27 fast facts about the Hillman Imp

When the Hillman Imp arrived in 1963, it was pitching itself into a small car sector that was dominated by the British Motor Corporation's remarkable Mini. Already selling in droves, Alec Issigonis' fun, cheeky packaging miracle was a tough car to go up against. Small wonder, then, that the Scottish-built Imp never managed the sales of its legendary rival from Longbridge.

However, the Imp won a fanbase all of its own. It was nicely styled, good to drive, and soon spawned a small family of cars under the various Rootes Group marques, allowing every buyer to choose an Imp in the bodystyle and luxury level to suit them.

Nowadays, there's a thriving community of Imp owners here in the UK. If you own one of these wonderful cars, congratulations – you have a very significant slice of British motoring history in your possession. Be sure to protect it with some specialist insurance for your classic car.

Here are 27 fast facts about the Imp and its relatives.

1. The Hillman Imp may seem like the quintessential late '60s / early '70s car, but in fact its roots (or should we say Rootes) extend way back to the mid 1950s. Back in 1955, the Rootes Group (comprising the Hillman, Humber, Singer and Sunbeam marques, among others) had started design work on a new small car. At the time, Rootes produced a mix of medium and large cars, such as the Sunbeams MkIII, Alpine and Rapier.

The company could see, however, that the smaller, 1-litre class of cars was occupying a hefty slice of the marketplace in cost-conscious post-war Britain. The fuel shortage caused by the 1956 Suez Crisis was another market factor in buyers downsizing to smaller, more economical cars. Rootes needed an entry into this market – and their designers duly began sketching out a small car.

2. The original design team included project engineer Mike Parkes – who would go onto even greater things. Parkes had started working at the Rootes Group in 1950, and would remain there until 1962, with the Imp serving as his major project with the company.

Then, in 1963 Parkes made the interesting jump from Rootes to Ferrari, where he took up a role as development engineer for their road cars. As such, he was responsible for some seminal '60s Ferraris such as the 330 GTC.

All the while, Parkes was also a successful racing driver, taking part in seven Formula One races from 1959 and achieving two podium finishes.

Much later, in 1974, Parkes worked as principal development engineer for the iconic Lancia Stratos. So there you have it – the humble Imp's links with Ferrari, and with a '70s rallying icon.

3. Parkes' major partner on the Imp was Tim Fry, who would also go on to further achievements. Notably, Fry and his design partner Anthony Smallhorn were awarded the Prince Philip Designers Prize in 1979 for their Sea Truck – a flat-hulled, high-speed, fibreglass watercraft that could be used to land vehicles without the need for a jetty or harbour.

Fry and Smallhorn also had input on the Sea Truck from a final-year design student by the name of James Dyson. Wonder what happened to him?

4. Back at Rootes in 1955, Parkes and Fry set down a series of goals for the new car. For instance, it should seat two adults and two children; it should manage at least 60, in both the miles per hour and miles per gallon stakes; it should be rear-engined, like many of its rivals; and it should be fun to drive.

5. Parkes, Fry and the team submitted a first design, nicknamed the Slug, that – impressively – managed all of the goals they'd set themselves. You can see a picture of the Slug on the excellent AROnline website.

The Slug may have met the duo's own objectives, but management at Rootes were not keen on the design, as they thought it resembled the bubble cars of the early 1950s. Instead, Rootes were keen to place their new car a little more upmarket – alongside the likes of the Ford Popular and Austin A30, small yet desirable 1950s cars. The design team duly went back to the drawing board – and produced the more straight-edged design that would eventually become the Hillman Imp.

6. The new car was going to require Rootes to build a whole new construction facility. This was because the company had taken the pioneering step of using an aluminium engine in a mass-production car. This proved to be a little more challenging than simply replacing existing cast-iron designs with one from the new material. A new, computerised assembly plant would be required.

7. Rootes selected a site at Linwood, near Paisley in Scotland. The area had witnessed mass unemployment since the closure of the Clyde shipyards. The British government, keen to provide more jobs for the region, incentivised Rootes with some financial assistance, and the new factory brought some 6,000 jobs to the Scottish Lowlands.

Construction of the Linwood plant began in 1961, and the factory itself opened on 2nd May 1963. The Duke of Edinburgh opened the plant, and then drove one of the first Imps to Glasgow.

8. The Linwood plant had one key asset: it had its own direct rail link, meaning that cars could be transported from here to towns and cities all around Britain. It remained in use until 1976, when Chrysler UK's new owners Peugeot Talbot decided to transfer production to their chief plant at Ryton, near Coventry.

Other Rootes Group cars produced at Linwood included the Hillman Avenger, the Sunbeam Alpine (a particularly well-tended example of which we highlighted elsewhere on this blog), and the Humber Sceptre. Like the Imp, these other Linwood products are now revered classics – and all good candidates for classics insurance.

9. Siting the plant some 300 miles from Rootes' main factory in Warwickshire did, though, present some problems. For example, although the engine castings were made in Linwood, they then had to be sent down on trains to Ryton to be machined and assembled, and then returned to Scotland to be mounted into the cars – an expensive and time-consuming 600-mile round trip.

This meant a complicated schedule of trains moving both raw engine castings and completed Imps southwards, while engine and gearbox assemblies made their way north.

10. The Imp incorporated a few design features that were quite ahead of their time for the early 1960s. Features such as a folding rear bench seat, temperature, voltage and oil pressure gauges, and an automatic choke wouldn't catch on in the wider car market until the 1970s.

One feature that drew praise right from the outset was its synchromesh gearbox. This made for effortless gear changes and a great driving experience. However, unlike the wildly popular front-engine Mini from rivals BMC, Rootes decided to emulate rival cars from overseas and stick with the rear-engine layout.

The Imp's rear-mounted engine was a 37bhp 875cc unit from noted engine builders Coventry Climax. All-independent suspension made the car agile around bends, while an opening rear screen made it more practical.

11. The Imp's final development phase was somewhat rushed, leading to a few problems that weren't picked up before the car went to market. Water pumps and automatic chokes could malfunction, and there was a risk of both overheating and water leaks. The throttle could give problems, and there was a slight lack of performance overall.

Word soon spread about these issues, and the Imp won itself a reputation for poor reliability that, arguably, it never fully shook off. That's a shame, as it later developed into the reliable, strong-performing and fine-handling car that it was always supposed to be from the very outset.

12. Initial reviews for the car were, in fact, pretty positive. It may not have matched the all-conquering Mini for handling, fun and use of space, but the Imp got its fair share of prize. The Motor's road test of 8th May 1963 observed how the car could be "hurled into corners at speeds which would be suicidal with most saloons". The reviewer also noted that the gear change was one of the best, if not the best, that they had ever used. They also praised the performance – "astonishingly lively" for such a small (875cc) engine, and standing up to comparison with many family saloons up to 1600cc.

13. The Hillman Imp was, for a spell, the cheapest new car on the British market. When the car launched in 1963, a standard Imp was priced at £508 1s 3d, while a top-spec version was on offer for £532 4s 7d. A brand new Ford Cortina that year would set you back £675, while the average house price across Great Britain in 1963 was £3,160.

14. The Imp started life as a small saloon under the Hillman marque. However, before long the sales team at Rootes realised that a few variants and some judicious badge engineering would be able to bring the car to new markets.

October 1964 saw the launch of the first Imp spin-off, the Singer Chamois. Singer had always been at the luxury end of the Rootes family and these modified Imps kept up the Singer prestige, with a polished walnut veneer interior and larger, more comfortable seats than their Hillman forbear.

Oil pressure and temperature gauges, plus a heater blower, all came as standard. Externally, the Chamois sported a large dummy grille and bumper overriders – it also got its own range of colours, all with a fetching stripe down the side. By 1967, the Chamois was also available in coupé form – featuring a more steeply raked rear window that, alas, could not be opened.

15. Next to arrive, in September 1965, was the Commer Imp commercial van. That also spawned an Imp estate, the Hillman Husky, in 1967. Rootes had considered producing a dedicated estate, but the idea was dropped because the load capacity would have been reduced. It would also have meant some very expensive retooling at the Linwood plant.

16. The 1967 model year also introduced perhaps the most desirable Imp derivative, the splendidly named Sunbeam Stiletto. The Stiletto had four headlights as standard, along with a black vinyl roof. Inside, the Stiletto looked noticeably posher than its Imp sibling. The moulded dashboard featured various up-to-the-minute luxuries, such as warning lights that could be dipped for night-time driving. The Stiletto also sported twin white stripes down the side – except if you wanted your Stiletto in Polar White, in which case you got smart red stripes.

If you're wondering why Rootes chose to name this particular brand of Imp after a high-heeled shoe, the truth is that it was more likely named after the long, thin dagger that, in turn, gave the stiletto heel its name. The Sunbeam marque had form with naming cars after swords or daggers – see their handsome saloon/coupé, the Rapier.

17. A series of adventurous adverts during the 1960s included an Imp holding its own amongst tanks on a hilly, rough-terrain military exercise area. In another, prominent '60s actor Ray Barrett (of The Troubleshooters fame) trumpeted the car's virtues after giving it a thorough workout. Adverts like these showed what a lot of fun you could have in an Imp. And, if you own one of these remarkable cars, we hope you're still having a lot of fun in it – and that you're also protecting it with some dedicated insurance for classic cars.

18. The Imp did rather well in rallying – especially with Dublin dress designer-turned-rally driver Rosemary Smith behind the wheel. Smith was victorious at the 1965 Tulip Rally, Holland's oldest national rally, in one of Rootes' new small saloons. Indeed, another Imp – driven by 'Tiny' Lewis – came in second.

19. Imps were also successful racing cars. For example, George Bevan's privateer team dominated the British Saloon Car Championship (which would later become the British Touring Car Championship) in the early 1970s. With Bill McGovern at the wheel, the Bevan Sunbeam Imp took the championship in 1970, 1971 and 1972.

20. Perhaps the most eye-catching use of an Imp engine was inside a hydroplane – essentially a very fast motorboat, which travels with most of its hull out of the water. Andy Chesman triumphed at the 1972 World Hydroplane Championship in a boat that featured an Imp engine, with the power output increased to 125bhp thanks to twin Weber carburettors.

21. Chrysler (UK) took over the Rootes Group in 1967. However, the Imp and its fellow Hillmans, the Minx, Hunter and later Avenger, continued to be known as Hillmans until Peugeot's takeover in 1979.

The car should probably shoulder some, though by no means all, of the blame for the eventual demise of the Rootes Group. The huge investment that Rootes had to make in both the Imp and the Linwood production facility lumbered it with some difficult financial problems.

That said, the major causes of Rootes losing money during the 1960s were industrial unrest and the fallout from the link with America's Chrysler Corporation Lord Rootes, the company's founder, had set up the partnership in 1964, but he died later that year. By 1967, Rootes had simply been taken over by Chrysler, and folded into its Chrysler Europe operations.

22. Whatever its detractors said, the Imp managed an impressive 13-year production run, with the last one leaving the Linwood factory in 1976. Its place in the Chrysler UK range was taken the following year by the three-door Sunbeam hatchback. That car was a hugely important chapter in the Chrysler story, and made a decent impact on the new hatchback market alongside the likes of the Fiesta and Chevette, as we recalled in this article.

23. Rootes' choice of a rear engine for the Imp may have started looking out of step once the front-engine Mini was tearing up the sales charts. However, the Imp spawned its own quirky but distinguished family of other rear-engine marvels, all using its engine and running gear.

For example, the tiny, low-slung, and faintly Lotus-flavoured Clan Crusader was built from 1971 to 1974, using running gear from the Imp (as well as the latter's Coventry Climax engine). As we noted in Fifty years of the Clan Crusader, this car was something of a cult classic almost from its launch. Indeed, Autocar likened the car's handling to that of the all-conquering Lotus Elan.

Similarly, the elegant Ginetta G15 borrowed the Imp's engine and four-speed gearbox as well as, initially, its rear cooling radiator. Then there was the Davrian Imp, which is surely the only Imp-based grand tourer. Designed and built by Adrian Evans, this particular Imp derivative used its Hillman progenitor's engine and rear suspension, adding a fibreglass monocoque for light weight and nimble handling. Another Imp imitator was the Bond 875, a late 60s three-wheeler that looked forward to the Reliant Robin.

24. And, if we're talking weird and wonderful Imp derivatives, we mustn't neglect to mention the BS Nymph, a cute-looking fibreglass buggy that was made in just 42 examples from 1975 to 1977. Like the other cars we mentioned above, the Nymph used the Imp's engine and running gear. It had the misfortune, though, of coming into existence just as its donor car was being phased out.

The Nymph could have gone up against the Mini Moke in the mass-produced all-terrain buggy stakes – however, with the Imp ceasing production, the Nymph found its components supply quickly drying up. It was still produced, but in much smaller numbers as a kit car.

25. There's a thriving UK Imp owners' scene, centred around the Imp Club. This is your place to go for all manner of Imp-related expertise and advice. Fruitlessly searching for a missing part? Chances are that someone within the Imp Club's membership will be able to help.

Other great Imp resources online include the hugely informative imps4ever site. And don't forget to read our own loving appreciation of the Imp, not to mention its sporty Sunbeam and Singer offshoots

26. So which member of the Imp family is the one for you? Interestingly, the Commer Imp and Hillman Husky van and estate derivatives are much sought after, largely due to their relative rarity. Prestigious, sporty coupé forms such as the Sunbeam Stiletto and Imp Californian are also in high demand. If you’re sticking to a budget, though, a regular Hillman Imp saloon or its slightly more upmarket sibling, the Singer Chamois, will do you proud. All of these models will need protection with classic car insurance.

27. If you do find yourself the lucky owner of an Imp, do be aware that, like many cars of its era, it is somewhat prone to corrosion. Most parts of an Imp may rust over time, although the front of the bonnet, doors and front and rear wheel arches are prime candidates.

Consider getting your car professionally rust-proofed – and again, make sure you have some suitable classic car insurance to help with the costs of ongoing restoration to your Imp.

Classic car insurance for restorations

Our look back at one classic car in particular – the Hillman Imp – has taken us on a detour past a great many other related classics, from the spectacular Clan Crusader to the cutely-styled (and now vanishingly rare) BS Nymph.

Whatever classic you own or are planning to own, we will be able to provide classic car insurance for you. Thanks to our many years' experience in the industry, we can now arrange classic car insurance for a huge range of vehicles, from pre-war gems to modern classics like the Peugeot 205 or Ford Sierra.

Contact us for a classic car insurance quote today.