The Hillman Imp Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1963

The Hillman Imp was manufactured under the Hillman brand name, by the Rootes Group. The Imp was assembled in Linwood, a small town in Renfrewshire, Scotland, 14 miles south-west of Glasgow.

Answer: 874

The engine used in the Hillman Imp was a modified Coventry Climax fire pump engine. The all-aluminium engine was fitted at an angle of 45° to enable the engine to fit behind the rear wheels. Another advantage of having the mechanics arranged this way, was it also helped to counteract the oversteer handling characteristics of rear engined cars.

The modified engine would become Britain's first all-aluminium, overhead-camshaft production engine.

Answer: Rear

All the Imp variants had the engine at the rear. Other manufacturers at that time using engines at the rear was the FIAT 500, 600, 850, 126,133, NSU Prinz, Renault 4CV, Dauphine, Caravelle, R8, R10 and of course Porsche with the 356 and 911.

Answer: True

Adrian West designed the Imps gearbox. The gearbox had synchromesh in all forward gears, a feat even Alec Issigonis the inventor of the Mini could not achieve.
The gearbox was made in an light alloy.

Answer: False

Twin carbs were only used on the Sunbeam Imp Sport, Sunbeam Stiletto, Singer Chamois Sport and in the Rallye Imp. From 1963 to 1966 the basic Imp used the standard carb which was a single semi-downdraught Solex B30 PIHT.

Answer: 1966

The Chamois Sport had a twin-carbs and a mildly tuned engine that produced 51bhp.
Other notable differences between the basic model and the Chamois Sport was it had a walnut dash, luxury seats and interior. The Sport also featured wider wheels and a special front grille. The 1966 Chamois Sport only had single front headlights, this was changed to twin headlights in 1969. The performance of the 875cc Sport was a 0/60 in a time of 16.s and a top speed of 90mph.

Answer: True

The Sunbeam Stiletto was produced from 1967 until 1972. The Sunbeam Stiletto had a vinyl roof, four headlights and came with radial tyres.

Answer: True

The Rallye Imp was not intended as a road car, but more of a competition car. Only 1000 cars were built to conform with the homologation rules. The Rallye Imp was made to order only. The normal 875cc engine was enlarged to 998cc. In 1965 the works Rally Imp finished first and second overall in the Tulip Rally.

In 1970, 1971 and 1972 the Imp won the British Saloon Car Championship, now known as the British Touring Car Championship.

Answer: True

The nickname for the Hillman Imp police car was the Panda. The panda car was mainly used for patrolling in towns and cities.

Answer: 440,013

The first Hillman Imp rolled of the production line in October 1963. The car was driven by his HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, who opened the plant in Linwood, Scottland. The last car to come of the production line was in March 1976.

So, did the Imp rival the Mini?, In some ways yes. Early models did have a few problems, but once these were sorted out the Imp was a fine car. The handling and performance was as good as the Mini and the interior offered slightly more space. The price for the basic model was higher than that of the Mini but not over the top. The Imp offered a bigger range to choose from and the Sport range came close to the Mini Cooper S. Myself given the choice, I would have gone for the Cooper S.