Hillman Cars (Shire Library)

William Hillman started manufacturing cars in Coventry in 1907 before selling his company to the Rootes Brothers in 1928. Three years later came the Hillman Minx, the first of a line that would endure in multiple forms for nearly half a century, even after the remarkable Imp arrived in 1963 to claim a slice of the market opened by the BMC Mini. Rarely revolutionary, Hillman cars nevertheless carved out a special place in the hearts of the British people as well as many overseas customers. This beautifully illustrated introduction to a classic British marque traces Hillman's history from its first cars at the turn of the century until, weakened by industrial disputes, it disappeared in the mid-1970s.