Hillman Imp : The prototypes

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June 25, 2011 · AROnline Card Icon Matthew Hayward · AROnline Comments Icon No Comments

The Hillman Imp came about as a direct response to the Suez-crisis induced petrol shortages of 1956/57, even though Rootes had started small car investigations long before this.

The first small Rootes car was Little Jim, but this was followed by the Slug in the mid-1950s. The Imp came from Project Apex, which was a development of the Slug. The car was soon well defined at Coventry, but not before a few blind alleys had been explored…

The Slug

Immediate response to the challenge of producing an ultra-economical saloon, was to mimic many of the design cues first seen in the infamous “bubble cars”. This particular design study sported a 2-cylinder Villiers engine and Goggomobile-inspired styling, and was passed over by Rootes management. The Rootes board felt that the small car needed to maintain the quality associated with its larger cousins.

Project Apex

Imp proposal

Later during the Imp’s life, ways of increasing versatility and accommodations were investigated by the desgn team. One such idea was this hatchbacked version… It was passed over, and eventually replaced by the Chrysler Sunbeam.

Apex pictures supplied by Graham Arnold