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Hillman Imp
The latest reviews & tributes to the Hillman Imp, add yours at the bottom.
| Year | Spec | Author | Fan Tributes to the Hillman Imp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | deluxe | michael doolan says... |  Fantastic little car. Excellent visibility. Good roadholding and can take corners very well. There is also a good spares service thanks to Malcolm Anderson. Leaps and bounds ahead of the Mini. |
| 1967 | - | Dave Edwards says... |  You just have to love them!!! And they go like stink when they're worked on... stopping afterwards can be a problem but you can't have it all!  |
| 1964 | 875cc | Duffy says... | Years ahead of its time and the Mini, bullet proof engine. |
| 1963 | - | Ronald Aspinwall says... | Vastly underrated pure fun and still gives hot hatches a run for their money. |
| 63 | 875cc | Jim Marnoch says... | Vastly underrated and much-maligned car. |
| 1968 | Sports | Deeming says... | Unusual design but practical, good value for money and cheap to maintain, great noise, great performance, still competitive today in motor sports! Amazing cross section of owners from Whizz Kids to Maiden Aunts! The Chamois variant had chrome and wood too!. |
| 1963 | 875cc petrol | drew aitchison says... | ultimate in light car design! |
| 1963 | - | Mr. Maddock says... | Two Imps owned 1965 model Hillman Imp and 1968 Sunbeam Imp Sport. Still in everyday use with no problems other than normal wear and tear. 1968 car has now over 600,000 miles, great handling, big car ride, able to keep up with and pass most modern cars. As an ex professional driver over 23 years and three million professional miles I have driven just about every type of car around and the Imp still gives me the greatest pleasure whether it be everyday motoring, Historic racing, hillclimbs and motorkhanas. Easy to work on and maintain. Even Ayrton Senna recommended the Imp. . |
| 1963 | - | Derek Jones says... | Tremendous fun to drive. |
| 1960 | - | Junior Theophane says... | This is a car that's so hip the Queen Mum once tried to replace it! |
| 1964 | all variants | Paul Robinson says... | They have stood the test of time and are still a relatively cheap classic with a lot of the parts being re-manufactured. And they kick Mini's asses!!! :). |
| 1963 | 875cc petrol | Chris Mabbutt says... | They are just such a fun car to drive. |
| 1963 | - | Mr. Butt says... | The most fun you'll ever have without breaking the bank (unless you wanna break the bank, then it's even more fun!). |
| 1963 | 875 | Steve Saunders says... | The Imp was innovative in more than a few ways! Most obvious of all: it was the first mass-production British car ever to have the engine in the back. Then there was the light aluminium alloy die-cast engine. Few other cars of that time had it. The Hillman Imp was Britain's first mass-produced car with engine block and cylinder head cast in aluminium. The engine slanted sharply from left to right to lower the centre of gravity. It had an advanced single overhead camshaft design. It also had an unusually high compression ratio of 10 to 1, possible because of an advanced combustion chamber shape. The imp also had independent suspension. It could be suggested that it was the first ever hatch back as it had an opening rear window that lifted to give access to luggage room above the engine combined with a folding seat squab, at the very least it anticipated the hatchback. The Hillman Imp was the first car to use a Diaphragm Spring Clutch. In 1963 it had many features that would not become common in other cars until the end of the 70s: a third 'door'; special folding bench seat in the back; automatic choke; no grease points; gauges for temperature, voltage and oil pressure; light. It also had great handling a responsive steering. It easily out performed its rival the mini! Above all this is the fact that the Imp was my first car and the one that I past my test in!! |
| 1963 | 998cc!!!!!! | craig turner says... | Technically advanced for the time. fast ecanomical. Now still fun to drive and will keep up with most moderns on the twisty bits. ,Contact the Imp club and we will prove. |
| 1963 | - | SIMON CREASEY says... | Superb handling, advanced design, infinitely tunable, classy when original spec, down right mean when specced up with taste. Simple to work on, cheap to run. A wonderful car. |
| 1963 | 875cc all-alloy OHC | Joe Rae says... | Sparkling handling for a small car, better than any mini. |
| 1970 | - | jimmy bates says... | So cool and understated. |
| 1968 | - | Ken Dunkley says... | Simply the best. |
| 1968 | 875cc | Tony Goodall says... | Roomy, good looking, great handling, quick, economical. Ahead of its time! |
| 1967 | super 875cc | Lindsay Duncan says... | Real fun car to drive and with tlc and due respect proven to be handy and reliable. |
| 1963 | - | Craig McArthur says... | One of the best handling small cars ever built, and one of the most tunable. |
| 1963 | - | Steve Potz-Rayner says... | More fun than a Mini, cheaper than a Porsche, more sideways action than a great big sideways thing travelling sideways in Sidewaysland. |
| 1963 | 875 | Steve Stanton says... | Mini beater, far better than is given credit for, after all it was a COMPLETELY new design, unlike the mini which had loads of borrowed (and therefore proven) bits. |
| 1966 | - | Gillian Hill says... | It was so far ahead of it's time.,Can't take one out without getting I / my father / my neighbour had one / learned to drive in one etc! |
| 1964 | - | Tim Morgan says... | I've owned more than 130 Imps since 1988 and I still can't find anything that gives the same grins per mile as one. I was the editor of CLASSICS magazine, so got to drive some really amazing cars but still keep coming back to the Imp. |