1971 Hillman Avenger 1500 GL Automatic BJN 302K, Westcliff-on-Sea

[Angrydicky]

This is such great news, very happy it's been found as like EssDeeWon, I know this car well and spent quite a lot of time searching for it after it was stolen. We both thought it was long gone, crushed for scrap metal by a dodgy scrapyard so to have it turn up relatively unscathed is amazing. It looks like it was being prepped for a respray so perhaps someone was trying to disguise it before selling it on. I don't suppose we'll ever have the full story. Really strange for it to turn up so close to where it was stolen from too.

I hope the owner can get it back and enjoy it once more, and hopefully it won't take too much work to get it back on the road.

[Wack]

Car thieves are the scum of the earth but it seems they can act with impunity 

Over 100 stolen cars hidden in plain sight , they'd buy write offs not on the list then repair them with stolen parts 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-birmingham-50649256

[madwelshman]

Fantastic that the car is back with it's owner, even if it is minus a few items.

 

[madwelshman]

On 12/13/2019 at 9:01 PM, junkyarddog said:

There is still a scattering of Avengers laying about on my cousins farm.

Most rotten now,but there are two decent ones in a shed.

My dad rebuilt a hunter engine and got the timing 180° Out too,a mechanic sussed this and swapped the plug leads about,apparently ran for many years like this  

Don't suppose your cousins farm is anywhere near Pembrokeshire in West Wales is it? ? I need some Avenger parts for mine.

 

Will

[Tadhg Tiogar]

12 minutes ago, madwelshman said:

Don't suppose your cousins farm is anywhere near Pembrokeshire in West Wales is it? ? I need some Avenger parts for mine.

...and I'll be next door in Carmarthenshite in the New Year...

[madwelshman]

1 minute ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

...and I'll be next door in Carmarthenshite in the New Year...

I'm 30 miles West of Carms, in Haverfordwest ?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Just now, madwelshman said:

I'm 30 miles West of Carms, in Haverfordwest ?

Aha, I expect to be stumbling around the Rhydowen / Llandysul district because mostly drunk.

[junkyarddog]

1 hour ago, madwelshman said:

Don't suppose your cousins farm is anywhere near Pembrokeshire in West Wales is it? ? I need some Avenger parts for mine.

 

Will

No,sorry.

He won't part with anything anyway.

[madwelshman]

Just now, junkyarddog said:

No,sorry.

He won't part with anything anyway.

No worries. If you don't ask, you don't get.

[M'coli]

This is great news, other than the missing bits.  I sold my Avenger 10 years ago and I still miss it, it was very competent.

[JeeExEll]

Am really pleased that Avenger's turned up again, with minimal damage too.  Can all be fixed.

Have a relevant but irrelevant pic which I saved yesterday whilst looking for something on Dunlop wheels.

The Avenger was a very competent (and cool looking) rally car.  The only Avenger I ever drove was a dark green P-reg 4-door 1600 with dished Ford Mexico sports wheels, around 1987. Weber 32/36 from a scrapyard Cortina for the powwwwwahh. A good handling car, much like a Chevette. My mate, who was a poor engineering student, crashed it into a lamp post right next to the hospital whilst 'experimenting with pendulum dynamics on an icy road', and that was the end of it. Sold complete for spares. He very nearly hit a parked Jaguar, it was very close.

I remember him ordering lowered coil springs and gas shocks from the ads in CCC magazine, all paid for by his mum who didn't want her son driving a car with 'worn out suspension, could be dangerous'.  Awww bless, . . .  

[Bren]

Good ones do sell - mk3 cortinas are expensive so people look for something else.....

[DSdriver]

My first impression on seeing the 'as found' car was that someone had started a restoration, cutting out some of the rot. So maybe the scrote/guardian has done the proper owner a favour saving him a bit of time. And hopefully the pieces removed for the rust removal to commence are to be found either in the car or the garage

[junkyarddog]

My cousins one is a rally car,he's had since the early 80's.

I must take a photo of it some time.