Hillman Imp
| Hillman | |
|---|---|
 Front view Hillman Imp
|
|
| Imp | |
| Production period: | 1963-1976 |
| Class : | Small car |
| Body versions : | limousine |
| Engines: |
Otto engine : 0.88 liters (29 kW) |
| Length: | 3590 mm |
| Width: | 1530 mm |
| Height: | 1380-1490 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2080 mm |
| Empty weight : | 700-725 kg |
| successor | Talbot Sunbeam |
The Hillman Imp was a small car model from the manufacturer Hillman belonging to the Rootes group . It was produced from 1963 to 1976 in Linwood near Glasgow , Great Britain .
Development history
Like the BMC ADO 15 (Austin Seven, Morris Mini Minor and others), the Imp (in German about Kobold ) was a response to the sharp rise in oil prices caused by the Suez crisis . For a long time, the Rootes group had no interest in a small car, but as a result of the Suez crisis and the success of the Mini, they felt compelled to act, which is why the Imp was developed within just under three years. In contrast to the Mini, the Imp had rear-wheel drive and a four-cylinder rear engine with 875 cm³ displacement and 39 bhp (29 kW). Its top speed was 127 km / h. The motor with aluminum housing was derived from the Coventry Climax FWMA, which was originally designed as a drive for portable fire pumps (portable pumps) used by the fire service and was therefore very light. A special feature of the car was the hinged rear window, which gave access to a small trunk. In addition, the back seat could be folded down so that the Imp had usable storage space despite the rear engine.
The Imp never reached the popularity of the Mini, although like this it was also relatively successful in motorsport . One reason for this was the poor quality of materials and workmanship - the Imp was manufactured in a newly built factory in Linwood , Scotland , but the workers there had largely no experience with industrial production and the quality was accordingly modest. In addition, there were some design flaws (due to the short development time), so the engine tended to overheat. A total of about 440,000 pieces were made.
Variants of the Imp
From 1967 to 1970 a three-door station wagon, the Husky model , and a coupé, the Hillman Imp Californian , with the same engine were offered in addition to the sedan .
As usual with the Rootes group , a lot of badge engineering was also carried out for the Imp . There was also the Sunbeam Stiletto , Sunbeam Imp Sport and the Singer Chamois .
The Hillman Zimp
In 1963, Zagato designed a lightweight notchback body for the Imp chassis in Milan . The vehicle was named Hillman Zimp . Three prototypes were made for exhibition purposes. The Rootes group considered serial production of the elegant model; the plans ultimately failed because of Chrysler's veto. It therefore remained with three copies produced. The vehicles still exist today. They are in the hands of collectors.
Additions and successors
In 1963, the Rootes Group considered developing an enlarged, four-door version of the Imp based on the Chevrolet Corvair . The project was developed under the name Swallow for about a year; At the beginning of 1964, however, the work on the Swallow was stopped because the costs for series production were estimated to be too high. The Swallow was replaced by the Rootes Arrow project, which was implemented as Hillman Hunter and was on sale for almost a decade and a half.
The successor to the Imp was in 1976 the Chrysler Sunbeam, developed on the platform of the Hillman Avenger , with a front engine and rear wheel drive. It too had a glass tailgate.
Trivia
Alec Issigonis , the developer of the Mini, is said to have said after a test drive with the Imp: "Really great, your car - unfortunately it's upside down!" - an allusion to the fact that the Imp had good driving characteristics, but the Mini had shown that the future of the small car lay in the front engine and drive, while the Imp had both in the rear.
| Hillman | Imp / Husky | Californian | Imp sport | Rally Imp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine: | 4-cylinder in-line engine (four-stroke), rear | |||
| Displacement: | 875 cc | 998 cc | ||
| Bore × stroke: | 68 x 60.4 mm | 72.5 x 60.4 mm | ||
| Performance at 1 / min: | 29 kW (39 hp) at 5000 |
38 kW (51 hp) at 6100 |
45 kW (60 hp) at 6200 |
|
| Max. Torque at 1 / min: | 71 Nm at 2800 | 71 Nm at 4300 | 79 Nm at 3200 | |
| Compression: | 10.0: 1 | |||
| Mixture preparation: | 1 downdraft carburetor Solex 30 | 2 horizontal carburetors Zenith / Stromberg | ||
| Valve control: | Overhead camshaft, chain drive | |||
| Cooling: | Water cooling | |||
| Transmission: | Fully synchronized 4-speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive |
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| Front suspension: | Pendulum axle , coil springs | |||
| Rear suspension: | Trailing arm axle , coil springs | |||
| Brakes: | Drum brakes all around | |||
| Steering: | Rack and pinion steering | |||
| Body: | Sheet steel, self-supporting | |||
| Track width front / rear: | 1280/1220 mm | |||
| Wheelbase: | 2080 mm | |||
| Dimensions: | Imp: 3590 × 1530 × 1380 mm Californian: 3590 × 1530 × 1330 mm Husky: 3590 × 1530 × 1490 mm |
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| Empty weight: | 701-715 kg Husky: 748 kg |
714 kg | 724 kg | 701 kg |
| Maximum speed (factory): | 126 km / h Husky: 121 km / h |
130 km / h | 138-145 km / h | 152 km / h |
| 0-100 km / h (factory): | 28.2 s | 26.8 s | 17.9 s | n / A |
| Consumption (liters / 100 kilometers, factory): |
approx. 6.3-7.8 p | 6.6-7.8 S. | 8.1-9.4 S | |
| Price (SFr, 1969): | 5,690 | 6,950 | 7.190 | - |
literature
- Automobil Revue , catalog number 1969 (dates and prices)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Tony Davis: Naff Motors. 101 Automotive Lemons. ISBN 1-84605-064-2 .
- ↑ a b Dennis Schwiderski: Ruhrpott Mini IG. Accessed June 13, 2018 .
- ↑ Images of the Hillman Zimp on www.autowp.ru ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
