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.

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.

The Imp enjoyed modest success in both club and international rallying. Rootes introduced a homologation special called the Rally Imp in 1964. It featured many modifications over the standard model, the most important of which was an engine enlarged to 998 cc. Notable successes for this model include the 1965 Tulip Rally in which the works Imps of Rosemary Smith and "Tiny" Lewis finished first and second overall.

Considered ahead of its time,^[8] 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 March 1976, selling just under half a million units in 13 years.