Some people think that because the Imp is rear-engined, it's handling is very poor. But these people are VERY WRONG. With a few small modifications, it can be turned into a reliable, everyday run-around. The Imp was originally sold by three companies: Hillman, Singer and Sunbeam. Singer made the Chamois, this was a more refined version of the Imp, with a higher standard of interior trim, and a wood dash. The Sunbeam Stiletto, originally sold for £726, had sleeker lines than the basic Imp and Imp Super. I own a 1972 Hillman Imp Super which had been turned into a convertible before I bought it in June 95. In the ad, it was described as "99% complete", but it was discovered to be a lot of filler, and not much metal! It is currently undergoing restoration, and should be ready for summer '98, although I will not be able to make it to St Andrews' National Weekend (A large get together of The Imp Club members)which is on the 30th July - 4th August. If you would like information on this great weekend event,mail me. As well as our two cars, we also have a portable Coventry Climax engine which was used as a water pump by the Merseyside Fire Brigade. It runs superbly, and makes the ground rumble!! We are not certain, but we believe that it has a capacity of 1040cc. Why not put in a car? I hear you cry. Weight. Because it was an early engine, and not designed to be a lightweight Imp powerer, it is rather heavy, and I have heard rumours that they only produced something in the region of 40bhp. I also have a '69 Singer Chamois Coupe, which is waiting patiently to be restored. The body is in fairly poor condition with quite a lot of rust. The interior has been removed, but is complete and in quite good condition. The wooden trimmed dash is complete and in excellent condition, and has been removed from the car. Here are some pictures of my Imp Convertible before restoration in 1995.
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