1959 Hillman Minx Convertible

A Series III model with the 1490cc engine and manual gearbox, this Minx was the subject of a ground-up restoration ten years ago. Offered for sale with a photographic record of the entire process, this delightful little Minx has only covered around 6-7,000 miles since the work was completed.

The current owner has had the car for three years, using it only for local runs and the odd car show. A serial Hillman Minx owner (this is his sixth!), a change of circumstances means that he no longer has anywhere to store it. As a mechanically sensitive soul, it is currently stored under a high quality cover - he refuses to keep the car outside and exposed to the elements where it will quickly deteriorate, hence this reluctant sale.

We’d strongly encourage potential bidders to go and see the car for themselves; it’s a charming piece of British motoring history and even better in the flesh. Besides, Ripon is a lovely town, so you might as well take a couple of days out of your schedule and make a mini-break of it in North Yorkshire.

The blue-over-white bodywork is in the sort of condition you’d expect given its relatively recent restoration and pernickety owner. So pernickety in fact that he had the bonnet resprayed last year by a specialist in Middlesbrough; the old finish was discoloured and starting to crack in places so, being a fastidious man, he elected to get it stripped back and put right.  

He now describes the coachwork as “fabulous”, stopping short of describing it as concours. Accuracy and modesty, what you like to see in a vendor you’d like to buy a classic from.

The chromework is, as you can see, as good as the paintwork, and the steel wheels, fitted with spoke-effect chrome hubcaps, are shod with tyres that have had whitewall overlays fitted to their sidewalls.

A new hood was fitted during the car’s restoration and while that might have been a decade ago, the car’s sparing use since then means it is still in very good condition being completely free of rips, tears and other damage. When furled, it folds flat behind the rear seats covered with a matching white tonneau cover, giving an elegant, streamlined look to the car.

Taking a look underneath, the owner noticed some of the underseal had dried out and cracked in a few small areas, so he broke out the Waxoyl and dowsed the affected areas to prevent further problems and to curtail any future cracking. It’s now nicely finished and ready to face another few winter’s-worth of road-salt with impunity – if you so wished.

Work still to do seems to be limited to the steel wheels, whose paint is starting to come off around their perimeter, some minor paint cracking on the edge of some of the doors and the offside rear quarter and some imperfections by a door handle, some of which will need attending to in the near future.

The blue and white interior is utterly charming, evoking a kinder, gentler time when driving was a still pleasure rather than the chore it is today. The cockpit is starting to develop a lovely post-restoration patina but is still absolutely lovely and free of significant faults and flaws.

Take the seats, for example, which are still firm and supportive and free of damage. The side trim panels, which have been finished in white and blue, are in excellent condition and as tidy as the rest of the interior. 

The boot is neat and clean and contains a spares kit, along with a fire extinguisher and the tools for changing a wheel.

The column gear-change might take some getting used to but it adds to the Hillman Minx’s period charm, as do the many chromed controls and handles. A genuine four-seater, there are few more elegant ways to convey three friends to the beach on a hot summer day.

Problems appear to be limited to a centre instrument cluster that could do with freshening up. This would be an easy weekend job that would help seal the relationship between car and owner.

The car is mechanically original bar the installation of front disc brakes. This is a very sensible and common upgrade, and one that makes the Hillman much more usable in modern traffic.

The vendor serviced the car last year. He changed the engine and gearbox oil, and fitted new front and rear brake linings in addition to the usual servicing work. The battery also appears to be fairly new.

The Hillman also had its fuel tank relined recently by a specialist in Leeds at a cost of almost £400. The old interior coating was flaking off, so the fuel tank was blasted inside to remove the old coating before being sprayed with a polymer coating. The car has also had a new dynamo fitted around a hundred miles ago. 

The engine bay itself is fairly clean and tidy but is more workmanlike than pretty; another weekend’s-worth of detailing and cleaning would bring it up to the same high standard as the rest of the car.

Oh, and while the tyres look like they’re cracking with age, it’s actually just the whitewall overlays; the owner assures us that the tyres are only a few years old and certainly not perishing as the photos would have you believe!

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s mileage. However, the car no longer requires an MOT, but does come with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the recent work that has been done to it.

The owner is also including a couple of rosettes the car won at local car shows, along with some vintage car tax discs, the original owner’s handbook, a workshop manual, and a copy of the book Hillman Cars 1945-64 by Malcolm Bobbitt that featured the car.

A previous owner even ran the Hillman as a wedding car, and the extensive history file includes a breakdown of the money he made doing so. In a twelve-month period, he made almost £7,000 profit or £48.58 an hour, so if you’re looking for a part-time job…

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to a very high standard.

The Hillman Minx is a charming old bus, with lashings of chrome and an American feel to it that makes it way cooler than almost any other British car of the period. As an older restoration, it is holding up very well indeed and is all set to provide its lucky new owner with a huge amount of roof-down fun!

As for the price, we expect it to sell for between £8,000 and £11,000, which seems like stunningly good value to us; we’d struggle to think of a nicer summertime car to share with friends than this.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Ripon, North Yorkshire; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.