The Hillman 16 was a series of 16 horsepower (RAC rating) medium priced 5-seater executive cars made by Hillman during the 1930s by installing a smaller engine in their 20-horsepower
Hillman 20
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 (RAC rating) medium priced 5-7 seater executive cars made by Hillman during the 1 ...
range.
They were replaced by
Hillman's 14 which changed its name between 1939 and 1945 to
Humber Hawk
The Humber Hawk is a four-cylinder automobile manufactured from 1945 to 1967 by British-based Humber Limited.
Humber Hawk Mk I & II
The Hawk, a re-badged Hillman 14 (1938-1940) was the first Humber car to be launched after World War II. Sl ...
.
Hillman Wizard 65
Hillman 16
From 1934 Hillman made a pair of larger 6 cylinder side-valve saloon cars with two sizes of otherwise identical engines in identical bodies for the same price: this 16 horsepower car and a 20-horsepower version Hillman advertised the cars as having "Cushioned Power" mounts which helped stop vibration through the engine and gearbox and described their cars as being “built with a margin throughout”. These two models drew on some of the features and engine designs of the luxury
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between th ...
cars, including the Humber 12, 16/50, Snipe and Pullman, that were also being built under Rootes brothers control. This was an attempt by
Hillman
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 b ...
Ltd to enter the low end of the executive car market
Engines, seating and brakes
The Hillman 16 had a 2110 cc
15.90 hp side valve
A flathead engine, also known as a sidevalve engine''American Rodder'', 6/94, pp.45 & 93. or valve-in-block engine is an internal combustion engine with its poppet valves contained within the engine block, instead of in the cylinder head, as ...
straight-six engine
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bala ...
whilst the matching 20/70 had larger 2810 cc
20.9 hp engines. The "16hp" and “20/70” saloons were five seaters with bucket seats at the front and a folding armrest dividing a bench seat at the rear. All these vehicles had Bendix "Duo Servo" brakes, which used rod and cable linkages and operated on all four wheels via both the foot pedal and the handbrake lever.
New body, bigger 16 horsepower engine
A new streamlined body was announced in October 1935
[ and the engine was enlarged 22 per cent by lengthening its stroke by 14 mm. Although the cubic capacity was raised from 2110 cc to 2576 cc][ this did not affect the car's tax rating because the RAC formula takes no account of an engine's stroke.
]
Production
In contrast to Hillman 16s, around 4100 Hillman 20/70s and Hawks were built during the same period.[Hillman 16hp & Twenty-70 Spare Parts Catalogue (1934/35)]
Survivors
Only a few examples of each model still exist in the UK today. Some of these vehicles were exported throughout the world, including Argentina, Australia, Greece and New Zealand where a number of "20/70"'s also still survive.
Notes
References
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External links
Hillman Sixteen/Hawk/80 websiteHillman Wizard website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillman 16 hp and 20 70
Twenty-70