Hillman Wizard

Last updated

Hillman Wizard
1932 Hillman Wizard.jpg
1933 75 de luxe 6-light saloon
Overview
Manufacturer Hillman Motor Car Co Ltd
Production1931–33
7,000 approx produced
Body and chassis
Body style Saloon, Tourer, Drophead Coupé, Limousine, Landaulette
Powertrain
Engine 2110 cc (65 model)
2810 cc (75 model)
Dimensions
Wheelbase 111 in (2,800 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor Hillman 14
Successor65 model->Hillman 16hp (1934-35)
75 model->Hillman 20/70 (1934-35)
1932 sports saloon 1932 Hillman Wizard DeLuxe Saloon (24660703315).jpg
1932 sports saloon
1931 drophead coupe Hillman Wizard DHC (1931).jpg
1931 drophead coupé
Hillman Wizard DHC (1931) - 33951519544.jpg

The Hillman Wizard is a six-cylinder car produced by Hillman between 1931 and 1933. Production began in April 1931 and continued until 1933.

Contents

The Wizard was produced in two models, the 65 and 75. The 65 model had a 65mm bore and was rated at 15.7 horsepower, while the 75 model had a 75 mm bore and was rated at 20.9 horsepower. [1]

The key selling point for the Wizard, the self-proclaimed "Car of the Moderns", was that it had been tested for international conditions, not just those found in Great Britain. The car was reportedly subjected to every conceivable and practical test. Photos exist to this date of the Wizard being test-driven in France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco.

Body styles

The Wizard was first released with five body styles, each available in a choice of three colours. The models were the five-seater family saloon, £270; saloon de luxe, £285; coupe-cabriolet, £299; four-door sports saloon, £299; five-seater tourer, £270. The bare chassis was available for £198. [1]

The cheaper family saloon and touring car models came with 19 inch steel artillery wheels. Wire wheels were available for an additional £7 10/-. All other models had wire wheels as standard, and Triplex Safety Glass throughout instead of only for the windscreen.

A Hillman Wizard was supplied to the Mechanical Warfare Experimental Establishment MWEE seemingly for testing between 26 September 1931 and 10 November 1932. Source National Archives Kew

Powertrain

Both engines had a 106 mm stroke, meaning the 65 model measured 2,110 cc and the 75 model measured 2,810 cc The 75 model was predominately targeted towards export markets, given the additional £5 horse-power tax that was payable owing to its larger capacity. [1] The straight-six engine featured side valves, a detachable head and coil ignition. There was a dry single-plate clutch and the gearbox had four speeds with silent third.

Suspension and brakes

Suspension was provided by half-elliptic springs at both front and back, with hydraulic shock absorbers. Brakes were a Bendix-Perrot duo-servo series on all four wheels, operated through armoured cables by pedal or lever.

Sales

It is estimated that about 3,250 Wizards were sold in 1931, approximately 2,186 in 1932, and numbers for 1933 are unknown. These were disappointing results for a car with so much promise, however the tough economic circumstances of the times almost certainly contributed to the weak sales results for a car that provided its owners with a then unfashionable perception of exuberance.

Meanwhile, the four-cylinder Hillman Minx was having a far more successful time, selling around 20,000 vehicles per year. The Wizard was discontinued from production in 1933. Rootes entered the six-cylinder market again in 1934, with the introduction of the Hillman 16hp & 20/70 models.

Related Research Articles

Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had built bicycles. Newly under the control of the Rootes brothers, the Hillman company was acquired by Humber in 1928. Hillman was used as the small car marque of Humber Limited from 1931, but until 1937 Hillman did continue to sell large cars. The Rootes brothers reached a sixty per cent holding of Humber in 1932 which they retained until 1967, when Chrysler bought Rootes and bought out the other forty per cent of shareholders in Humber. The marque continued to be used under Chrysler until 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singer Motors</span> British motor vehicle manufacturer

Singer Motors Limited was a British motor vehicle manufacturing business, originally a bicycle manufacturer founded as Singer & Co by George Singer, in 1874 in Coventry, England. Singer & Co's bicycle manufacture continued. From 1901 George Singer's Singer Motor Co made cars and commercial vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riley Nine</span> Motor vehicle

The Riley Nine was one of the most successful light sporting cars produced by the British motor industry in the inter war period. It was made by the Riley company of Coventry, England with a wide range of body styles between 1926 and 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiat 518</span> Motor vehicle

The Fiat 518, also called Fiat Ardita, was a model of car produced by Italian car manufacturer Fiat between 1933 and 1938. The name "Ardita" was also used on the six-cylinder engined and more expensive Fiat Ardita 2500 or 527.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariel Motorcycles</span>

Ariel Motorcycles was a British maker of bicycles and then motorcycles in Bournbrook, Birmingham. It was an innovator in British motorcycling, part of the Ariel marque. The company was sold to BSA in 1951 but the brand survived until 1967. Influential Ariel designers included Val Page and Edward Turner. The last motorcycle-type vehicle to carry the Ariel name was a short-lived three-wheel tilting moped in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolseley Hornet six</span> Motor vehicle

The Wolseley Hornet is a six-cylinder twelve fiscal horsepower lightweight automobile which was offered as a saloon car, coupé and open two-seater as well as the usual rolling chassis for bespoke coachwork. Produced by Wolseley Motors Limited from 1930 until 1936, the Hornet was unveiled to the public at the end of April 1930. Wolseley had been bought from the receivers by William Morris in 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rover Meteor</span> Motor vehicle

The Rover Meteor was a short-lived 2½-litre or 2-litre medium-sized car made by The Rover Company Limited of Meteor Works Coventry. The new 2½-litre model was announced in mid-February 1930 to supplement Rover's Light Twenty which used the same engine and essentially the same chassis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standard Ten</span> Motor vehicle

The Standard Ten was a model name given to several small cars produced by the British Standard Motor Company between 1906 and 1961. The name was a reference to the car's fiscal horsepower or tax horsepower, a function of the surface area of the pistons. This system quickly became obsolete as an estimate of the power produced by the engine, but it continued to be relevant as a way to classify cars for tax purposes. Like other manufacturers, Standard continued to use the name to define the approximate size of their 'Ten' model long after the origins of the name had, in Britain, become inapplicable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancia Artena</span> Motor vehicle

The Lancia Artena is a passenger car produced by Italian car manufacturer Lancia from 1931 until 1936, and from 1940 until 1942 chiefly for army and government use. It was powered by a 2-litre Lancia V4 engine, while chassis and factory bodies were shared with the more luxurious 2.6-litre V8-engined Lancia Astura. Total production amounted to 5,567 examples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin 12/6</span> Motor vehicle

The Austin Light Twelve-Six is a 14 tax horsepower car with a 1496 cc engine that was introduced by Austin in January 1931. It was named by Austin Light Twelve to separate it from the well-established Austin Twelve. The general public then dubbed the original Twelve Heavy Twelve but Austin never used that name. The Light Twelve-Six remained in production until 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillman 14</span> Motor vehicle

The Hillman Fourteen is a medium-sized 4-cylinder car announced by Hillman's managing director Spencer Wilks, a son-in-law of William Hillman, at the end of September 1925. This new Fourteen substantially increased Hillman's market share and remained on sale into 1931. During this time it was the main product of the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rover 12</span> Name given to several medium-sized family cars from the British Rover car company

The Rover 12 was a name given to several medium-sized family cars from the British Rover car company between 1905 and 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz W10</span> Motor vehicle

The Mercedes-Benz W10 was a touring car produced by Mercedes-Benz from 1929 to 1934, replacing the W03/Typ 350 models. The structure originated by Ferdinand Porsche was modified by Hans Nibel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humber Snipe</span> Motor vehicle

The Humber Snipe was a four-door luxury saloon introduced by British-based Humber Limited for 1930 as a successor to the Humber 20/55 hp at the same time as the similar but slightly longer Humber Pullman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adler Standard 6</span> Motor vehicle

The Adler Standard 6 was the most important newcomer at the Berlin Motor Show in October 1926. It was a substantial six cylinder “limousine” (saloon) built by the Frankfurt auto-maker, Adler. Other body styles were available from coach builders. The model continued to be produced until 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes-Benz W11</span> Motor vehicle

The Mercedes-Benz W11 was a midsize six-cylinder automobile introduced by Daimler-Benz it 1929. It was developed from the Mercedes-Benz W02 first seen in 1926, and the W11 shared its chassis and bodywork with the W02, but the W11 came with a larger more powerful engine, a new name and a wider list of “standard bodies” from which customers could choose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillman 20</span> Motor vehicle

The Hillman Wizard 75, Hillman Twenty 70, Hillman Hawk and their long wheelbase variants Hillman Seven Seater and Hillman 80 models were a series of 20 horsepower medium priced 5-7 seater executive cars made by Hillman during the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillman 16</span> Motor vehicle

The Hillman 16 was a series of 16 horsepower medium priced 5-seater executive cars made by Hillman during the 1930s by installing a smaller engine in their 20-horsepower Hillman 20 range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Oxford Six</span> Touring car manufactured by Morris Motors Ltd.

The Morris Oxford Six is a motor car produced by Morris of the United Kingdom from 1921 until 1926, and again from 1929 until 1935. Initially produced as a straight-six engined version of the Morris Oxford bullnose, the original Oxford Six was the first car produced by Morris with a six-cylinder engine, but proved to be unreliable. The versions produced from 1929 onwards were introduced as a replacement for the Morris Oxford 16/40.

The Hillman Straight Eight and its successor the Hillman Vortic were moderate priced mid-sized 20 tax-horsepower executive cars made by Hillman from 1929 to 1930. The lowest priced eight-cylinder car on the market the car was scarcely in full production when sales were hit by the onset of the Great Depression.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The New Hillman Wizard". The Autocar: 783. 1931.