Rally win put Hunter on the map

Launched in Britain in 1966, the Hillman Arrow/Hunter arrived in Australia in 1967, at exactly the moment the bankrupt Rootes empire was being absorbed by Chrysler.

Australia got two versions, Arrow and Hunter.

The poverty-pack Arrow was sparse of trim, had a bench front seat and low price.

Its role was to entice buyers into the showroom.

Most drove away in the slightly more expensive Hunter, which offered bucket seats.

Also offered was a wagon, which slotted neatly between small cars and the larger Holden, Falcon and Valiant wagons.

Australia got the bigger 1.7-litre four-cylinder engine, reflecting local expectations of performance and long-distance driving.

The engineering was simple and conventional, with MacPherson strut front suspension.

The engine was tilted to one side to lower the bonnet height.

Essentially, the car was a clone of the 1962 Ford Cortina, simple and cheap to build.

Andrew Cowan’s win in the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon in a Hunter generated plenty of publicity and a place in our automotive history.

A 1968 facelift brought rectangular headlights and a new grille that gave it a mini-Valiant appearance.

The Arrow name disappeared, becoming the base Hunter, while the existing Hunter was promoted to Hunter Royal.

In 1969 the Hunter GT arrived, chasing the GT Cortina.

A year later, the marketing folk at Chrysler produced something memorable: the Hustler.

Basically, it was a re-run of the strategy used to create the Valiant Pacer:

Take the mechanical package, strip away most of the luxuries and add back bright colours, matt-black trim, outrageous decals and minimal soundproofing.

Result: The Hustler.

It was 10 per cent cheaper than the GT Cortina and a genuine performance bargain.

Unfortunately, the Hustler appeared too late.

The Japanese were coming and the locals were not sitting on their hands.

The Mitsubishi Colt Galant 1300 was cheaper, better equipped and faster.