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The Hillman Imp is a small economy car that was made by the Rootes Group and its successor Chrysler Europe from 1963 until 1976. Revealed on 3 May 1963, [6] after much advance publicity, it was the first British mass-produced car with the engine block and cylinder head cast in aluminium.
Adrian Evans (d. 1992), a structural engineer and the car's designer, built a series of cars called Davrian from 1965, based on components from the Hillman Imp, including the front and rear suspension, the 875 or 998 cc (53.4 or 60.9 cu in) [1] aluminium alloy Hillman Imp engine which was Coventry Climax-based [2] and the Imp transaxle.
The rear-engine Hillman Imp never caught on with the buying public. In 1963, Rootes introduced the Hillman Imp, a compact rear-engined saloon with an innovative all-aluminium OHC engine, based on a Coventry Climax engine design (originally used for a fire pump).
1963–76 Hillman Imp, 875 – 998cc Rootes engine, but design inspired by FWMA; 1964-65 Brabham BT11, 1497cc FWMV; 1965 Lotus 33, 1497cc FWMV, World Champion; 1965–75 Bond 875 and Bond Ranger, low compression version of Imp engine; 1967-74 Ginetta G15, 875cc Imp and 998cc Rally Imp engines; 1971-74 Clan Crusader, 875cc Imp engine
A complete departure in 1963 was the Hillman Imp using a Coventry Climax derived all alloy, 875 cc rear engine and built in a brand new factory in Linwood, Scotland. The location was chosen under government influence to bring employment to a depressed area.
Hillman Imp. Despite being released with high hopes and getting much positive media attention at the time of its launch, the Hillman Imp was a commercial failure that was largely responsible for its parent group, the Rootes Group, getting into financial difficulties and being taken over by Chrysler to become part of Chrysler Europe in 1967.
The new factory was officially opened in May 1963 and the new rear-engined Hillman Imp went on sale the next day but there were difficulties with industrial relations and, soon, the Imp's reliability. The Imp's heavy development expenses and slackening sales to USA brought about losses for the Rootes group in both 1962 and 1963. [24]
No further Huskies were made until a new model based on the Hillman Imp appeared in April 1967. [6] This new Husky shared the Imp's rear-mounted 875 cc (53.4 cu in) overhead camshaft engine, and had slightly better performance than the Imp, being approximately 330 lb (150 kg) lighter. [7] The same engine was also adopted by the Bond 875.