Avenger Personalities - remember the trail blazers that made Avengers famous!

[oldschool]

Here's Bernard Unett...he won the British Saloon Car Championship twice in an Avenger 1300 competing against Mini's and went on to help develop the Sunbeam Lotus!

His biggest success came with the Hillman Avenger in the Rootes (later Chrysler) works MOPAR team managed by Des O'Dell, with which he won the 1974 British Saloon Car Championship season. Unett won the 1600 cc class on eight occasions, with victories at Brands Hatch, Mallory Park, Snetterton, the Thruxton Circuit and Ingliston. Also in '74, he was first in class and 11th overall in the 'Access' RAC Tourist Trophy and with co-driver Geraint Phillips, Unett won his class, was 13th overall and took the manufactures team award in the Avon/Motor magazine 2000 mile Tour of Britain.
In 1975 Bernard Unett was elected to the British racing drivers club, but mechanical problems conspired to keep him out of most race results. However in the Avon/Motor magazine Tour of Britain, Unett (with Co-driver Neil Wilson) came first in class, Third overall and his team won the 'Trade Team' award for Halesfield motors.
Unett went on to win the 1976 British Saloon Car Championship season and the 1977 British Saloon Car Championship season in a 1300 cc Chrysler Avenger, Chrysler having taken over the ailing Rootes group. In the 1976 championship, Unett had a run-away victory, with ten class wins in ten races.
In the 1977 championship Unett won his class nine times against increasingly tough opposition from the Mini of Richard Longman. Eventually results ended in a tie with Unett and Tony Dron having 52 points each. A protracted dispute followed due to loose wording in the rules for point awarded for fastest lap, but after some weeks, Unett was declared champion for the third time. To add to confusion that has lasted to this very day the new sponsor, Tricentrol, changed the name of the championship from 'Touring car' to 'Saloon car' championship in 1977.

Unett began to compete in rallies and in 1977 he took part in the Galway international rally using Hillman Avenger modified for group 1, finishing 6th overall and winning the team prize with Robin Eyre-Maunsell and Derek McMahon. He also entered the Manx rally (now called the Rally Isle of Man) in an Avenger with Paul White as co-driver, finishing in 6th place with 13021 points. In the same year, Unett was awarded the very first British Racing Drivers' Club 'Silver Star', one of the U.K. motor sports most prestigious awards.
In 1978 Unett did the development testing for the Chrysler Sunbeam Lotus, which was renamed the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus when Chrysler sold the company to Peugeot. Unett and co - driver Terry Harryman took a works development Sunbeam Lotus to Galway to compete in the 1978 Galway international rally, but crashed out in appallingly wet weather, with only a handful of cars reaching the finish line.
Unett became involved in world class events when The Sunbeam Lotus won the RAC Rally in 1980 in the hands of Henri Toivonen and the world rally championship in 1981 (teams again being managed by Des O'Dell) with Unett being a development engineer, test driver and part of the roadside rally support team.

courtesy of Wikipedia

[kierbear]

that was too much reading. in a nutshell???

[avenga]

For me it has been the New Zealand rally and race Avengers that have made the biggest impact on me.

Andrew Cowan in his 2 door 1800 Avenger winning the 76 heatway rally
Phil Ornstein in his 2 door 1800 Avenger in the heatway rally and the 1985 Rally of NZ
Wayne Murdoch in his 2 door Avenger in the ShellSport series
Trevor Crowe in his Hillman Avenger
Kirsten Courtney and Mike Courtney in the Ex-Phil Ornstein 2 door Avenger in multiple Targas
Mike Vincent and Geoff Burrows in the always entertaining 1800 Revenger in many Targas
Kevin Smith in his Avenger in the Targa Rally
Mark Laughton in his V8 Avenger
Our very own Miles and Jared in their rally Avengers

And many others.

We have actually had quite a rich history of Avengers racing and rallying in NZ.

[avenga]

that was too much reading. in a nutshell???

He won the british saloon car champs in 75, 76 and sort of won in 77 racing an Avenger.

[kierbear]

ok good, thanks

[oldschool]

Here's an interesting article on Avengers from rally driver Paul Davies....

http://www.classiccars4sale.net/classic-car-review/sh-hillman-avenger