Hillman Imp

Hillman Imp
1968 Hillman Imp 2-door saloon
Overview
Manufacturer	Rootes Group (1963–1967) Chrysler Europe (1967–1976)
Also called	Hillman GT (Australia) Hillman Husky Commer Imp Van Singer Chamois Sunbeam Imp Sunbeam Sport Sunbeam Chamois Sunbeam Stiletto Sunbeam Californian Sunbeam 900
Production	1963–1976 440,032 made[1]
Assembly	Linwood, Scotland[2] Australia[3] Costa Rica[3] Ireland[3] Malaysia[3] Malta[3] New Zealand[3] Philippines[3] Portugal[3] South Africa[3] Uruguay[3] Venezuela[3]
Designer	Michael Parkes Tim Fry
Body and chassis
Class	Economy Car
Body style	2-door coupe 2-door saloon 3-door estate (Husky) >3-door panel van
Layout	RR layout
Related	Bond 875 Clan Crusader Ginetta G15 Davrian Demon/Imp BS Nymph Siva Llama Beach Mk4
Powertrain
Engine	875 cc, 998 cc straight-4 overhead camshaft water-cooled aluminium block
Transmission	4-speed manual all-synchromesh[4]
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,082 mm (82.0 in)
Length	3,581 mm (141.0 in)[4]
Width	1,524 mm (60.0 in)[4]
Height	1,385 mm (54.5 in) Saloon 1,330 mm (52.4 in)[5] Coupe 1,475 mm (58.1 in)[4] Hillman Husky/Commer Imp
Kerb weight	725 kg (1,598 lb)
Chronology
Successor	Chrysler Sunbeam

The Hillman Imp is a small economy car that was made by the Rootes Group and its successor Chrysler Europe from 1963 until 1976. Revealed on 3 May 1963,^[6] after much advance publicity, it was the first British mass-produced car with the engine block and cylinder head cast in aluminium.

Being a direct competitor to the BMC's Mini, it used a space-saving rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout to allow as much luggage and passenger capacity as possible in both the rear and the front of the car. It used a unique opening rear hatch to allow luggage to be put into the back seat rest.

It was the first mass-produced British car with the engine in the back and the first to use a diaphragm spring clutch. The baulk-ring synchromesh unit for the transaxle compensated for the speeds of gear and shaft before engagement, from which the Mini had suffered during its early production years.

It incorporated many design features which were uncommon. Among them were a folding rear bench seat, automatic choke which was rare on compact cars outside the United States until the 1970s, and gauges for temperature, voltage and oil pressure which have been largely omitted since the 1950s in favour of emergency lights.^{[according to whom?]}

This unorthodox small/light car was designed for the Rootes Group by Michael Parkes (who later became a Formula One driver) and Tim Fry. It was manufactured at the purpose-built Linwood plant in Scotland. As well as the Hillman marque, there was a series of variations, including an estate car (the Husky), a van^[7] and a coupé.

Between August 12 and 14, 1964, a Sunbeam Imp sports sedan (ZT-86-20) completed the First American Rodding Magazine sanctioned endurance run and broke a world record in the process, previously set by Erwin George “Cannonball” Baker in 1933,^[8] driving from New York City, to Los Angeles, California, covering 3,011 miles in 48 hours, 9 minutes, 54 seconds at an average speed of 63.7 mph.^[9]

The Imp gained a reputation as a successful rally car when Rosemary Smith won the Tulip Rally in 1965. That led the Rootes Group to produce a special rally conversion of the Imp under both the Hillman and Singer marques, known as the Imp Rallye. In 1966, after winning the Coupe des Dames, Smith was disqualified under a controversial ruling regarding the headlamps of her Imp. The Imp was also successful in touring car racing when Bill McGovern won the British Saloon Car Championship in 1970, 1971 and 1972.^[10]

Considered ahead of its time,^[11] the Imp nevertheless suffered from reliability problems, which harmed its reputation and led to the Rootes Group being taken over by Chrysler Europe in 1967. The Imp continued in production until 1976, selling just under half a million units in 13 years.