IMP HISTORY
Rootes started developing a small car in the mid-’Fifties and set up a team of innovative designers lead by Michael Parks and Tim Fry with a brief to design a car that could accommodate two adults and two children, was fun to drive and have a top speed of 60mph. A Continentalstyle rear- engined format was preferred and the first result the team produced was an aerodynamic micro car that became known as the Slug.
Lord Rootes was not impressed with the Slug’s design; in fact he hated it and didn’t want to see the company’s name associated with what essentially looked like a bubble car. So it was back to the drawing board to produce a bigger design code named Project Apex under the direction of Technical Director Peter Ware who would see the revised project to maturity.
At the time Rootes didn’t have suitable small engine for its new project, so it turned its attention to a water- cooled, all- aluminium four- cylinder engine being produced by nearby Coventry Climax to power fire pumps. This advanced overhead cam unit had also gone racing and when canted over by 45 degrees, fitted the bill perfectly. As the new engine would be mated to a hardwearing transaxle, Rootes hired Adrian West to design the unit as he’d had experience with similar transmissions at Fiat, Simca and Renault.
The launch of the front-wheel drive Mini in 1959 turned the world of small cars upside down but Rootes were so far down the line with project Apex, the company couldn’t scrap its plans for a rear- engined small car and start again. To make the configuration work, Apex not only had to look good, it required a first class and no expense spared suspension set up to make it ride and handle well too.
With Apex approaching the final development stages, Bob Saward added a touch of transatlantic styling and what had previously been considered a bland looking three-box prototype was transformed into an attractive looking, technically advanced small car that would see the light of day in 1963 as the Hillman Imp.
Despite a host of early teething problems through a lack of development, the Imp was competitively priced and sold reasonably well. The Imp was a radically different small car and to enhance the car’s appeal the company introduced a string of upmarket badge- engineered versions and in 1965 unveiled the improved MkII Imp along with the now highly desirable limited edition 998cc powered Rallye Imp.
Production of this unique little car continued through the stormy days of the takeover of Rootes Group by Chrysler and production managed to soldier on until the final Hillman and Sunbeam badged Imps rolled off the assembly lines in 1976.