posted at the Cohort by Bruno Ferlito
Finding a compact car with a rear engine in Rome, and Italy generally, cannot be difficult. From 1955, first with the 600, then the 500 Nuova as well, later the 850 and finally the 126 and 133, Fiat were selling substantial numbers of rear engined cars for nearly 50 years. All in, I suspect you’re looking at perhaps 12 million or more cars. So, seeing a rear engined car in Rome is not an event. But I suspect this one is.
A Sunbeam Imp, or to our British readers, a Hillman Imp. The only volume British car with a rear engine, aimed at the Mini and Ford Anglia from 1963 and assembled in a purpose built factory close to Glasgow Airport. As you probably know, not a commercial success, or in its early formative and market important years, a technical success either. Around 440,000 of all variants were sold in 13 years, compared to 300,000 Minis a year in the late 1960s.
The Hillman name was used in the UK for first and entry level cars. Semi-luxury Singer Chamois and sporty Sunbeam Imps were available in various forms at various times, but the Sunbeam name was also used in many export markets, across a lot of the Rootes range, such as the Sunbeam Arrow saloon. In the home market, this would have been a Hillman Imp Super, but is likely fitted with a 50bhp version of the 875cc engine and some other market specific differences. The Minilites are an aftermarket extra, as is the deletion of the unloc external handles on the rear engine cover.
Interesting that holes for the original pair of RHD wipers are still present.
Those are the screenwasher jets – I think they swapped them about for the RHD versions.
That was a common trick on British cars, even into the 1980s and beyond
The hatchback above the engine hood is a unique trick. Seems like it wouldn’t have been very useful for cargo, but might have been good for ventilation.
I’ll play devil’s advocate here, despite having no practical knowledge 🙂
Yes, I think it was a bit awkward to access this cargo/luggage area through that hatch/glass, but consider the alternative in a Beetle or Corvair 2-door, where accessing that area required opening a door, folding the seatback forward, and kneeling on the rear seat to get stuff in there.
The solution on the Imp was brilliant by comparison!
I have an aftermarket chrome stay for my Imp. This would keep the rear window open for a couple of centimeters. The idea was that it might improve the ventilation as you say. Driving in the city and at low speeds this does help. However the area behind the rear window is a low pressure area at higher speeds so exhaust fumes are sucked in. Not to be used when driving on motorways 🙂
If I recall correctly, the die cast Dinky Toy Imp had an opening boot lid to reveal the engine. The Corgi Toy version merely had the opening rear window which was one piece of clear plastic and quite fragile. Definitely couldn’t stand up to a seven year old’s rigorous use.
Well used example attached.
We rented an Imp on a UK trip in 1976. We got to know the AA man on a first name basis in those short three weeks.
Nice wee Imp, there are numerous surviving Imps in NZ its nice to see others around the planet, once a couple of baked in faults were cured they were a good little car but the bad rep came with the first ones and stayed.
In Australia, Roots Group of course introduced the Hillman Imp in 1964, but later when Chrysler Australia took over Roots Group a MK II version was sold with a carpeted interior and additional exterior body moldings. From memory I think a ‘sporty’ version was offered in around 1968. But Australia never had the Sunbeam version.
We had the Sunbeam Stiletto over in England. A sporty fast back cope version which seemed to take over from Truimph Heard Coupe as a ladies car. IThe Imp must have been a prestige purchase in the land of the Fiat 500.like the Mini was in France.
I seem to recall reading a road test of the fastback version in the newspaper, but never saw one on the road. Once the original got a reputation, buyers tended to go elsewhere. Survivors seem to carry the Imp II badge.
Nice to see Paolo’s Imp featured here. Paolo is probably the most known Italian Imp owner in the Imp Owners Club. He frequently attends the Imp Club National meeting in the summer in this Imp, and rightly has won prices for the Imp travelled the longest distance to the venue.
As for Sunbeam: Rootes first used this as the “sporty” make in their portfolio. So the Sunbeam versions always were the quicker ones. Until the late seventies this was the case in the UK.
Export markets however were different. In many countries after 1966, including mine (Netherlands), the Hillman, Singer and Humber makes were discontinued. All models were still available but named Sunbeam.
So, in 1968 a Sunbeam dealer here would have the Sunbeam Imp, Sunbeam Imp Sport, Sunbeam Chamois, Sunbeam Imp van, Sunbeam Stiletto, Sunbeam Minx, Sunbeam Hunter, Sunbeam Vogue, Sunbeam Gazelle, Sunbeam Sceptre, Sunbeam Alpine. Verrrry confusing!
So then ;
What, exactly were the baked in problems in the MKI’s ? .
-Nate
Problems galore. It was a new factory in an area with no auto experience. Plus Rootes manufacturing process was Heath Robinson.
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/classic-cars/104965/hillman-imp-buying-guide-and-review-1963-1975
THANK YOU VERY MUCH ! .
A mate of mine has one he’s trying to get road worthy .
-Nate
Here’s a site which may also be useful / interesting.
https://www.imps4ever.info/
Re the rear window, it was useful for storing a few bags of shopping and you could fold down the rear seat from there should you have wished to carry more. They were nice little cars, but needed a sympathetic owner.
What is the “model year” for this one?
I think I see the older type of dashboard, which would date it before Oct 1968. The side stripes with black insides, rear engine cover and the front badge would point this as a Sunbeam Imp Sport which was introduced Oct 1966. So this car would be between those two dates.
This is a car I often see parked in that street when walking for my morning coffee at my favorite cafe.
It’s a daily driver, I’ve seen it more than once moving and the engine runs beautifully.
Actually, in Rome there are still plenty of 500, some 600 and very few 850 and 126 (we didn’t have any 133 in Italy) but this is the only Imp I’ve seen in the whole country in decades.