1. A late 1930s Hillman Minx six light saloon.
Firstly on this 1930s/1940s Minx page, two photographs of the same car, a c1939 Hillman Minx, with 'L' plates attached to it. The first photograph shows JNW 213 parked half on the kerb, and with no-one at the wheel (yet). A metal 'L' for Learner plate is hanging off the bumper, warning fellow motorists that a learner is in their midst. There doesn't appear to be any significant damage to the bodywork so perhaps this learner was doing ok, only the grille shows signs of age, with a few 'teeth' missing near the bottom. It may just be the photo, but the tyres do not seem to be overly blessed with tread. With less disposable income than is usually the case nowadays, owners often ran their cars on a shoestring, and minor details like bald tyres were not of great concern. Helpfully speeds were much lower than they are today mind, although even at 30mph this car would have poor grip if the road was at all damp.
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Photograph number 2 shows a young lady, probably the learner driver, posing with the Hillman. The car has in fact moved since the first photo was taken, it now being parked further over onto the kerb. The suicide doors are clear to see in this picture, the name given to rear hinged doors. I think the reason was that old bodies tended to flex, especially those with a tired wooden frame within, and it was not unusual for doors to spring open when rounding a bend. Given that seatbelts were unheard of in the 1930s, it was jolly simple to fall out of the car while driving along, especially if you were the passenger with no steering wheel to cling on to. The numberplate looks like it has seen a bit of action, which suggests to me that this photograph probably dates to the years following WW2. I don't know where this Minx was photographed, the registration code NW is a Leeds issue, but whether the car was still in its original registration area when this pic was taken is anyone's guess.
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The Minx range first appeared in 1932. A note on the back of the photographs suggest that this example is a 1939 model, and as the styling has moved on from the earliest examples of the model, I suspect this is about right. The Minx name would continue to be used after the war, throughout the 1950s (50s/60s Minx advert) and into the 1970s. Pre- and Post-war Minxes could also be ordered as a smart tourer, as this example of a Minx Coupe de Ville, from the 1940s, demonstrates.
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2. A 1936 Minx seen with Chris Bradley's mother-in-law.
This photograph, sent over by Chris, shows his mother-in-law stood next to her light-coloured car. Members of the oldclassiccar forum identified the car as a c1936 Hillman Minx. Chris agreed to me putting the photo on the main site, so I thought this page would be the best place to put it, so that comparisons can be made with the black example of a 30s Hillman shown higher up this page.
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3. Another 1940s Minx.
Leo kindly emailed this photo over, showing a '40s Hillman Minx with his wife sat in the back as a child, circa 1947.
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4. A postwar Minx, registered in 1948.
Next, a cracking old photo showing a post-war Hillman Minx. Perched on the radiator grille is a lady, one foot resting on an RAC badge, clutching her pet dog tightly. MPJ 320 was registered in Surrey, October 1948. That makes this a late example of the immediate-postwar Phase 1 Minx. It was based heavily on the 1939 Minx, with revised front wings, grille and trim to differentiate the two. Note the fine weather - sunroof open, and wipers pushed down below the screen, suggesting that it had been opened earlier in the day.
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5. An early 1930s Minx.
As a comparison with the pre- and post-war Minxes already featured, a slightly blurred photo of an early 1930s Hillman Minx. The Minx is parked at the kerbside outside A. Morgan's Electrical Goods shop. Also note on the pavement, a petrol pump with a swing out boom. The shop sign next door I think says Evan Thomas, which suggests that this could well have been a scene in Wales.
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Return to the old transport photos - Page 5.
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