IDRIVEACLASSIC reviews Chrysler Avenger
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- Опубликовано: 4 дек 2021
- Today's video is about the Hillman Chrysler Avenger
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AVENGER HISTORY
The Avenger was a car made by Rootes from 1970 until 1978 and just like the Imp, was produced under many different badged variants including the Chrysler Avenger from 1976, the Talbot Avenger and many more names like the Plymouth Cricket in the US and Canada. Although it must be mentioned the car was made in Argentina until 1990 and sold between 79 and 81 as the Talbot Avenger by PSA Peugeot Citroen.
The car was designed by a team overseen by Rootes styling group director Roy Axe, a name you might’ve heard before because he’s had a hand in all sorts of cars including the Sunbeam Rapier, Rover 800 and Rover 200/400 series. The initial idea behind the car was that it would be an upgrade for the Minx, the best seller in the line up.
However, in the background they were also working on the Hillman Hunter which was taking the majority of the resources and ended up replacing the Minx and Super Minx; however despite all this, the work on the Avenger continued.
The car was bigger than the Imp and therefore naturally fell into the middle of the range market for Rootes; which meant it came up against the Cortina. A little like that Imp we tested last week, there was a criteria for the designers which included the fact the car needed to be spacious, smart and speedy and meet the growing demands of buyers who had moved on from the early 60s when heaters and sun visors were optional extras.
It was now the era of car buyers having choice, demanding more for their money and expectations and standards being raised by the increasing dominance of Ford, a wider choice of purchasing options and of course, the quiet growing threat of the Japanese automotive opposition.
Rootes also started to consider a new growing market: the company car and with the new tech of computers being able to design body shells, Rootes had a great car design which was designed not with ego in mind, but with what the buying public wanted.
Another market Rootes started to take note of was the female buyer and with that, they drafted in female and fashion consultants to really think about what women wanted from a car; albeit it was mainly an aesthetics thing.
It wasn’t just the design which was forward thinking, Chrysler handed out a lot of investment and created new engines and for the South American market, an 1800cc variant. South African cars had a Peugeot engine fitted.
Looking at some of the cars launched in the late 60s, early 70s, it seems a surprise that after so much investment they didn’t push a little deeper and go for a five speed box, but instead the company played safe and went for a four speed manual box twinned with either a 1250cc or 1500cc engine.
In 1976, the car became a Chrysler whilst turbulence ensued with government backed rescue plans and changes to factories and with it, a facelift came to light and this gave the car a new font end and dash as we see in the car today, in addition to the update of the rear lights.
The trim levels which had been super and deluxe were replaced with LS and GL, with GLS sitting as the top spec.
The Avenger really came to a natural end as it became more a niche. Cars were now meant to be cars which appealed to Europe or the world, not just one country, and with the phasing out of the Avenger from 77/78, the car slowly died a death before being replaced by the Solara, which actually isn’t quite as cool as the Avenger, however basic it may be.
Overall, nearly three quarters of a million Avengers were sold before everything slowly came to an end and thankfully places like Drive Dad’s Car and the owner’s club are keeping these cars alive for future people to discover just how good they are compared to many cars of the era.
Now before we go for a drive ourselves, I thought I’d ask somebody else who’d booked a test drive what he thought of the experience here today. 
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My first car was K plate hillman avenger, loved it. With the aid of an Haynes workshop manual changed the clutch, not bad for 17 year old kid.
It took me and my girl of the time from London to Roundhay park Leeds to see the Stones 1982. Great memories.
I hired a Hillman Avenger in 1972 to drive from London to North Wales with my then girlfriend (still my wife!). I remember thinking what a nice car it was at the time. It did the 200 mile or so trip with no drama and, despite its conventional design, it felt way ahead of its time. I decided I would buy one but, for one reason or another, I never did. Great review and glad you liked it as much as I did nearly 50 years ago.
The Chrysler/Talbot Avenger doesn't have the charm of the Hillman design but does have appeal in its own right The early base Avenger versions didn't even have a heater! I recall in 1972 nine of us plus a dog in a 1250cc Avenger automatic estate going up the steep hills of Plymouth, God knows bow the car even moved! I preferred the looks of the saloon and wish they'd kept the hockey stick rear lights on later versions, they were so distinctive.
I've owned over 30 Avengers. They were extremely popular here in New Zealand. My current Avenger fleet is a 1975 Hillman Avenger sedan and a 1980 Chrysler Avenger Estate. I have done a V8 engine swap on my Avenger Estate and dropped a 4.0L Toyota 1UZ V8 in it. My first car was 1980 Chrysler Avenger which I later turned in to my race car. You are spot on about the handling, they were fantastic handling little cars, light and agile. I raced my Avenger for about 6 years in the early 2000's.
A few comments on so topics you brought up. The engines were very easy to rev, a stock Avenger could do 8,000RPM, my race car used to do 9,000RPM which is pretty impressive for an old push rod engine. They did suffer a bit from low down torque but when you got up in the revs they were great.
With the glovebox, the early Hillman Avengers had a full glovebox that you could close, like a more traditional car, but they didn't have the center console with the pocket by the gear shifter, both models had the door card pockets.
Also the early Hillman Avengers had their indicators on the opposite sides, so what you are used to. They changed the sides when they went to the Chrysler. This is doubly annoying for me because both of my Avengers have their indicators on different side, so I have to remember which Avenger I am driving.
The stock Avengers do really need a 5 speed. At 100kph (60mph) you are doing about 3,500RPM (or 4,000RPM in the estate) so as I said before, they are high revving little motors. In my 1975 Avenger, I swapped out the 4 speed manual and used a Ford Sierra 5 speed gearbox, which drops that cruising RPM down to 2,800RPM which is very nice. In my Estate I'm using a Toyota V8 coupled to a Toyota R154 5 speed gearbox and a Hilux LSD, so that cruises at the same RPM in 5th gear.
The Avenger still has quite a good following, you see them often on the roads over here in New Zealand. I run the New Zealand Avenger forum so I have quite a few friends who own them, and we go on Avenger cruises. There are around 250 Avengers left in New Zealand, and 28 Avenger Estates left here. I think that is around about the same amount left in the UK.
Thanks for a great review. Glad you enjoyed a car which is very dear to my heart.
Gosh, I knew the early Hillman Avenger was sold here Stateside as the Plymouth Cricket from 1971 to 1973, and I was disappointed, though not surprised, that they had a short model run, probably mainly due to exchange rates, but after reading this, it is much more painful to know they never got the chance they deserved here. Sadly, I think British Leyland may have laid a very bad reputation among the general motoring public for British cars here. Honestly, this is the type of car I would have LOVED, had the opportunity for a used one came my way. Thanks for sharing your love of the car. As the old Packard advertising went, "Ask the Man Who Owns One" (or over thirty).....
@ChryslerMan Amiga 1084 we had the centura in australia. Looks like a bigger avenger. Typical of us aussies we dropped a 4.0 l straight 6 in. Hehe
From the right angles and if you squint really hard you can see some similarities. 😎
@ChryslerMan Amiga 1084 as I said if you squint really hard……….😃
Centuras certainly didn’t like turning. Hehe
Typical of us aussies though, take a Vauxhall viva and drop in a 202 6, take the land crab drop in a 6, 250 6 in a cortina, 6 or v8s in an Opel record (commodore). It’s almost like the brits just put too small an engine in them all. Hehe
@ChryslerMan Amiga 1084 ssssssshhhhhhhh
Hi Steph. My first car, Hilman Avenger, second car Chrysler Avenger.
Loved your positive response to this underrated British gem.
I have a soft spot in my heart for late 1970's Chryslers. I had a Horizon for years
The Horizon was sold in the U.S. as the Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni, from 1978 to 1990. Mom and Dad had three Omnis, an '84, an '86 and an '88 and all but the '88 were solid cars. Hard to believe the Horizon started life as a Simca, eh?
Hi Steph! Effectively this was a very well known car here in Argentina. It was built locally for almost 20 years! During the last years it was called Volkswagen 1500, since VW bought the Chrysler operations in our country in 1981. It was equipped with 1.5 and 1.8 engines, even a sporty version was released (Dodge 1500 GT-100). Greetings from this part of the world!!!
The Avenger is so handsome from every angle except the front with the square headlamps. I'm stateside and have tried to find a Cricket; and hav had zero luck. They were only sold 1972-75. The interior of this looks literal 90s with that drab gray and that style upholstery. You could mistake it for some Vauxhall Vectra... doesn't appear at all 1970s
Persistence pays off. I looked for two years but I found one!
My dad had two Avengers, a blue 1250 estate, and a Grasshopper Green 1600 estate! My mum was tickled by the name of the colour, as the American/Canadian model was the Plymouth Cricket!
I enjoyed driving both, and working in a rural garage allowed me to drive a few more!
Good video though Steph, and I'm glad you had the opportunity to drive one, even if it was a later model with mismatched front and rear treatment!
I obtained a '72 Avenger in 1982, loved it to bits and did several engine/running gear and body mods to it. Then someone ran into the back of me in 1984 and wrote it off. Broke my heart!
My Dad purchased a new 1972 Avenger in Polar White on a K plate. Fond memories. Thanks for posting this great video.
It's great to see this. I'm from Canada and an Avenger like this was the first R.H.D. car I ever drove in the UK, on a visit to my aunt and uncle in Scotland in 1985.
We had 2 Hillman Avengers when I was a kid. One estate, one saloon. They must have been cheap on the used market. For us to have them.
My dad had the Hilman Avenger 1.5GL, my earliest memory of his cars. He always said it was the best car he ever owned.
I can remember quite a few people had these back in the day, never heard any complaints, a good car. 👍
There was a Chrysler Avenger as a taxi in the film Rita Sue & Bob too
..top film
Always loved the styling of the Avenger! Stunning little sedan. I miss these 1970s cars....
My first car, in a vivid green, was a 1.6 LS, ( WBN574T ) .... happy memories !
I got it when it was 3 years old aged 17, they came with a 12 month warranty ! That said, it never let us down mechanically, and that included 4 young lads driving it from East Lancashire down to St Jean de Monts on the French Vendee coast, a round trip of 1,252 miles ..
I had a white estate version that my kids called The Revenger. It was 16 years old when I bought it, the kids used to tell me NOT to pick them up from school. It had no body rot and drove lovely. I always love your well made videos. Peace be unto you.
Ah, the Avenger! My Dad bought a really early 1500 Super (PJH108H) in a fetching combination of gold bodywork with a dark green vinyl interior. He learnt a valuable lesson which was never buy a new model of car until the bugs have been removed! It was a total disaster; in the few months he owned it the car spent more time in the dealers than on the road! Such a shame as they were an excellent car in so many ways. When I started in the motor trade they were still common. I loved them: easy to work on and very reliable. Such a rare sight today alas. Thank you for bringing back memories!
I recall my Dad having one of these in white with a burgundy velour interior. It felt so luxurious!
It's great to hear someone saying, "you know what, it's alright!" There was not enough of that in the motoring press of the past. Love it!
should read changed
My dad owned a 1977 Avenger 1.6 LS between 1981 and 1983. It was a former police patrol car and as such had black vinyl seats which became unbearably hot in the summer.
They were fantastic cars to drive. I had several, including estates too, one place I worked also had them as company cars, so drove those aswell. My brother also got the Avenger bug and had MANY of them. Incredibly simple and reliable, only let down by the same problem as most cars of that era, namely, rot! My best value one was bought at a scrapyard for £30, then a replacement engine fitted and I ran it for 4 years. After that it passed on to my Mum who learned to drive in it, she finally sold it on for £100.
My first car was an Avenger, "1600cc Super" that was white with a black vinyl roof. I paid £40 for it back in 1995. It did me well and I do miss it a lot! I moved onto Mk3 and Mk4 escorts after, I miss them too!
I had one of these in gold with the black vinyl roof , I have very fond memories of it and it is a wonderful car that is highly underrated ! Thanks for reviewing it today. :)
There's a Chrysler Avenger in the Glasgow Museum of Transport in that exact same colour. One of the last built at the Linwood plant, it's a 1981 car on a W plate.
There’s a picture of the Glasgow Museums’ car on Wikipedia. It belonged to my father’s friend and close neighbour. I remember it new. It was bought in West Edinburgh (Corstorphine, from memory) and lived all its life in Lenzie, north east Glasgow until donated to the Museum. It had one owner throughout, was garaged and was meticulously maintained by its doctor owner. I recall that every job was recorded in a notebook, along with any notes made. It has an additional Rev counter set into the dash board and he designed, made and fitted the mounting. From memory it received one or two new front wings which he painted himself. He was a strong believer in buying British, which influenced his choice. As it was one of the last made at Linwood and had been well maintained, it was appropriate that it be preserved at the Museum, although when I last visited, it wasn’t on display.
@@addiston4420 Great reply. I’ve seen the car on numerous occasions. I’m not sure what they’re doing with it just now but the car section at the “new” museum is terrible compared to the old one.
My Uncle had a Hillman Avenger mid 70s , company car , 3 door lilac...a few miles from were I live is the former plant where they were built , it’s now a retail park and ironically car showrooms , although there is a bridge which is near the site that still displays Home of the Avenger & Sunbeam still visible under faded paint .
I had a Talbot version in 1980/81. in my driving career I have owned/bought as company cars 55 cars and the Avenger was the ONLY one (until about 2005) with no delivery faults/recalls and ran without fault.
Great video! This seems to be a theme with Rootes cars. They’re a bit obscure - even if they were fairly popular in their day - and so people don’t expect much from them. But everything I’ve read and seen says that Rootes consistently made above average cars, with quality construction, willing engines, good reliability (barring early Imps), nice switchgear and trim, and a satisfying driving experience. Everything that a lot of BL cars of the day were derided for lacking.
It’s great to see that even an updated Avenger carried that tradition. And it’s a bit of a shame that Roots/Chrysler didn’t have the money to keep the buying public’s attention and keep their range more up to date before Peugeot bought them and promptly dropped the white collar British side of the business.
Thank you for highlighting such a wrongly ignored little car. So glad you liked it!
Worth remembering the Peugeot 309 was developed to be the Talbot Arizona, so Rootes cars effective kept going long after PSA swallowed them up.
@@visionsofhere3745 in Iran the Peugeot RD was rear wheel drive with an Avenger motor! Based on a 309?
This week, this US based Englishman is driving a 1400 mile round trip to pick up a Plymouth Cricket sedan. I am trading it for a rough Plymouth Cricket wagon which I found in a wreaking yard. Both are incredibly rare here with about 3/4 wagons and about 20 sedans known to exist stateside.
Excellent! I'm fairly sure I've seen a video of someone who owns about 4 or 5 of them - meaning that he probably owns 25% of all the Crickets that still exist.
And that, dear Alex, is exactly who I made the deal with! An exceptional gentleman for sure.
I drove this on Sunday, lovely car, what I learned to drive in in 1982. Your view to subs rate is excellent by the way, well done.
My Grandad had almost that exact car on an S reg. Happy childhood memories of a family holiday to Cornwall driving down from Manchester in it.
I had the Avenger Tiger which was a GT/GLS with loads of upgrades to compete with the Escorts, I had one to be different to my mates. It was a great car to drive but with the start of the Sunbeam Lotus it just faded into non existence!
If you think this is basic, 30 years ago I had an LS 1300. Now that thing was super-basic! But like you, I was suprised at just how nice it was to drive. They're very light by today's standards so they handle suprisingly well. Mine was cosmetically challenged but it was the most reliable car I've ever had and for the £80 I paid for it I had no complaints. Even the heater was pretty decent! It had vinyl seats but they were comfy enough.
I will say it needed a fifth gear and I think the 1300 engine would've just about pulled it. Obviously the 1600 would have no trouble in that department although it's probably a bit more comfortable at motorway speeds even with the four-speed.
I would say it's far from impossible that I'll own another Avenger in future. Threy don't fetch the insane prices asked for Escorts nowadays but they're a very good alternative. Still a viable daily driver.
I have a 2dr 74 Avenger with the 1300, and cant agree more on wanting another speed, the 4 speed is great as it is, but for longer trips with speeds hitting 100kmh, it can be a tiresome, about 80kmh is where it likes to be.
This is the face-lifted avenger. The earlier model with the smaller head lights , hockey stick rear lights and different grille was a far nicer car.
Whole heartedly agree, my dad had 2 a 1970 and a 1976, the later he owned for 20 years.
@@eggy1962
The Hillman Avenger Tiger was an absolute beauty.
Better I think is more to people preferring the earlier looks. The later cars were nicer from better lighting, sound insulation, better seats etc.
@@skylined5534 I agree the instrumentation looked better (typical french at the time) but overall the mk2 avenger was rightly slated by the press, even i could see the quality had gone way down
Avenger tiger for the win, a better car than the escort Mexico ( and quicker as well)
That car is in a stunning condition. My dad had a red Talbot Avenger as a company car in the early 80s. Very clearly remember those rear lights and the vinyl roof. And seeing the interior door locks and handles it was like a blast from the past as I immediately remembered them! Great video Steph 👍
My first ever car was a 71 Hillman Avenger - cracking car - PCW 879 J if I recall correctly - the model was so long lived because the basic design was sound. As for the storage you have to remember Steph if this was a reps car then storage was needed for maps, invoices, note pads etc - there were no handy little electronic devices back then
Blimey Steph - this is the exact replica of a car that our neighbours used to own in the 1980s - same colour and everything. The old chap used to clean and polish it like it was a priceless amethyst! 😂
Great video Steph, here in Ireland, I used to sit in the back seat of an Avenger estate, cramped with 3 other people during my summer recess working with a team of painters and decorators driving through Dublin traffic with a boot full of paint, brushes, sheets and such like, ladders on the roof rack. The car was on its axel, but never let us down, same blue colour as well.
At last an Avenger they are hard to find now, very popular car in 70s, this looks good one. Parents had 2 in early/mid 70s cant remember 1st one but second was 73 1.5 gls sold in 78. Dad got a brand new estate as company car in think 1980 still badged chrysler from memory. Kept until 84 replaced with new astra a step down. Very few left now, certainly I think an iconic 70s car good ones are now very few.
Fun (Sad) fact : there's more on the road here in NZ than the UK! (70's Avengers still registered)
Great review Steph, about time the Avenger got some recognition
I went there on it's second day and was very impressed . I always considered the Avenger a Marina competitor , I owned a Talbot Solara , B76SHP a 1.6 Saloon
The Hillman Avenger was great, it handled really well, far better than the Marina which handled like a plastic bag full of eels.
Having owned 3 marinas which were just ok….the hillman avenger pisses all over the marina.
I didn't have time when I was in England a couple of weeks ago (Norfolk) but I would like to include The Great British Car Journey in a future trip.
That Chrysler Avenger sounds like they did 40 years ago. Be honest as well, nothing really had 5 gears in 1977 or 1978. I don't believe that the great Cortina or Cavalier Mk 1 ever came with five gears never mind the Escort Mk1 or Mk2 or the Viva or Chevette.
So glad to have another impressive Rootes Group drive. My Dad thought that they were better built than Fords or Vauxhalls and he wasn't really drawn towards the Marina or Allegro. The local Hillman/Humber Dealer was top notch too which meant a lot. When he was able to move up he went for a sporty Simca 1501S with the black grille and driving lights. A gorgeous thing. Red leather and a wooden steering wheel.
Rootes Chrysler again.
Excellent . I always look forward to your reviews on a Sunday. This is a beautiful example. Can’t remember when I last saw one of these. Our neighbour had one of these when I was a boy, same colour as this too. I like that many cars from this era had a vinyl roof Happy memories. I hope all is good with you Steph
My father had a Hillman Avenger super 1500cc, it was red, he bought it new in 1972, I drove it a few times it was a great drive..
Ah, my first car, a white T-reg that was my Grandad’s and that my Dad converted from auto to manual for me to learn in. Fond memories. Our next door neighbour had multiple Hillmans along with a garage and loft full of spares.
Although I've never driven an Avenger, I always thought that they were really good looking cars, especially the estate version.
Weirdly yes. The saloon of most cars usually looks better but the estate was cooler. Like the mk1 and mk2 Escorts and much, much later the mk1 and mk2 Megane!
Wasn't the Sunbeam, the last car designed under Chrysler's ownership?
Replacement to the Imp and built on the Avenger's platform.
Fond memories of growing up with a Chrysler Sunbeam registration KGO 386T and one of the last badged a Chrysler rather than Talbot.
Cannot remember the last time I saw one on the road, that isn't a Lotus.
It`s very pleasent, absolutely, to take the chance to see one of this stunning models still on the road, and my hats off to the proud owner. The list of names you`d talk about is because the model was a sort of world car. And let me tell you that in my home town, Bogota DC, Colombia, a car plant named Chyrsler Colmotores assembled them from CKD components from Chrysler Fevre Argentina plant, starting production in late 1973/76 as a Dodge 1.500 model, and from 1977/1978 named Dodge Polara, with a bigger engine, 1.8 liter replacing the 1.5 liter in the early model; the Polara model had this same face lift in the video`s car, an upgrade sample, better interior, bigger carburator, and a different instrument cluster. I had a 1979 Dodge Alpine model, called Talbot 150 in Spain or the same Simca 1308 unit, with this particular cluster. The model 1.500/Polara was abruptly replaced by the Alpine mentioned above, in late 1978. Not so good movement, because the Alpine was never as good as this Avenger version here in my country. The Avenger, in my personal opinion, is one of the coolest and sporty family sedan design, 4 speed gear box, manual brakes and steering gear as well, later adding a booster in lasts models, any way, very good perfomer both city and open road driving conditions, as I had the chance to test it. Brazil, was another production assembly plant. And the Station Wagon model, a real jewel, gorgeous and practical, and by the way, there is a Colombian movie called "Aura o las Violetas", in 1976 when you guys can see the Dodge 1500 model open road driving. May be Google or Internet that movie be available. Thanks for video, What a Ride, my friends.
I have never seen an Avenger up close like this, and now I did, I was able to spot some very interesting details. I always thought British Rootes and French Simca, though both under Chrysler ownership, were very much apart. However, the instrument cluster is French, made by Veglia. and looks very similar to mid-1970s Chrysler-Simca/Talbot cars, and so are the steering wheel, column stalks and switchgear, they look like they've been taken right out of a Simca 1307 or Chrysler Alpine as it was called in the UK.
same instruments on Simca 1100 - Chrysler parts bin
Need to get down there at somepoint , my dad had a Talbot Avenger when I was born til about 1987 and I would love a drive without having to buy one 😁
Drove the very same car myself, got to say I was more than pleasantly surprised, it drove great, was very comfortable and handled much better than other cars from its era, can’t recommend this car enough if you’re visiting drive dad’s car
My dad had one of these (the Hillman version), all I can remember about it is being sick in the back. He traded it in for the first Toyota Celica ST, which was 2 litre with a five speed gearbox and felt like a Ferrari in comparison with the Avenger.
Oddly enough I own two cars, a '72 Hillman Avenger and a '94 Toyota Celica. Both have the controls in the same places (indicators on the right) so it's easy for me to hop between them. Sometimes I forget which one I'm driving and look for 5th gear on the Avenger.
The Avenger was my first car a white V reg 1600 GLS, I have family in Argentina and they had one too, theirs was VW badged one a VW 1500
Steph when l heard the exhaust note ot was definitely a hillman sound took me back to the days when l drove hillmans and owned them we never got avengers in Australia
You could fit a 2 litre bottle of coke in those door pockets and as seen on this one a good place for your tape player's speakers. They were a good car to drive with a decent amount of power and were good on fuel too! And the raspy exhaust note was very nice and made a distinctive sound.
Always great to see an Avenger. I would say the replacement for the Avenger was actually the Horizon, the Alpine/Solara being in the market segment above. The Avenger was kept in production for a few more years as a cheaper alternative to the Horizon as there was still a demand for the car and they wanted to keep production levels at the Linwood plant viable, at least in the short term. Many were used as police patrol cars (lots of them on T and V plates) as they were simple, dependable and quite cheap to buy towards the end of production.
Horizon replaced sunbeam my family worked in Linwood plant to this day the bridge has talbot home of avenger from 80s was whitewashed but showing through now and should be restored as historic
@@brian3174 Thanks for the information. Restoring the logo would be an excellent move. I think the Horizon was meant to replace the Avenger and Simca 1100 (C segment small family cars). The Sunbeam was smaller and replaced the Imp, in turn being replaced by the French-built Samba (B segment superminis).
Nice one Steph, now if you think,that this Avenger is a nice car to drive ,which it is ,get your mits on a Chrysler Sunbeam,which is basically a shorter version with more compliance in the steering and suspension,that will have you grinning like a Cheshire Cat😁
As others will no doubt say this was scene as a contender to the Marina,and yes of course it was, the earlier cars were in my opinion better looking, the range as a whole lost its individuality when the Simcaish upgrade !..was applied ,makes me think just what a great car the Marina could have been with a decent gearbox ,and had it not been saddled with the antique steering and suspension from the Morris Minor .
When I started working at Chrysler UK in Ryton, they were building the Avenger, and Tiger, oh, and the Cricket too!!! 52 Cars an hour if I remember correctly. Great Video, thanks for the memories!!
The dash dials are very smart and comprehensive for a family car. The gauge on the bottom right will be a Voltmeter showing battery volts rather than an Ameter showing current drain and charge of the battery usually with - and + symbols on the guage
Thanks for presenting all the info on these classics! Love learning about them. Neat outfit too!
The interior of this car definitely has a very "corporate motor pool" look to it. You said it perfectly, Steph. It is definitely 70's clashing against the 80's. Sorry I haven't been around in a while! Another wonderful upload! Greetings from the other side of the pond! ~Scott
My 72 Avenger 1.5 DL in orange was bought for £230. My mates had a 1.3 Escort, a 1.3 Marina & a 1.3 Viva, so I felt top dog in my 1.5 which was in the same insurance group as the 1.3's. Sadly my £230 Avenger came with the little known option of papermasha welded front cross-members 🤔 I found this out when have new tyres fitted & the mechanic pulled the structure off and said "you know this should be welded on right ?". Found what remained of a Daily Mail newspaper inside. Those were the days 😁
OMG, papier mache was so common back then to hide all sorts of sins, usually painted over. I recall my friend doing that for holes in the floor pan of an Avenger just before selling it.
Finally, after everything else you've reviewed, you're doing an Avenger. I see this one is a Chrysler. Please, pretty please, do a Hillman one next. I think you'll get a lot of hits with that one!
My Grandad had a 74 1.6 estate. A fantastic reliable car! I learned to drive and passed my test in it!
Very well done, Steph. What an interesting car. I do love the styling of most Rootes Group models. This makes me want to try one.
I had 4 in the 70's and 80's 2 were auto's loved them . great seats good to drive . Id have another
I've always liked the shape of the Avenger, and that one is a nice mint one, love the colour too 👌
They were a common sight in south london in the 80s my father in law had an avenger and at the time I was 21 and I had a dolamite always wanted to drive the avenger thou👍
I remember when I was younger, there was an older guy with a white Avenger with the hockey stick lights. Either he loved that car, or it was better built than its contemporaries (it must've been at least 8 years old), as it looked immaculate.
The Hillman Avenger was a classic. The GLS was my first car. Imagine my disappointment to try the Chrysler version. It truly was a bucket of nails.
Quad Light Snob checking in! My GLS was NZ Assembled & still gets me around town :P
That version was pants compared to the earlier hillman version,chrysler/ talbot took the quality downwards. Dad had his second avenger 20 years.
Great video Steph, so many memories. Uncle Bill had the Hillman one he called "the scavenger". They used to assemble them here in New Zealand from CKD kits with locally supplied interiors and trims etc. They were a good car for the day. Cheers Greg.
Hey Steph, love watching your videos. Hope you have a great christmas and new year. Looking forward to seeing your future content :-)
you brought back memories i used to work on them from 1986 those were the good days
I always thought of the avenger as a poor mans cortina!
Growing up in the 70s these were on every street, along with marinas etc we even had 2 hillman imps in the garden opposite us.
I must admit it's aged quite well and still looks quite handsome. 😎👍
Everything said in this great road test is true - I owned a 1978 1.3 Chrysler Avenger from 1988 - 1999. I drove it on holidays, on long day trips, and in to cities and it was fantastic in any situation. I drove nearly 100 thousand miles in it, and it broke down only once when a small metal locating pin broke at the base of the gear lever. The only problem was that they rusted badly.
My dad had a hillman avenger 1.3 loved it when I was a child
Hey Steph. As a trained Police driver I can assure you that you shouldn’t be told off for crossing your arms or ‘rotational steering’ whilst weaving through cones fairly slowly. According to the book Roadcraft, the ‘Bible’ of safe performance driving, rotational steering where you cross your arms is more efficient at slow speeds and allows for faster rotation of the wheel. You should always, always, though use pull and push when you’re actually moving at any speed though, say above 15mph.
Hi Steph I passed my driving test in my late dads Avenger .He had the car from 1978 to 1985 it was a 1.6 LS two door model. Had the 3/4 vinyl roof A lot of fond memories in that car it wasn’t the most refined but just an honest plodder it got you there He sold the car and got a Talbot solara 1.6GLS with the porridge stick gearbox lol..
A mate of mine had a bronze Talbot Avenger GLS great little car pretty nippy too
My sister in law had an Avenger, I think she got in about 79.
Much better car than people gave it credit for.
I've just discovered your channel, refreshing to see a woman doing classic car reviews. You've earned a subscription.
if you loved the easy drive of the avenger try the Chrysler Sunbeam , we still have ours after 43 years!
The second car that I owned as a young teacher in1980. A wonderful car in its day. It was comfortable, had reasonable performance and handling by the standards of the day. It was relatively easy to do a reasonable amount of diy work on. It's only disadvantage was its susceptibility to "tin worm," which was common to most cars of its era.
I've been in a Hillman Avenger & Chrysler Avenger. One of my Uncles had them along with Ford Escort mk1s during my childhood. Liked your review.
My Dad had a P. reg. Estate, it was a bit more basic than the one you tested, did have the chrysler symbol on the key, I remember the gear shift came adrift soon after he bought it. The garage (who he bought it from) moaned that they had to come and collect it from our house on a trailer! There's more stories with that car but I won't bore you. Thanks again Steph for an interesting review. 👍
Enjoyed the video! I had two Avengers, both 1500cc estates, and ran them for about five years, one after the other. Completely agree with you about the engine and gearbox being very good. I gave mine a hard time by driving over very steep moorland hills every day with a load of tools and equipment, but they handled everything with no problems. Except the heaters that is, I could never get them to work properly not even with flushing them through, so it was quite cold driving in the Winter! Otherwise they were good, useful cars.
My memory of the Avenger is that it was the favourite car of the minicab driver in the 80's
We nearly had a red estate version of one of these, wish we had it! We did have a S1 Chrysler Alpine though, loved it!
Early happy new year, gorgeous odd ball car loving girl!
My father had four of these (he was a sales rep) - 3 Hillmans (estates) and one Chrysler, very similar to the one in the video.
Hi Steph, do hope you are doing well, fingers crossed all is going well with the op. All the best, lots of love. 💕
Cars like the Avenger in that era had rear wheel drive so the steering didn’t have to twist drive shafts on turns so it was more positive and lighter as assistance wasn’t fitted generally x
We hired one to travel to my cousins wedding at Swindon with some of my relatives my dad was following in his Austin 1300 with my mum and brother and a friend the avenger was a 1600 I at to keep slowing down to let him catch up the road holding was great for the time
Thanks for showing. We had a Sunbeam 1300 DL, as it was called in Scandinavia, the basic version of this car. But the Chrysler/Simca/Talbot dealers didn't treat this brand so well, so it was a very rare car here. The French cars they sold were upgrading and upgrading all the time, the Hillman/Sunbeams were not. But a fun car.
My first car was a 1975 mk1 1300 Super back in 1992. I've recently bought my son his first car, they dont know how lucky they are today, my Avenger had no power steering obviously, non servo assisted drum brakes all round (non self adjusting as well!), even the windscreen wash was on a manual pump!
My second car was a fleet special base model 2-door Avenger from 1973. As well as non-assisted all-round drum brakes, they'd deleted everything it didn't need - no sun visor on the passenger side, the interior light was manually switched only, the fresh air vents were blanked off, no temperature gauge, no reversing lights, the seats had fixed-angle backs, no exterior door mirrors, plus more stuff removed or simplified - even down to the exterior badging. I wish I still had it!
@@Zeem4 Sounds like mine was pure luxury compared to yours! I remember the non reclining seats though as well as a non lockable fuel cap! I did have a temperature gauge and a volt meter though and wing mirrors that were actually on the front wings...
@@Zeem4 the Fleet special also had the front anti - roll bar deleted & they still cornered fine! Dynamo charging was fitted to the 1500s up to 1973 if there was no factory fitted Heated rear window.
@@mikemartin2957 I never noticed the lack of front anti-roll bar, but then I never did much to it mechanically. However, my previous 1972 1500 GL had an alternator but no heated rear window.
I had one of these back in the 80s. Mine was emerald green and was a good solid motor. Eventually traded it in for a Mk1 Astra.
My grandfather bought a white 1.3 GL in 1978 or so. It had the vinyl roof I think, and an brownish orange interior. After an accident in 1982 it sadly was beyond repair and he purchased one of the first Cherries labelled as Nissan
The Avenger was a good basic car that was well screwed together. It's a shame that it got caught up in all the merger/buyout machinations of the time which confused its identity. I do remember as a kid being puzzled at seeing the different badges on the Avenger!
Are you sittings down? It was made until 1990 as a VW1500 in Argentina!
@@aKiwiJoKeR Did not know that. Wow!
Love that blue colour.
Hiya Steph. Love those test drives of yours in those great cars from years ago. You mentioned Fifth Gear in that VT. I do happen to know that there was a TV show of the same name, which was presented by Vicki Butler-Henderson with British Touring Car Championship ace Jason Plato and renowned car expert Quentin Willson, it was aired on Channel 5 around 20 years ago. I also know that the French Simca 1100 did come with that facia and steering wheel in late 1976, but only two models had the full works, the 1100 LX and GLX. I could not understand why this occurred at Chrysler Europe, but from what I've read just lately, it was down to production cost in the long run. Love ya Steph, and a very merry Christmas.