On a sunny Sunday at the end of February 2012, Coventry Transport Museum staff Andrew Thomas and Christiaan van Schaardenburgh went to collect this 1960 Hillman Minx from a house in Coventry.The owner, Irene Taylor, had used the car as her daily car until an engine problem stopped her in 1994, and the car has been stored in a garage in her garden ever since. Now she is moving house and the car had to be removed from the garage, otherwise it would have been scrapped. We are delighted to have been able to save the car from the scrapyard, because the Minx is a very significant car for Coventry, it was really the Ford Focus or VW Golf of its day, and many people would have owned one. This particular Minx is rather rare because it has the ‘Easidrive’ automatic gearbox system. We have five other Minx cars in our collection: the number one Minx from 1931, a 1934 Minx (which is now part of the running collection), a 1935 Aero Minx with special streamlined body, a 1952 Minx mark V and a 1967 Super Minx Estate.
Initially we hope to display the car ‘as found’ and then subsequently we will give it the necessary conservation treatment. Irene’s Minx will be joining her late husband’s 1967 Hillman Super Minx Estate which was donated to the museum by the Taylor family in 1991.
My Mum's Car :o) Bye bye Betty... will come and see you and Red Barron very soon :o)
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm Irene's eldest daughter. As part of the clearout of Mum's house we have found some negatives that show the minx around the day Mum bought her. We'd love to let you have copies once we've scanned them etc if you would like them and there maybe some pictures of Dad's Superminx too.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah - that sounds great, we'd love to see them! When you have the photos scanned, if you could contact the Museum's curatorial team again they will make the necessary arrangements with you.
ReplyDeleteThanks again to all of your family - we're thrilled to have Betty here and look forward to putting her on display very soon.
It makes me feel good to know these are still found in garages,and donated to our great museum....Alan Hollyoak..
ReplyDeleteThe car carries a Luton, Bedfordshire, registration, I wonder what its history might be? "Easidrive" ones are indeed rare, the system was designed and produced by Smiths Industries of Cricklewood, London, better known for their dashboard instruments. They occupied the original Bentley factory. Nigel Stennett-Cox
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