Meanwhile, Car tested the Hunter opposite the Fiat 124 Special T, the Opel Ascona 1.9 and the Vauxhall Viva HC 2300, three rivals that are now as rare as the Hillman. They found the GLS the best of the quartet for “out and out performance” but remarked it was  “hardly likely to turn heads in the street.” As the decade progressed, Chrysler upgraded the flagship Hunter’s equipment levels, but they could not mask its dated appearance. 

It was 1976 that saw the demise of the GLS, and indeed of the Hillman marque. The Hunter lasted for only three more years, now bearing the Chrysler badge and looking positively antique. Peter Okonski’s example is one of only 12 survivors, and he came by it in 2013. Restoration work only commenced in December 2020, but the result seems to have strayed from a period brochure. 

In terms of roads manners, RAU 416 M may lack the optional overdrive, but Okonski remarks that he finds it “pulls really well, and holds its own on modern roads with modern cars. The GLS is very responsive and has very good handling for a car of this age. You have plenty of power, and it is great fun to drive. She is slightly heavy to park but not too bad, and it’s easy to get the family in, too.”