adjective
filled with passion; having or showing strong feeling; passionate; fiery; ardent
to be filled with passion about Imps ;-)
Hillman Imp (UK), Sunbeam Imp (US) ... Maybe the best car ever; If in fact you are into rear engined cars, with good potential for tuning, and great handling characteristics.
The Imp and its cousins were built from 1963 to 1976 in a specially constructed factory in Linwood, Scotland.
Roughly 440,000 of these amazing cars were built. Exactly how many in North America we may never know. There are only about 50 or so known to exist in North America.
Why own an Imp? Why not TWO?
While the academic assessment of the Sunbeam or Hillman Imp, manufactured by the Rootes Group, makes it appear to be somewhat of a footnote curiosity in automotive history, the passion of Imp owners through the years has kept the little car from falling into obscurity. The Imp's poor reputation and bad press belies a remarkable mechanical marvel.
Like the contemporary small cars of the day the Imp was affordable and easy to drive. It's purpose initially was to be just that, an everyman's car for utility and simplicity. Designed by young engineers with new ideas and a tremendous goal of low cost, and fresh ideas about what a car should be, the baby car of Rootes had a good chance of becoming something special. In 1955 Michael Parkes and Tim Fry of the Humber division (both motoring enthusiasts) mocked up a rough design to pitch to their superiors. Throwing aside convention, the lead design engineers wanted to produce a viable car for the future like nothing else ever built before. The 'Slug' and 'Apex' prototypes were rather minimalistic and weren't endowed with the style and performance of the final product. ?The board members of Rootes didn't want a "bubble-car", but a real car with competitive attributes of a minimalist economy vehicle. The design was altered after the first two prototypes. The two stroke, two cylinder was replaced with a 875cc Coventry Climax "feather-weight" all aluminum SOHC engine derived from a fire pump engine application, and motorcycle technology from the Sunbeam S7. Now things were looking different. Minimalist intentions gave way to the possibility of sport, without sacrificing economy.
When the final prototype form was demonstrated, with its aluminum synchromesh gearbox, reasonable comfort for four passengers (plus luggage), the Rootes board realized that their project was coming along nicely even if it was late. Not even the Mini had a synchromesh gearbox in the beginning, nor did it have constant velocity joints. With the engine in the rear it was feared that handling would be poor. Porsche had the formula for rear-engine success why not Rootes? The motoring passion of its designers insured that the Imp would handle superbly. The car proved itself during a test ride with a skeptic when he asked whether the car had oversteer or naturally had understeer. The crafty driver demonstrated the answer with an ability to produce and control both, which made the skeptic a believer and quite speechless.
As the prototypes were tested in northern Britain, locals would see them being thrashed through the countryside as the Imp pre-production models were proved. One story recounts a proud Jaguar owner trying to outpace an Imp on the treacherous roads around Scotland. The Jaguar owner couldn't keep up around corners that the little Hillman mastered easily, as if it were riding on rails. Finally, after wrecking the Jag chasing Imps, he tracked down the secret factory tuning garage for the little monsters demanding to know how he could buy one. The sport nature of the Imp was discovered and would then be exploited from that point on. Linwood had to literally de-tune the cars to keep them within design parameters of 39hp output. The original tuner car was born.
Unlike its pushrod powered contemporaries, the Conventry Climax powered Imp revs up to a staggering 8000rpm. When balanced properly breathing thru ported valves and exhaust, with constant depression carburetion, it is capable of far more brake horsepower than it was designed for. Modern tuners have extracted +100bhp with the aid of computers, superchargers or turbos! They are small and cute, but the Imp and its derivatives earned their right as real cars.
Imp advertisements were trendy and were focused on the young at heart. The Imp came as a surprise to many. Driven by Rosemary Smith the Imp won the 1965 Tulip Rally outright. People sat up and took notice when the little car began winning races. 998cc sport models were produced, with 55bhp output. It had been tested in the most harsh environments and improved as far as the factory would allow. Further IMProvements were left to the enthusiasts and racers who obtained a low cost car with lots of potential. Imp-based cars were produced like the Clan Crusader, Davrian, and Ginetta G15. Conversely, the Imp variants held true to their utilitarian roots with Commer Vans and Husky Estate versions.
Poor publicity and warranty problems didn't phase the true believers in the car. Over 30 years after the last one rolled off the Linwood assembly line you can buy almost any Imp part you need due to dedicated supporters. The Imp Club is an active body made of young and seasoned owners alike, filled with dedication. The owners make the cars into legends. The Imp is simple to work on, trendy in its old age, and worth every busted knuckle to get behind the wheel one more time.
