Why you’d want a car from the Rootes’ Arrow range
The final new cars designed under Rootes ownership, before the Chrysler take-over, ‘Arrow’ saloons were styled principally by Rex Fleming, with Roy Axe responsible for the coupés.
It was Rootes’ answer to the Ford Cortina – and the Capri – and although produced in much smaller numbers, they make an interesting alternative.
Robust running gear made base models popular taxis worldwide, clocking up huge mileages, and helped the Hunter win the gruelling London-Sydney Marathon in ’68; the model continued in production in Iran for decades.
There were many variants: Hillman Minx/Hunter, Singer Gazelle/Vogue, Sunbeam Vogue and Humber Sceptre saloons, plus Sunbeam Alpine/Rapier coupés, each with a range of trim, spec and engine options.
Base models used the iron-head 1500 (or 61bhp iron-head 1725 in automatic form); the iron-head 1725 was optional for manuals from late 1968 and can be found in a few other models, such as early Singer Vogues and all Singer Gazelles.
The standard alloy-head 1725 had 72bhp, but the twin-carb version in the Rapier and Sceptre put out a useful 79bhp, which, with a close-ratio ’box and overdrive on third and top, gave it lively performance.
The ultimate spec was the Holbay-tuned Rapier H120 and Hunter GLS, with ‘Holbay’ cast into the rocker cover and twin Webers.
If you find one, check its history before paying top price, because many parts have been swapped from car to car: make sure the spec is correct.
