From the seller: “1948 Hillman Minx Mk2 drophead coupe / cabriolet requiring full restoration.
Two registered owners from new.
Original MPC registration & plates, with its V5C (no special notes).
First registered 26th April 1948, last taxed 1980.
NO RESERVE. Cash on collection or direct bank transfer only please. No Paypal or other methods.
Very rare car, the Mk2 Minx was introduced in 1947 and continued in production until part way through 1948 only, most of the cars built were four-door saloons. The drophead coupes are very thin on the ground. The running gear though was used for many years across a variety of Minx variants, going back to pre-WW2 days.
Originally the Minx was mid-blue, someone painted it (badly) in white a long time ago, the white is now crazed and cracked in places. Repairs will be needed to the bodywork, eg along lower edges of panels, the sills will need replacing, and welding attention to lower front panel, door bottoms, wing edges etc – most panels need something doing I’d say. The chassis looks solid underneath, in fact the underside looks quite good for the age of car, peering underneath I can see some rot near the rear spring hangers but nothing excessive – mostly just surface rust, dirt, old grease etc. The boot floor is sound, as are the rear inner arches, same for the bulkhead at the front.
Mechanically it’s un-tested, I’ve made no attempt to turn the engine over by hand. It needs a distributor and air cleaner. Tow bar fitted.
Most of the interior is present, the seats will need re-covering or replacing, door cards will need re-making, the dash is all there I think. The inner door handles are missing but they look to be a standard size. Indicated mileage is 19,408 but best to assume it’s been around the clock already. The roof frame is there, as is the original soft top covering which will do as a template. There is one key (for the ignition I think), the doors are locked but tracking down suitable replacement keys to unlock them will be straightforward (I’ll see if I have one suitable).
This has the makings of a really nice car to trundle down the lanes in. It’s a full restoration but due to its rarity, well worth doing. Some parts will inevitably need sourcing and re-making during the restoration. The fact that it still retains its original registration with its current logbook is also a bonus. The reg. no. is transferable judging by the lack of special notes on the front of the logbook, but after all this time it should remain with the original car.”
