Model Page
Hillman Avenger Tiger (Mk 1 & Mk 2)
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Production Run: |
Mk 1 - 200 Mk 2 - 450 |
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Production Date: |
1972 |
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Engine: |
1,498cc Hillman 4 Cylinder |
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Built: |
Ford - Halewood (UK) |
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0-60: |
8.9 Secs |
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Max Speed: |
108 Mph |
Launched in March 1972 the Avenger Tiger was the performance edition of the Hillman Avenger, developed by Des O’Dell initially as a publicity exercise to generate increased awareness of the Chrysler Motor sport, the car was capable of comfortably over 100 Mph and capable of the 0-60 Mph sprint in under 9 seconds.
Hillman Avenger Tiger MK 1
The Hillman Avenger was a rear wheel drive family car that was released in 1970, wishing to build on the success of the new model and generate increased publicity to the groups competition department a high performance edition of the Avenger was planned – step in the Avenger Tiger. Ford had recently introduced one of its performance models the Mk 1 Escort Mexico, this had proved very popular with the public eventually selling over 10,000 vehicles. Management wanted to get in on the act developing a high performance variant of the Hillman Avenger to publicise the recently introduced model and generate increased sales in showrooms through the halo effect the variant would inevitably produce, the model would also draw added attention to the groups Motorsport activities.
Development of the Tiger was headed up by Des O’Dell – the then head of Chryslers competition department at their competitions centre. The car was based on the four door Avenger Super, the edition was only made available in “Sundance Yellow” paintwork (officially Orange) that was complemented by a black bonnet complete with power-bulge and prominent black side stripes down the length of the vehicle. The exterior package was finished off with chrome quarter bumpers, Minilite alloy wheels, a colour coded rear spoiler and four Lucas sourced fog / driving lights. Avenger Tiger lettering was added to the rear quarter panels.
Hillman Avenger Tiger In Yellow
The car received a strip style speedometer with dashboard mounted tachometer and the driver was adequately supported by the installation of Restall bucket seats, apart from these modifications the interior package remained in line with the Super, therefore came equipped with carpets and armrests.
The Avenger Tiger was fitted with Hillman’s overhead valve 1,498 four cylinder engine taken from the Avenger 1500 GT, to extract additional power the unit was fitted with a revised eight valve ported cylinder head that had a larger inlet and exhaust valves installed. Unlike the 1500GT that was fitted with two Stromberg carburettors the Tiger was fitted with substantially improved twin Weber 40DCOE carburettors, a combined inlet and exhaust manifold was installed. The engine had a bore and stroke of 86.1mm x 64.3mm, the cylinder head was skimmed raising the compression ratio from 9.2:1 to 9.4:1. Power was increased from 75bhp @ 5,400 rpm to 93 bhp @ 6,100 rpm, torque was up from 73lb/ft @ 3,750 rpm to a healthier 90 lb/ft @ 4,200 rpm. The increase in power was counterbalanced by a corresponding decrease in the fuel economy of the unit with the car struggling to achieve 19 Mpg.
Mechanically the Tiger was very similar to the 1500GT, the Tiger retained the Avengers traditional front engine rear wheel drive setup, power being fed to the rear wheels through a four speed manual gearbox. Steering was taken care of through a non power assisted manual rack and pinion configuration that took 3.7 turns lock to lock. The suspension was left unchanged with an independent front suspension with heavy duty Amrstrong Struts with 100lb 1” front springs with an anti roll bar. Unlike its competitors the car did not utilise a rear leaf spring suspension setup instead engineers opted to use a four link rear suspension system with a live sprung rear axle, utilising Armstrong sourced adjustable damper with up-rated springs. Braking was taken care of through servo assisted solid front discs and rear drums.
The cars were not manufactured alongside the standard avengers but instead were manufactured at the competitions department, the car was initially manufactured in a batch of 100 cars, such was the popularity that the a second batch of 100 vehicles was produced.
The Avenger Tiger was capable of achieving the 0-60 mph spring in just 8.9 seconds and could achieve a top speed of 108 Mph more than a match for it’s similarly priced rivals on sale at the time. The car was launched in March 1972 at a price of £1500 and remained in production until October 1972 when the Tiger Mk 1 was replaced with the Tiger Mk II.
The Mk II version of the car was a productionised version of the MK 1, the car retained the same mechanicals and engine but was subject to minor modifications. The Mk 2 was fitted with four round headlights, replacing the dual square headlights on the MK1 and was provided a significant visual and lighting improvement. The interior was slightly modified with a fully equipped dashboard with round instruments replacing the strip style speedometer.
Hillman Avenger Tiger Mk 2
Exterior modification included the deletion of the bespoke bonnet that incorporated a bonnet bulge , instead this was replaced with a standard bonnet that was finished in matt black. The Minilite alloy wheels were replaced with Exacton Alloy wheels that were much cheaper to source, the car was now available in both Sundance Yellow and War dance red. The Tiger was no longer fitted with four driving lamps. The Mk 2 did not enjoy a long life, introduced in October 1972 at a price of £1350 the Tiger was phased out in late 1973.
The car was achieved moderate success on the racing circuit and today values are quickly appreciating, unfortunately it is estimated that there are less than 40 examples remaining today due to the low volumes that the Tiger was produced and the high volumes of cars that entered the racing scene.
The Facts
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Engine: |
1.5 Hillman Four Cylinder Overhead Cam |
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Capacity: |
1,498cc |
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Valves: |
8 |
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Compression Ratio: |
9.4:1 |
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Fuel System: |
Twin Weber 40DCOE Carburettors |
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Maximum Power: |
93bhp @ 6,100 rpm. |
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Maximum Torque: |
90lb/ft @ 4,200 rpm. |
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Transmission: |
Manual 4 Speed |
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Top Gear: |
- |
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Brakes: |
Servo Assisted Front Discs / Rear Drums |
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Kerb Weight: |
- |
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Max Speed: |
108 Mph |
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0-60: |
8.9 Secs |
