Monday mystery: the curious case of a 'Hillman' like no other

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The lead picture of this article is one I received some years ago from the late John Warburton, while we were having a conversation about the early years of the Hillman Motor Co. It cropped up because it purports to be a Hillman of 1920 or earlier manufacture, but on inspection appears not to actually be one. That leads us to ask the question, "What is it?", and there we come unstuck, for while there appears to be number stamped on the chassis, there is not one marking which would positively identify it as a Hillman.

Let us first of all establish the facts. According to Britain's Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency, CW 3084 is a 1920 Hillman and was first registered in May, 1920, in Burnley, Lancashire. A plaque by the windscreen confirms its participation in the 1969 Manchester to Blackpool Veteran & Vintage Car Run, and it's on one of these runs that John Warburton would have encountered it. There is only one Hillman in the 1969 programme, which is the same car, but listed as a 1913 10hp model, owned by Thomas Lund of Hapton, Lancashire.

It was described thus: "Bought by a local businessman in 1919 in a non-running condition, this Hillman was fitted with a new Dorman engine and put on a road test. But the very positive steering was unsatisfactory and the car was pushed into a brick shed and forgotten. Mr. Lund acquired her two years ago and found that it needed only new tyres, upholstery, hood, fanbelt and water hose plus paintwork — to get the Hillman ready for action again. The Manchester-Blackpool Run will be the car's first real outing since 1920."

From the 1970 programme, we learn: "Last year's Manchester-Blackpool Run was the first time the car had been on the road for nearly 50 years. It had trouble when the prop-shaft sheared near the end of the route, but was lashed up with tow rope and not only completed the distance but also made the 40-mile journey home under its own steam. Top speed is around 35 m.p.h. at 30 m.p.g."

Between 1971 and 1974, the Hillman continued to participate on the Manchester-Blackpool, now in the hands of Martin G. Dawson of Delph, near Oldham. By 1971, when it was listed as an 11hp, it seems he had pieced together a little bit more of the history: "The early history of this car is obscure, but it appears that it was "enlisted" during the First World War and returned to civilian use in Colne rather the worse for wear. After an engine replacement and general overhaul in 1919 it was found that the Hillman would only steer in one direction, so the owner tucked it away in its foundry where it lay until 1967 until rediscovered."

In 1973, the following note appeared with the entry: "there are doubts about the exact pedigree as the wheelbase does not conform to the dimensions of the accepted models of the era."

There my collection of Manchester-Blackpool programmes terminates, but the story was picked up again in 2012 when the car was offered for sale with Bonhams and appeared in the catalogue as a c.1920 Hillman two-seat tourer. According to the description, it had been in single ownership since 1974 and continued to be used on Manchester-Blackpools until 1978, when it was placed into storage on being superseded by a larger vintage car.

From Bonhams: "Although the Hillman was first registered in 1920, the owner has always believed it to be of earlier manufacture, possibly as early as 1913. The engine is a Dorman and it is not known if this is original to the car [it has already been said that it is not]. Its horsepower rating and capacity are listed in the documentation as 11hp and 1,339cc respectively but it is not known if this is correct. A four-speed gearbox is fitted to the car, while included with it is a three-speed 'box, which may be the original. Also included are a worn differential and a carburettor that came with the car when purchased. Weather equipment comprises a hood with securing straps."

Happily, the car has since been returned to the road following a spot of recommissioning and a fresh coat of primrose paint, and was driven to a rally at the Beamish Museum in County Durham in 2022.

This is excellent, because we believe the car is a unique survivor, although we're not sure quite of what. As outlined in the article we published a few weeks ago about a 9hp Hillman photographed in period at the seaside, Hillman did not produce a large range of cars in the Edwardian or vintage periods, and if it really does date from 1913 (it could not be earlier) it would have to be a 9hp, that being Hillman's first small car, introduced in 1913 and produced only for a year before war interrupted. Its postwar replacement was, indeed, an 11hp, with Hillman's own 1,592 cc engine and three-speed gearbox.

However, there is nothing at all about CW 3084 which conforms to the expected specifications of a Hillman of the period. As had been noted in 1971, the wheelbase was not of the same length as any ordinary 9 or 11hp, and then there is the radiator, which in no way resembles one of Hillman's own. It will be seen that the hub pattern, also, is different, and that the 9 and 11hps did not make use of external gear levers.

If this isn't a confounding mystery, nothing is. The expertise of our readership is, as ever, very much in demand.

Words: Zack Stiling; photographs: John Warburton/Bonhams
 

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