Hillman Imp Super

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Every now and again, a car comes along which deserves to be a lot more successful than it proves, the Hillman Imp falling firmly into this ‘heroic failure’ category for poor old Rootes.

Code-named Project Apex, it was to be the Rootes Group’s first small car and they were determined to get it right, work beginning on the car in 1955 and continuing steadily until it was finally ready for launch in 1963 – which was far too late as the equally brilliant Mini, launched in 1959, had by then stolen all its thunder.

Despite having fine handling by virtue of its all-independent suspension, an innovative opening rear screen, and a superb rear-mounted, race-derived, all-alloy Coventry Climax engine mated to a brilliant baulk-ring synchromesh transaxle that was far superior to the one found in the Mini, it just didn’t catch the imagination of the public like it’s giant-slaying rival and sales never came anywhere close to those that Rootes had envisaged.

The press loved it though: “The Imp can be hurled into corners at speeds which would be suicidal with most saloons… The performance is astonishingly lively for an 875cc car and bears comparison with many family saloons up to 1600cc… The gearchange is quite certainly one of the best, if not the best we have ever handled… If Rootes cannot sell 150,000 Imps a year, we shall eat our editorial hat,” gushed The Motor in 1963.

We can only hope that the hat tasted good because eat it they surely did – in 13 years only 440,000 Imps were sold before production finally ground to a halt in 1976. A shame, as the Imp was a clever and bold design with an eminently tuneable engine that made it a great success in competition, notably the 1965 Tulip Rally in which the works Imps of Rosemary Smith and ‘Tiny’ Lewis finished first and second overall. It still has a loyal following today and owners tend to hang on to them for years.

First registered in April 1973, this Imp has the upmarket Super trim and has had six owners from new, the vendor acquiring it in 2004 from a gentleman who had owned it since 1994. An Imp Club member, our vendor enjoyed the car until 2007, taking it to various shows as evidenced by some commemorative plaques on file. Unfortunately he then fell ill and the car was put into storage where it was to remain until earlier this year.

Recently taken out of storage, it has just been recommissioned for sale including various new clutch and brake parts. Documentation includes a V5C, workshop manual, various Imp Club magazines, historic photos of the car in happier days and a 2007 tax disc from when it was last in use.

Starting promptly and running nicely as we moved it around for these photos, after 12 years' inactivity it would doubtless benefit from a precautionary check-over before the lively performance is exploited to the full.