Rare one-of-a-kind 1969 car gleaming after epic 12-month restoration job

15 October 2023 , 18:24

916     0

The rare Hillman GT on display in Gaydon, Warwickshire (Image: SWNS)

This gleaming motor is believed to be the last 1969 Hillman GT in existence and it has gone from banger to banging after a loving 12-month restoration.

The classic car, bought at auction for £5,300 last year, is on display at the British Motor Museum until autumn next year, when it will go under the hammer again. Built in Renfrewshire, Scotland and unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1969, the high-performance saloon sold for £962.

Boasting a top speed of 94mph, a 1725cc engine and 94bhp, it was the sporty offering in the Rootes Group Arrow range and marketed to “the married man who still remembers fun, free, fast bachelor GT days”. Cat Boxall, curator at the museum in Gaydon, Warks, said: “We are delighted to have this on display. The Hillman GT is the rarest car from the Rootes Group and it is believed this is the only surviving example.”

The car features in TV show Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics on November 9. Executive producer Andy Joynson said: “It isn’t flash, it isn’t expensive, it isn’t even an iconic car – but it is part of our motoring history. I hope people enjoy the story of a humble and very British car.”

Adam Dutton