1967 HILLMAN HUNTER LONDON TO SYDNEY RALLY REPLICA

KEY FACTS

• A faithful replica of a classic British rally winner, which could be a fun rally entrant, or simply an eye-catching road car.
• Under the bonnet is a Holbay Engineering tuned 1725cc OHV engine, fed by twin Weber 45 DCOE carburettors, coupled to a four-speed manual transmission with overdrive.
• The car was built by the late Gordon Jarvis as a recreation of the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon Hillman Hunter (registered MKV 15G), which was driven by Andrew Cowan, Colin Malkin, and Brian Coyle. Winning the event outright, the team beat a Northern Irish racer by the name of Paddy Hopkirk, who came in second.
• The London-Sydney Marathon event comprised a journey of some 10,373 miles (16,694 km) through Europe, Asia, and Australia.
• Jarvis was working for the Rootes Group in 1967 when the original car was being prepared, and it appears that he had access to factory records to make this replica as faithful as possible to the rally-winning car. It was also undertaken with Andrew Cowan’s full support and approval.
• Given its very close registration plate of MKV 15F, this wonderful recreation has occasionally been asked to ‘stand in’ for the genuine article - still owned by the Cowan family - at various shows and events.

EQUIPMENT AND FEATURES

• The exterior is a faithful homage to the original livery, with light blue paintwork, a white roof and white stripe accents down the flanks, and with period stickers and decals, including the correct ‘75’ London to Sydney rally number.
• Its original bumpers were removed, and in their place are mesh covers over the rear towing hooks, and a full-width stone guard cover across the grille and headlights at the front. There are quick-release bonnet pins and rubber securing straps for the boot lid.
• The car rides on Minilite-style alloy wheels, with three spares on the roof plus a lockable spares box - plus another spares box in the boot.
• As per the genuine rally winner, there are roof, bonnet, and bumper mounted spot lights at the front, plus a reversing light at the rear. Attention was paid to ensure that virtually every exterior detail was correct to the original car.
• All of the glass, except the windscreen, was replaced with Perspex and fitted with British Rail leather strap window lifters.
• The bodywork inside the boot behind the rear wheel arches was stiffened, and a large fuel tank was installed immediately behind the rear seat.
• The steering system also has two boxes instead of one, plus an idler. It has a spare water pump and starter easily accessible in the boot.
• Its engine is a Holbay Engineering 1725cc OHV Rootes inline-four, fed by twin Weber 45 DCOE carburettors, and the exhaust is of a bigger bore.
• The interior is fitted with a full roll cage, while much of the interior trim such as the dashboard and door cards appears to be completely original. It is equipped with a pair of classic style sport seats upholstered in blue cloth, with an OMP harness for the driver and Sabelt harness for the passenger.

CONDITION

• No known bodywork damage.
• Its Capri Blue and Polar White paintwork is in fair order, with minor blemishes in the finish including bubbling around the offside rear wheel arch, flaked paint around the nearside front door lock, and various small chips and scuffs.
• The interior generally presents very well, with the blue cloth upholstery showing little wear to speak of, while the original trim elsewhere has a slightly aged appearance.
• There are no known electrical faults.
• The car has been used on a number of events at home and overseas, and proved to be a reliable build over the years. The ultimate aim was to take the car to Morocco for a rally, but sadly the owner passed away after a short illness in 2018.
• This Hillman has been in storage for the last few years, most recently with a classic car specialist. Their general assessment of the vehicle is that it would be “a good runner, after a number of short journeys and check-overs to blow out the cobwebs”. They note that the oil pressure is good, and that the car is holding charge with fluid levels also correct. Its brakes and suspension are also in visibly good order, with no leaks from the shock absorbers. The specialist has indicated that an oil change would be recommended, but does not believe that any rebuild work is required.
• The main exhaust silencer was reskinned a couple of years ago as a replacement was not available. During this work, the underside appeared to be in sound condition.
• While in the care of the late owner, it is understood that servicing was carried out by them on a regular basis.
• Understood to be exempt from mandatory testing given its age, the most recent MOT test was on 18 December 2017 at 75,553 miles, which resulted in a first-time pass with no advisories.
• From 2005 through to 2017, it was put through an MOT test nearly every year, covering some 9,000 miles on the road, and there were zero advisories or defects reported during this period.

SUMMARY

This Hillman Hunter ‘London to Sydney’ Rally Replica is a unique recreation of a 1960s Marathon entrant that tackled one of the most arduous long-distance rallies imaginable, winning outright. Built up with great attention to detail by someone who was actually working at the Rootes Group when the original rally car was prepared, this is a fantastic tribute that should only require some very basic recommissioning to return to very good running order. It would no doubt be thoroughly enjoyable as a fun weekend car, and would also be suitable for a variety of classic rallies and trials.

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