Found at Polemi - a 1959 Hillman Minx Series IIIa
I’m no old car fanatic, but it does amaze me some of the old relics you find gently rusting away in Cyprus.
On this occasion I stopped to photograph an old Land Rover, and just as I was getting back into my car, saw another old vehicle slumbering under some trees.
Initially I didn’t recognise it. As I got closer, there were the remains of the word ‘Hillman’ on the bonnet, and yes, when I saw its lines realised it was an old Hillman Minx. Back home some web research narrowed it down to a Series IIIa, probably built in 1959 or 1960.
The brand ‘Hillman’ was one of a number of brands of the Rootes Group – others were ‘Sunbeam’ and for vans ‘Commer’. Even though the name ‘Hillman Minx’ had a long history, at the time, a ‘Series’ didn’t last long. That was certainly the case with the Series IIIa – production only lasted about two years.
The Series IIIa appeared in 1959 with some styling changes over the previous year’s model. It replaced the short-lived Series III (1958-59) and was replaced itself in 1960 by the IIIb. The Series IIIa had a 1,494cc engine and a floor mounted gear-change.
I narrowed the identity down to being a Series IIIa from the design of the grille, the ‘fins’ on the rear wings and the floor mounted gearstick.
See more pictures of this and other old and rusting vehicles in Cyprus.
