The underrated Imp lived under the shadow of the Mini, but it had far more going for it than its sales suggested. Arriving four years after the Mini, it was powered by an advanced rear-mounted all-aluminium water-cooled 875cc engine. At the time, the VW Beetle, Fiat 600, Renault 8 and Simca 1000 were still all strong sellers, so utilising the rear-engine set-up had yet to lose flavour. Rootes worked hard to overcome the traditional problems of rear-mounted engines, resulting in the Imp having an even weight distribution, guided by light and efficient competition-bred engines.
Considered a sporty drive even in standard tune, they were also easy to work on with a good dealer network and spares availability. However, early and persistent trouble from its engine cooling and poor starting did the car no favours, paying a toll on the Imp’s success. The original incarnation was launched as a Hillman, but as sales fell short of expectations, two new trim levels were rolled out.
The Sunbeam Imp Sport and the rarer Singer Chamois Sport arrived in 1966. The Singer was presented as an upmarket version, with the Sunbeam being marketed as the sporting option, with both offering an additional 12bhp. The model was enhanced by further variations, with the Hillman-only estate (although the similar commercial van model was badged as a Commer) called the Husky. The final variants of the Imp were the Hillman Imp Californian, the twin-carb Sunbeam Chamois Sport and the Stiletto coupes. The latter was initially recognised by the extra cooling slots, vinyl roof and distinctive quad headlamps, although the Singer later inherited the new frontal arrangement.
All Singers, along with the Husky models were dropped in 1970, and all three pretty little coupes ceased production in 1972. The saloon was earmarked to end soon after, but the fuel crisis and subsequent demand for small economical cars allowed the design a stay of execution. The last car, a Hillman, rolled off the troubled Linwood plant in 1976.