Hillman Avenger.
Hillman's Avenger of the 1970s was once a common sight on British roads, but seeing either a saloon or estate version today is an unusual occurrence. I remember a silver example of the four-door saloon variant turning up in the driveway of a neighbour of ours in the 1970s - could it have been a special edition to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977? I've a vague recollection that this was the case, but I could easily be wrong and I imagine that it has long-since rotted away by now.
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The following photo was kindly sent over by Ian, and in it is his dad's Hillman Avenger 1.5 DL estate car, circa 1973. In the photograph it appears to be orange, the registration is BVN 698L.
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Somewhat amazingly, a check of the DVLA website shows that BVN 698L is still a "live" vehicle registration (and described as red rather than orange). The car's tax ran out at the end of January 1985. The likelihood of this particular Avenger actually surviving to this day is remote (to say the least), but I suppose there's a chance that it sits, forgotten, in a garage somewhere or other. More likely, it was scrapped in the 1980s and the DVLA records for whatever reason not updated. No doubt if the car does indeed survive, the current owner will find this page and (hopefully) drop me a line with an update!
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The Hillman Avenger (later Chrysler Avenger) was introduced in 1970 and remained in production until 1978, although the car did continue in production as the Talbot Avenger with PSA Peugeot Citroen between 1979 and 1981. Thanks for the photo Ian.
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