The End
There was very little change to the appearance of the Isuzu Hillman Minx from October 1960 onwards. The Isuzu Minx soldiered on the with 1494 cc motor until the end, never receiving the 1592 cc motor that was released in the Series 3C Hillman Minx. And until the end the cars retained the smaller windscreen of the Series 1-3 Hillman. The reason for this was simple - Isuzu was developing and releasing its own cars. First (in 1961) came the Isuzu Bellel, then in 1963 the Bellett. In June 1964 Isuzu ceased producing Hillmans, having made 57,729 of them in just over 10 years.
Rootes had tried in 1961/62 to further extend the period that Isuzu were to build Hillman cars. They were apparently optimistic about the possibility of the market being ‘liberalised’ which would have allowed them to sell fully imported cars through the established dealer network – apparently foreign made cars were still cheaper than locally produced ones. Rootes was even prepared to forego their royalties – but the deal never eventuated. In 1967, when Chrysler acquired Rootes they also acquired Rootes’ share in the dealer network (by then called Shinsei motors) and attempted to use it as a base for operations in Japan.
Rootes had tried in 1961/62 to further extend the period that Isuzu were to build Hillman cars. They were apparently optimistic about the possibility of the market being ‘liberalised’ which would have allowed them to sell fully imported cars through the established dealer network – apparently foreign made cars were still cheaper than locally produced ones. Rootes was even prepared to forego their royalties – but the deal never eventuated. In 1967, when Chrysler acquired Rootes they also acquired Rootes’ share in the dealer network (by then called Shinsei motors) and attempted to use it as a base for operations in Japan.
