On 3 May 1963, the Rootes Group, one of the UK’s five largest motor manufacturers, introduced the Hillman Imp: its first post-war small car and, more strikingly, its first rear-engined product. Sixty years later, its supporters argue it was the strongest domestic rival to the Mini, despite the many challenges it faced during a 12-year production run.
The car that became the Imp dated from 1955 when Rootes tasked two engineers, Michael Parkes and Tim Fry, with devising a lightweight saloon. Their criteria were an engine at the back (for a roomier interior rear engine, fun to drive, space for two adults and two children, capable of 60mph, and 60 mpg fuel economy. In 1961 this newspaper reported that Rootes would build “Project Apex” in its new £23 million Linwood factory near Paisley, Glasgow.
The price of “The World’s Most Advanced Light Car” was £508 1s 3d or £532 4s 7d for the De Luxe. Power was from an alloy 875cc engine, and the Imp was the first mass-produced British car with an aluminium cylinder head. Rootes loaned a press vehicle to A Stitch in Time, the internationally popular Norman Wisdom vehicle, and the automotive press raved about the Imp. The Motor stated it could be “hurled into corners at speeds which would be suicidal with most saloons”.
Imp owner John Ross’s car dates from August 1963, and he says: “It still has all its original parts including engine, which is rare on early cars as many had the cylinder blocks changed for factory replacements.” Ross is also restoring another Imp nicknamed Doris: “One of the first 5,000 cars to leave Linwood in June 1963, a month after production started.” His green car displays the features that gave the Imp considerable showroom appeal, from the opening rear screen and folding back seat to lines reminiscent of a US-market Chevrolet Corvair.
In 1964 Rootes introduced the more upmarket Singer Chamois, including a veneered walnut facia, costing £582. The Telegraph found it “a most attractive little package”. In 1965 Rosemary Smith drove an Imp to victory in the internationally renowned Tulip Rally in Holland, but too many owners were complaining of malfunctioning pneumatic throttles and automatic chokes, among other issues.
As Ross notes: “The Imps had bad pumps and bad radiators, hence the reputation. Marketing drove the release date, and as a design engineer I know it is a constant battle.” Rootes desperately needed a new volume seller, and the factory’s west of Scotland location was a further problem as the government only granted an Industrial Development Certificate to a high unemployment region. So, Linwood dispatched components to Coventry for assembly and machining before they returned to Glasgow for installation.
A 1965 Mk2 upgrade included a conventional choke and throttle. Tim Rohn says of his second-generation 1966 Chamois: “Compared with the Mini, it has more room and, in my opinion, is more comfortable.” Sadly, the Imp never entirely overcame the early models’ problematic legacy. Nevertheless, Rootes persevered with its development, launching the Commer-badged van version in late 1965. The load bay could accommodate an upright milk churn, while the lack of a heater, windscreen washers and a front passenger seat helped kep the price down to £408.
Andy Smith owns a delightful 1965 Automobile Association demonstrator, but he observes: “The AA decided not to use the Imp because of accessibility problems of the radiator [at the back]. To check the water, you would have to unload the van. The Royal Mail also trialled the Commer but were concerned they would encourage over-enthusiastic driving, despite the low-compression engine.”
By 1966 the range now included the £695 4s 9d Singer Chamois Sport and its less opulent Sunbeam-badged stablemate as potential Mini Cooper rivals. The specification included twin carburettors and servo-assisted brakes, while the top speed was 90mph.
Gary Matthews bought his 1968 model in December 2016, and he says: “It has been used regularly since restoration in any weather.” His Singer also attracted the attention of countless visitors to the Telegraph’s UK’s rarest cars display at the 2022 Classic at Silverstone historic festival.
Sadly, 1967 marked the last significant Imp developments, with an estate version called the Husky, appearances in the highly entertaining ITC series Man in a Suitcase and three fastback versions. The Imp Californian and the Chamois Coupé had standard engines, while the flagship Sunbeam Stiletto, costing £813, came with the Sport motor, twin headlights and fashionable vinyl-covered roof. A further selling point was that neither the British Motor Corporation (BMC), Ford, Triumph, nor Vauxhall produced a direct rival.
Rootes claimed the Sunbeam was “for men whose wives think they’ve given up sports cars”. By contrast, Pathé News thought it “the perfect vehicle for ferrying the old man back from the local”, as 1967 was the year of the introduction of the roadside breathalyser.
Simon Benoy bought his 1968 Stiletto in 1989 and remarks: “It isn’t concours but is fairly standard, which is rare, and we do use it quite a lot for events.”
But Chrysler took majority control of Rootes in 1967 and the US concern showed little interest in developing the Imp. The Californian, Husky, van and all Singers ceased production in 1970, followed by the Stiletto in 1972.
The limited-edition Caledonian of October 1975 denoted the end of the line. Alex Knox’s immaculate example has the reversing lights, push-button radio, side stripe, tartan cloth upholstery, and “dashing cherry red” paint, all for a mere £1,275.
Unfortunately, the 2,000 Caledonians were the last Imps to depart Linwood in March 1976. Rootes had hoped for annual sales of 150,000, but total production was only 440,032. Some claim this comparative lack of popularity was because its rear-mounted engine seemed dated compared with the Mini. However, such a layout did not mar the success of its near contemporaries, the NSU Prinz 4, Simca 1000, Renault R8 and Fiat 850.
In reality, as with too many promising British cars, the Imp was the victim of corporate problems, from the Linwood factory to Rootes’ financial issues. Fortunately, a new generation of enthusiasts, such as Smith’s son Dom appreciates its virtues: “We have six Imps between us, and my dad is the reason I am a mechanic.”
Tim Morgan of the Imp owners’ club further points out, “every example made a profit, unlike the Mini”. The brochure called the Imp an “inspiration in light car design”. In many respects, it was.
Thanks to: Simon Benoy, Alex Knox, Gary Matthews, Tim Morgan, Tim Rohn, John Ross, Andy Smith, Dom Smith and the Imp Club UK.
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