Hillman Imp History
Catalog record
Photography for this nameplate has not yet cleared the archive’s licensing and identity checks. The researched text below remains available while the page stays out of search and advertising inventory.
History
Launched in 1963, the Imp was a complete departure for Hillman: a rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive small car powered by a 875 cc water-cooled overhead-cam aluminium-alloy four derived from a Coventry Climax racing design. It was the first British mass-produced car to have both the engine block and cylinder head cast in aluminium.
Built at a brand-new, government-encouraged factory at Linwood in Renfrewshire, Scotland, the Imp was Rootes' answer to the BMC Mini. Early cars suffered reliability problems — partly from a rushed launch and an inexperienced workforce — that dented its reputation, but the design was genuinely clever and the little car excelled in motorsport, notably in rallying and saloon-car racing.
Around 440,000 Imps were built over thirteen years across several body styles and badge-engineered siblings (the Singer Chamois, Sunbeam Imp Sport, and Sunbeam Stiletto among them). Production continued to 1976, when the Linwood-built car was discontinued alongside the retirement of the Hillman marque.
Body styles
- Saloon
- Coupé
- Estate
- Van
Notable special editions & performance variants
Imp Californian
A fastback coupé version of the Imp with a sleeker fixed-rear-window roofline.
Sunbeam Imp Sport
A twin-carburettor, higher-output performance Imp sold under the Sunbeam badge.
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Hillman Imp
Search Amazon across available years, colors, and scales. Exact releases vary, so confirm the listing before ordering.