel consumption was heavy. Even in 1972, the Tiger developed a reputation for its thirst.
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 round headlights was used. Mechanically identical to the earlier cars, the bonnet bulge was lost although the bonnet turned matt black, and there were changes to wheels and seats. These cars went on at £1350. Production was around 400. Red was now available as well as red, with black detailing.
[edit] 1976: a re-badge to Chrysler and a facelift
In 1976 the Avenger was rebadged as a Chrysler. It also gained a comprehensive facelift which included a new frontal treatment and a new dashboard. Both treatments looked similar to those of the Chrysler Alpine. The greatest change was at the rear where, on the saloons, the distinctive "hockey-stick" rear lamp clusters were dropped in favour of a straight "light-bar" arrangement. The top of the former "hockey-sticks" had body-coloured metal in their place, whilst the fuel cap was moved from the rear to the right hand side of the car.
[edit] 1979: Talbotization and the end
Towards the end of the 1970s, the Avenger was being increasingly outclassed by the new generation of modern front-wheel drive hatchbacks such as the VW Golf, Renault 14 and Fiat Ritmo/Strada, although this was less of a problem following the launch of the Horizon hatchback in late 1977. In 1978, Chrysler Europe went bankrupt and was taken over by Peugeot, which rebranded Chrysler models as Talbots. The Avenger and Sunbeam survived, rebadged once again, although unlike newer Talbot models such as the Horizon, they retained the Chrysler "Pentastar" badge, instead of the Talbot logo featuring a letter "T" inside a circle. Production continued until 1981, when Peugeot closed the Linwood production plant and concentrated all British production at the Ryton plant, which was in use until the end of 2006, by which time it had been making Peugeot cars for 21 years.
Not all was bleak during this time; the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus enjoyed further development and won the World Rally Championship for Talbot in 1981.
[edit] Post-1981: afterlife in Argentina
Although sales in Brazil ceased in 1981, production of the model continued in Argentina until 1988, first as the Dodge 1500 and then, after Volkswagen acquired the tooling from Chrysler when the latter withdrew from South America, as the Volkswagen 1500 (not to be confused with the totally different Volkswagen Type 3, which was sold elsewhere in the world as a Volkswagen 1500 too).
Under Volkswagen the car received its final facelift, gaining a sloping front grille which was more in vogue in the early 1980s. This vehicle was very popular with taxi drivers, but by the end of 1998 they had all met the 10-year age rule on Argentine taxi vehicles. An Avenger-based pickup truck called the Dodge 1500 Pickup was made in Uruguay, but the conversion failed to properly account for structural rigidity and they literally broke apart.
[edit] International production
Chrysler's operations in various countries around the world also marketed (and in some cases assembled) the car. In South Africa the car used Peugeot engines and was badged as a Dodge rather than a Hillman, while in New Zealand the car was available in 4-door, and 5-door estate forms.
In Brazil it was built from 1973 until 1981, sold as Dodge 1800, later Dodge Polara.
In Argentina it was the Dodge 1500, while 1800 cc versions there were badged as the Dodge 1500M. The estate was known as the Dodge 1500 Rural. After Chrysler sold their Argentine operations, the car became the Volkswagen 1500 (not to be confused with the Volkswagen 1500 of other markets, based on their Type 3 model). For its development in this guise in the 1980s, see the appropriate section, below.
[edit] International versions
[edit] Denmark and Europe
In Denmark the versions sold were:
- 1300 (2-door saloon, 4-door saloon, 5-door estate car)
- 1300 GL (2-door saloon, 4-door saloon, 5-door estate car)
- 1600 GL (2-door saloon, 4-door saloon, 5-door estate car)
- 1600 GLS (4-door saloon, 5-door estate car)
- 1600 GT (2-door saloon, 4-door saloon)
These Danish versions had two-door equivalents which were sometimes exported back to the UK, since two-door models were phased out in the UK market in 1979. The Hillman Avenger name was not used, instead the cars were simply badged as Sunbeam and the engine size and trim level (e.g. Sunbeam 1600 GLS).
Throughout most of Europe the Sunbeam name was used, except for the Netherlands, Italy and Spain.
[edit] Brazil
The Avenger was built in Brazil between 1973 and 1981 in 2-door sedan form only, sold initially as Dodge 1800, named for its motor - the motor design was the same as found in Avengers sold elsewhere, although enlarged to a 1.8 litre capacity. Styling was slightly different to the British built Avengers, notably due to the use of larger bumpers, a 4-headlamp grille (which was different to the design found on 4-headlamp Avengers and the American Plymouth Cricket) and conventional taillights, which did not have the 'hockeystick' shape of the Hillman Avenger.
In 1977 the car was renamed Dodge Polara (a nameplate Chrysler previously used on full-sized Dodge models in the US), and underwent a comprehensive facelift, gaining the Chrysler Avenger's front styling, and dashboard setup - the revised bumpers and taillight treatments remaining unique to Brazil. A further light facelift was given in 1980 before production ceased in 1981.
[edit] South Africa
The Avenger was assembled and sold in South Africa badged as "Dodge Avenger". To satisfy local content rules a 1.6L Peugeot engine was used.
[edit] New Zealand
The Avenger was sold in New Zealand between 1971 and 1980 in 4-door sedan and 5-door wagon (1974 onward) forms only. It was assembled and distributed by Todd Motors of Porirua, which also sold Chrysler Australia and Mitsubishi products. The Todd Motors assembly lines were notable for the variety of models coming down the line at any one time - vehicles sharing the line with the Avenger on a daily shift often included the Hillman Hunter, Chrysler Valiant and Alpine hatchback, Mitsubishi Galant, Mirage and Lancer, and the Datsun 180B (due to Todd Motors having the contract to build that car).
The New Zealand Avenger range was different from the British Avenger lineup initially, consisting of two trims, "Super" (two headlights, vinyl trim) and "Alpine" (four headlights, upmarket trim, twin carburettors), both utilizing 1500 cc motors (1600cc from 1973 onward). The range was expanded in 1974 when 1300 cc engined variants and wagon models were added into New Zealand assembly.
In 1977 the range was facelifted and rebranded to Chrysler Avenger. The model range followed the British lineup, albeit with a limited range of models, consisting of a 1.3 "Super" GL sedan, a 1.6LS wagon (marketed as "Avenger Estate") and 1.6 GLS sedans, with the choice of manual or automatic transmissions.
A variant unique to New Zealand was a "van", basically the Chrysler Avenger wagon with a flat rear floor in place of rear seats and window-winders. Unlike the British models, all New Zealand Avengers from 1974 onward utilized metric instrumentation.
Interestingly the Avenger is one of a few models to be sold in New Zealand but not Australia. The Avenger was planned initially for Australia upon its introduction as a Hillman Hunter replacement (in that market only), however due to economics of sourcing the Japanese Mitsubishi Galant was chosen instead by Chrysler Australia for that market. By contrast in New Zealand, the Avenger, Hunter and Mitsubishi Galant (offered for many years in coupe form only) co-existed together in Todd Motors overall lineup.
[edit] 1977: the Chrysler Sunbeam hatchback
In 1977, a hatchback variant was introduced, known as the Chrysler Sunbeam. This was based on a shortened version of the Avenger's floorplan, and was intended to compete in the lower "supermini" class. Initially three engines were available: a 928 cc Hillman Imp-derived unit and 1300 and 1600 Avenger units. A sporty "Ti" version was soon introduced, also with a 1600 engine.
The model's name was a revival of the Rootes Sunbeam marque, which had recently been killed off along with the final Sunbeam model, the Rapier.
In 1979 Chrysler unveiled the Sunbeam Lotus at the Geneva Motor Show. Developed in conjunction with Lotus with rallying in mind (because none of the existing models were competitive) and utilising a 2200 cc Lotus engine, the road-going version of the rally car was not actually ready for deliveries to the public until after the Peugeot buyout (see below), and thus became the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. At first these were produced mostly in Lotus's then tobacco-sponsorship colours of black and silver, although later models came in a turquoise and silver scheme.
[edit] Sunbeam specifications
| Capacity | 927–2172 cc |
| Power | 42–155 hp |
| Max. speed | 128–200 km/h |
| Acceleration | 0–62.5 mp/h: 22.2–8.3 seconds |
[edit] Avenger and Cricket in motorsport
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.
In the USA, driver Scott Harvey was known to have rallied a Plymouth Cricket to win the Press on Regardless Rally of 1972.
[edit] External links
- Help save one of the few Talbot Lotus Sunbeams left in the UK
- The Avenger and Sunbeam Owners Club
- The Sunbeam Lotus Owners Club
- Hillman Avenger Club of Ireland
- Avenger/Cricket/Sunbeam page at Allpar.com
- The Hillman Avenger / Plymouth Cricket web page
- Site for Simca/Chrysler France products
- Avenger web page
- Worldwide Avenger portal
- "What is a Sunbeam Lotus?"
- Brief history, with illustration, of the Sunbeam Lotus
