The Imp Club

The Imp Club promotes the enjoyment/preservation of the Hillman Imp and derivatives. Our aim is Keeping the Imp Alive!
Regalia
Club Spares
Forum

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

How's that winter project?
Need a few bits of trim or full on resto, club spares can help its members with parts at great prices. Panels? Ex-Pressed Steel Panels Ltd can help and give our members 10% discount. Head to our website and join immediately.

https://t.co/9pQ1Nmp2P6

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

1 day until Christmas and the letter Z is for Zimp. The Zagato Zimp prototypes. 3 were made, but with the financial losses at Rootes, the project was axed.

To read all the 26 articles in full from A-Z, head to our facebook page The Imp Club. Official.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

2 days until Christmas. The letter Y is for years.

The Imp was produced from May 1963 to early 1976. The Mk1 was available as the Imp Saloon and Imp Saloon Deluxe with the Singer Chamois arriving soon after. Production ended with the Caledonian, released October 1975.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

3 days until Christmas and the letter X is for eX rally cars. Specifically the 1965 Hillman Imp Super, FRW306C. Rosemary Smith won the Coupes Des Dames 1966 Monte Carlo (6th overall) for being the first placed ladies team. Sadly, and rather controversially disqualified.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

4 days until Christmas and the letter W is for Whomobile. Jon Pertwee, 3rd Doctor Who, commissioned Peter Farries to build him a car you his own design. It was used in the BBC series and used an Imp engine specially built by Chrysler UK. It's fully road legal, top speed 105mph!

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

5 days until Christmas and the letter V is for Van. Launched in 1965, the van could carry a payload of 5cwt and boast 50mpg. Returned using a low compression engine, the plan was to win large fleet contracts. Sadly the saloon reliability had already tainted the Imp reputation.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

6 days until Christmas and the letter U is for underdog. The Imp with slower development and later release than the Mini might make it the underdog, but its definitely the one to bet on for a fun little car.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

7 days until Christmas and T is for TVR Tina. Two prototypes were made, but TVR couldn't get the backing for mass production and it was axed. Both models were stored and now lovingly restored.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

8 days until Christmas. The letter S is for Siva Llama. Shown at the 1974 Motor Show, steel chassis/fibreglass body that with entirely flat panels,resembled a Mini Moke. 4 options, 2 seater roadster, 4 seater convertible, estate or a van, powered by the Imp engine and gearbox.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

9 days until Christmas and the letter R is for Rootes. Rootes Group, founded by William Rootes is the company who built the Imp range through the subsidiary companies it bought up in the 1930s.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

10 days until Christmas and the letter Q is for the late Quentin Wilson. In 1998, the BBC aired season 5 of the popular 'The Car's The Star'. Episode 2. Quentin Wilson, talked through the in's and out's of the car, the history.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

12 days until Christmas. The letter O is for October as it was the most popular month for new Imp releases.
OCTOBER 64 - Singer Chamois
OCTOBER 66 - Singer Chamois Sport/Sunbeam Imp Sport
OCTOBER 67 - Sunbeam Stiletto
OCTOBER 70 - Sunbeam Sport
OCTOBER 75 -Caledonian

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

13 days until Christmas and the letter N is for National. The Imp National is the pinnacle of the Imp calendar. Usually at the beginning of August, volunteers organise the annual gathering, bringing together the most Imps in one place since the factory doors closed.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

14 days until Christmas and M is for Motorsport. Imps have always been very competitive, from the old Rally days with Rosemary Smith at the wheel to the current day CTCRC where several Imps compete and one of our younger members has won the championship outright.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

15 days until Christmas and L is for Linwood. The plant and where the Hillman Imp was made. Opened in May 1963 by Prince Philip, production continued until 1976. The doors finally closed in May 1981. The last parts were flattened this year.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

16 days until Christmas and the letter K is for Kit Cars with a K, specifically the Fraser GT K9, Scorpion K19 and the KNW, later known as the Imposter - which was built before BL announced the TR7, so is not a copy of one.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

17 days till Christmas. J is for JoLon Imp. The car driven over 14000 miles, 3 continents and 20 countries to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Imp launch. Done in less than 40 days in 2013.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

18 days until Christmas. I is for Imp women. These icude the Imp costumed lady who promoted the Imp at motorshows, past club president, Rosemary Smith, current president Sue Knight, and the 'Lady Imp', a special for the American market, sold alongside the Lord Imp.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

19 day until Christmas and H is for Husky. Launched in 1967, the Husky used the van body with sliding rear side windows, a rear folding seat and generous loading area, doubling in size with the back seat folded.

[The Imp Club @TheImpClub]

20 days until Christmas. The letter G is for Ginetta, and specifically, the Ginetta G15. With over 800 units leaving the factory, it is considered the most successful of the Imp based kit cars and was available to buy as a comprehensive kit of parts, or fully factory built.