1949 Hillman Minx Mark III

Out of 19 responses only 9 were correct. 

The following people got the answer correct:

COLIN FRANKLIN (Auckland, New Zealand),
Uma Shanker G (Tiruchirapalli, India),
Nicholas Alvares, Vijay Rajani, Vicky Arora, Pramod Soni, Rajendra Kadakia, Anise, Liza.
 

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The information about the 1949 Hillman Minx Mark III car was provided by Mr.B.J.Ram Rao who is an avid auto enthusiast and has participated and won almost all the Spot Car Contests that we have run. 
You can contact Mr.B.J.Ram Rao at - 
ramrao@bajirao.com
 
 

1949 Hillman Minx Mark III

The Hillman Motor Company, Britain established in 1907 produced a range of solid dependable family cars, over seven decades of motoring history. In 1928, Hillman was acquired by the Rootes brothers, UK and became their volume brand. Famous models included the Minx, Wizard, Imp and Hunter. Chrysler,USA acquired a stake in Rootes in 1964, took it over completely in 1967 and eventually sold out to Peugeot in 1979.

Early Hillman Minxes featured the conservative wings and dome headlamp styling characteristic of pre-WWII cars. The model line was also called "Mark Minx" because of the (Mark I, Mark II, .. Mark VIII designations) as opposed to the "Series Minx" line which was produced later on, between 1958 and 1968.

The Minx Mark III was the first to break free of that styling with a new "transatlantic" look inspired by the designs of American stylist Raymond Loewy. It used the early 1185cc sidevalve engine and was produced from September 1948 to November 1949. The transmission was a 4-speed column shift driving a hypoid gear for the final drive. The front suspension utilized a double wishbone construction and the body featured a monocoque design.

The next model, the Mark IV featured a bigger 1265 cc 4-cylinder 37.5 bhp sidevalve engine. In 1953 the Japanese car assembler Isuzu purchased the technology from Rootes, to produce the Hillman Minx for the Japanese market. The Japanese who could only have black colored automobiles at the time welcomed the fashionable two-tone pastel colors offered by the Minx.

The Hillman "Mark" Minxes were extremely popular in Indian motoring in the fifties and early sixties, especially Bombay taxis which can be seen in many Hindi movies of the period.