Good morning! We’re still working our way through the alphabet, and today we’re going to put it in H, with a pair of imported economy cars from different eras. Crazy Valclav isn’t involved, but they are both being sold at dealerships, so as always, buyer beware.
Yesterday, I gave you a wide variety of choices starting with the letter G, and I’m sure none of us are surprised that the big GMC pickup won. It’s a good price for a whole lot of truck, not the sort of thing you’d want to daily drive, but when you need it, nothing else will do. What did surprise me, though, is that the Welsh Wonder put up such a strong showing. I’ve been a fan of the Gilbern GT ever since someone showed up with one at the Portland All-British Field Meet a few years ago, but I had no idea they were so rare.
But I already have my MGB GT, which is too similar to the Gilbern to make a case for it, and I prefer my green GMT400 to that big-block monster. So they’re both out of the running for me. The Goggomobil is adorable, but my neighborhood empties out onto a highway with average speeds of about 60 MPH, so I don’t think it would do me any good. That leaves the Metro, and I’d be happy to have another one. They’re fun to drive, butt-simple to fix, and capable of some amazing feats.
That Metro is a perfect segue into today’s choices, since both of these are cheap economy cars, too. Or rather, they were, in their day. But as we all know, after attrition has taken most of them off the road, even the most humble machine becomes a “classic,” and prices rise accordingly. But there’s old, and then there’s old – one of today’s choices is from the same year as Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure; the other pre-dates The Wizard Of Oz by two years. Will one of them leave you stranded along the Yellow Brick Road? Is the other totally bogus? Let’s check them out and see.
1937 Hillman Minx Drophead Coupe – $12,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.2-liter flathead inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Morgantown, PA
Odometer reading: 86,000 miles
Operational status: Cranks but won’t start
Wow, look at that: cars with suicide doors two days in a row! Today we have the Hillman Minx, a small car produced by the Rootes Group in Great Britain. This Minx is a “drophead coupe,” which is basically a very British way of saying “convertible.” It’s a left-hand-drive version originally sold in Canada, and the seller claims it is the only one of its kind known to still exist. We’ve had rare cars on here before, but I don’t think we’ve ever featured the only one left.
The Minx is powered by an 1185 cubic centimeter inline four, a flathead of course – overhead valves in 1937 were only for the wealthy. It does boast one technological innovation, however: in 1935, the Minx was the first mass-produced car offered with a fully-synchromesh transmission. This one does not currently run; it has been sitting for a long time. But flathead engines are simple; if you’ve got fuel, spark, and compression, it’ll run. You just have to figure out which one is missing.
Someone has begun restoring the interior; the door panels and dashboard look pretty good. The seats are a mystery; what lies beneath those cheap Wal-Mart seat covers? The seller isn’t saying. The shape looks wrong for the original seats, though. They look too new. The rear seat is in nice condition, though.
It’s incredibly dirty outside; the seller describes it as a “barn find,” and it looks like half the barn’s dust is still clinging to it. The seller says it has no “invasive” rust, which sounds good, and if the shiny parts are indicative of the paint’s condition, it’s actually not bad.
1989 Hyundai Excel GLS – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter overhead cam inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Odometer reading: 12,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, but that’s all we know
Hyundai these days is a peddler of some pretty nice EVs, as well as a whole line of stylish internal-combustion-powered cars. But here in the US, it all started with this car, the original Excel. Based on Mitsubishi mechanicals and styled by Giugiaro, these cheap runabouts were everywhere for about a decade. After that, they all disappeared, either rusted away or worn out. I haven’t seen one on the road in at least ten or fifteen years. Come to think of it, this might be the last of its kind as well.
The Excel is powered by a 1.5-liter inline four of Mitsubishi design that makes about seventy horsepower. I have never seen one that did not leak oil, and I’ve serviced scores of these things. Most Excels had either four- or five-speed manual transmissions; you could only get an automatic on the fancy GLS model like this one. And, of course, it’s a simple three-speeder. There’s a video of it starting and running in the ad, but we don’t know much more than that. It has only 12,000 miles on the odometer; apparently no one ever drove this car. I guess I can’t blame them.
It looks pretty decent inside, but I don’t know what the hell happened to that steering wheel, and you’ll notice that one of the window cranks is lying in the foot well. That’s a sign of quality right there. It’s probably just missing the little metal clip that holds it in place. Pick one up from the Dorman HELP! rack while you’re at Autozone getting a nice new Grant steering wheel for it.
Rust was always the enemy of these original Excels, but this one seems all right. Apparently it was parked inside all these years. There is a dent in the right front fender and a crack in one taillight lens, but apart from that it’s remarkably clean. I don’t know what the market is like for the world’s nicest first-generation Hyundai Excel, but if there is one – here’s your car.
We’ve looked at a lot of Hondas here, which is why I avoided featuring one today. And Hudson and Hummer seemed too obvious, too. Besides, I like the idea of formerly ordinary cars that have become special just because there are hardly any left. Either one of these would draw a crowd at a car gathering. It’s just a matter of which one you’d rather explain.
The Hillman is Handsome. The Hyundai is Homely. The prices are both Horrific. I’m taking my money and going Home.
Usually I’m really boring and choose the more practical/easy path. Honestly if it weren’t for the big dent in the fender, I’d probably go with the Hyundai, but that dent would drive me insane and there’s little hope of finding a replacement panel for it anywhere. Apart from that, the little Minx is strangely compelling. Once you sort out the whole “non running” thing, it would be a charming little thing to putter around in on a nice afternoon.
The fact that you found a running Excel of that generation is almost as unbelievable as the price they are asking for it.
Minx for me. It’s the only drophead in LHD left but it’s by no means the only pre-war Minx around – parts will have to come from the UK but I would guess most of the important things can be found.
Plus you’d get to have conversations like “Hullo, I’m ringing from across The Pond. Looking for a bonnet latch for a 1937 Minx, y’know. I know supplies are a bit ropey, but any joy?”
I voted for the Hillman. All Hyundai Excels of that vintage deserve to die, preferably by monster truck. Beavis and Butthead seem to agree:
https://youtu.be/dff9x1e-43E?t=51
Earth Day!
I’ll take the garbage Hyundai. Fix its issues, then rent it out for period movies and television ahows. Maybe take it to Radwood.
I’d leave it. Mystery dents and self-detaching trim pieces are perfectly on-brand for these cars from new.
Playing the long game with a Hyundai likely manufactured when Reagan was still in office? Bold. Very bold.
In a decent condition I would take the classic Hyundai for that money, but with the dent and missing steering wheel piece, nah…
The project it is then! If I get it going it might participate in some sand racing!
Normally rare pre-war cars are a nightmare of bespoke and unobtanium, but I can’t find anything in the Hyundai that would make me want it for free, much less 4k.
So that saucy little minx is coming home with me! She may be getting up there, but I’m sure that horse will still run.
I’d rather push any other car than drive a Hyundai, so I voted for the non-running one.
Yeah, I didn’t think the Hyundai had much hope. It would at least make a decent case for itself if it was manual and a hatchback but an automatic sedan is all kinds of nope. I will say the steering wheel looks like it’s only missing the horn button.
An Excel from this era I test drove as a used car had the HEAVIEST manual steering I ever experienced, so much so that I pulled over and visually confirmed that the front tires weren’t flat and I wasn’t fighting a dead PS pump. Needless to say I didn’t buy that one either.
That Hyundai should be bought back by Hyundai Motors as a warning from history. Every designer and engineer should be forced to live with it for a month to experience the cars that created the reputation that Hyundai’s been struggling to escape for 30+ years.
Hobbled handsome Hillman has humdrum harmed Hyundai headlocked
Huzzah!
Both of these are way overpriced, but the Minx is cooler, so I chose that. If you want an economy car, $4000 can get you something much newer and better.
The Minx is worth maybe 5k, and the Excel $500-1000
That Hyundai is bogus!
Totally!!
I chose the Minx. Not going to pretend that this would be anything but a hobby car and an occasional sunny day driver and that makes the entry price a bit steep, but restored and running it could probably fetch what I put into it. Maybe. Just enjoy the wind in my hair and a motor I can actually work on, otherwise.
I’m going to go against the grain a bit and pick the Excel. I have a vague recollection of spending enough time in an Excel back in the day to be able to compare/contrast it with the Yugos the pizzeria I worked for used for deliveries (spoiler alert, I will picking the Yugo on Good Friday) so there’s an odd nostalgia for something long gone and otherwise long forgotten.
I don’t know if something like this would ever have value beyond curiosity (or to serve as a warning from the past) but I have a weird thing about taking a car like this restomodding it with the drive train out of a more recent Hyundai, or in the case of this thing, a Mitsubishi of a similar vintage.
The minx will be more reliable. Anyone who disagrees has never owned a hyundai product from the 80’s-90’s.
It’s at least simple enough that you can have a decent level of confidence in it’s reliability once you’ve gone through everything (which wouldn’t really take all that long)
From what I remember, the dealerships wouldn’t even take them back on trade in.
The only thing more unreliable than the cars were the dealerships.
Only 12,000 miles on the Excel? Those were tough miles, or, maybe not. Early Hyundais were hot garbage.
The Hillman is interesting enough that you want to get it running. I don’t know a thing about it, but learning the history about a car like that is what will drive the restoration.
They were pretty bad to begin with and we’re talking 36 years later, possibly in Philadelphia.
Can’t say no to any car with a flip out windshield! Especially one named Minx. Bummed about those front seats though. Won’t be fun finding originals for it.
That Excel is a depressing penalty box, 3 speed auto, sigh…
Both seem overpriced but at least the minx is interesting.
I went for the Hillman simply because I couldn’t stomach paying $4,000 for a Hyundai from 1989. I don’t care if there’s only 12,000 miles on the odometer as those cars weren’t known for longevity. Hyundai has come a very long way since those days.
Hillman, please!
One of these years I would like to have a car with that shape and that type of hood.
Even if mileage <= 12000, the Excel just doesn’t add up.
Neither seem to be worth it. But at least the Hillman would be a cool conversation piece to begin to cruise nights. The Hyundai on the other hand just looking at the background of the first image taken, the missing steering wheel piece and the roll lever for the window on the floor tells me all I need to know about that hooptie. Maybe there is a kilo of cocaine hidden somewhere in it though so maybe you can make out big with it?
What is with the Toyota with the exact same damage? That’s not even the side that would face traffic when parked, so how do this guy’s vehicles keep getting hit there?
I love the look of that Hillman. It needs a lot of work but it’s almost certainly dirt simple so shouldn’t be to bad. Getting parts will likely be a nightmare but hopefully it used a lot of ‘off the shelf’ Lucas electrical components that are available through places like Moss. (Didn’t we just talk about the Prince or Darkness yesterday?)
The Excel is just not that interesting at any price. Yes, it’s exceptionally low miles but does it really matter? It’s still a crappy car with a mediocre engine, the lousy transmission, some body damage and it will dissolve in the rain if it ever goes outdoors. One of my parents neighbors have one of these for some reason. It has higher miles but is in much better condition (it’s basically Concours condition, if that term could really apply to a 1980s Hyundai product). It’s brown with brown interior (classic 80s, everything was brown). They never use it because it’s not fun to drive, so it just sits there, a ‘collector car’ worth essentially nothing. I don’t get it.
A drop-top, manual, coupe with suicide doors or Hyundai mass-market sedan made before the Koreans heard the words “quality control.” Easy choice.
Although I’d rather the Hillman was more common since it would make an interesting resto-mod. I bet you could squeeze a Ford eco-boost triple in there, or a Triumph Speed Triple to keep it British.