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Sunbeam Imp - advanced rear-engine Imp with racing genes

Name: Sunbeam Imp 1969
Brand: Sunbeam

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Created on June 26, 2012

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Balz Schreier

Archiv

Daniel Reinhard

Bruno von Rotz

Balz Schreier

Archiv

116 1

Sunbeam Imp (1969) - impressive faces were already being created at the beginning of the sixties

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - Generously glazed interior

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the rear engine gives the little Imp good traction even in the mountains

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the small engine of the basic Imp struggles uphill

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - low weight and high-torque engine

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - on winding roads, the Imp showed many a "competitor" its tail lights

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the basic Imp ran at a good 120 km/h with 39 hp

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - convincing handling

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the Imp was designed to corner smoothly and hardly oversteer at all

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - immediately recognizable as a child of the early sixties

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the missing radiator at the front gives the Imp a unique look

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - The rear wheels are relatively far forward to make room for the rear engine

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - Large passenger cabin despite short overall length

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - typical rear-engined car face

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the front hood conceals the fuel tank, spare wheel and trunk

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the engine compartment is kept closed by two latches on the left and right

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - a compact car, but still room for four people

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - depending on the engine and speed limits, the cooling of the engine varied and additional openings were added

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - external hinges for the rear window

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - minimalist driver's workplace in the basic Imp

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the early models still had a tape speedometer

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - sparse equipment, a speedometer and a fuel gauge have to suffice

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - even the water and oil pressure warning functions were combined in one light

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the choke is operated by the gear lever

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the front seats can be folded forward as a whole

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the backrest of the rear seat can be folded down

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the folded seat backrest creates additional storage space, which can also be easily loaded from the outside thanks to the hinged rear window

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - simple bracket for the rear seat backrest

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - the rear window can be opened

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - hinged rear window was a novelty in 1963

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - The rear window can be closed

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - Besides the gas tank and spare wheel, there is not much space left in the front trunk

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - Almost every component was adapted for the Imp, so that in the end the engine can rather be considered an in-house development - what remained was the all-aluminum construction, overhead camshaft, short-stroke design, high compression ratio

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - The Imp engine was based on the Coventry-Climax engines

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - originally all Imp were called Hillman, only later was the Imp also available as Sunbeam

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - 12-inch wheels, an advantage over the Mini

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - space-saving solution - external hinges

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - practical hinged window for additional ventilation

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Sunbeam Imp (1969) - dainty rear tail lights

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Sunbeam Imp (1970) - it goes fast, despite its small displacement and modest horsepower

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Sunbeam Imp (1970) - was intended to compete with the Mini with a reversed conceptual approach

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Sunbeam Imp (1970) - large window areas, short overhangs

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Sunbeam Imp (1970) - unrestored, comfort-limited interior

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Hillman Imp de Luxe (1963) - neatly arranged with a lady

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Hillman Imp de Luxe (1963) - exceptionally large windows

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Hillman Imp de Luxe (1963) - the additional storage space created by folding down the rear seat backrest could be easily loaded through the hinged rear window

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Hillman Imp de Luxe (1963) - the rear view has hardly changed over the entire construction period

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Hillman Imp de Luxe (1963) - View of the aluminum engine in the rear

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Hillman Imp (1964) - four happy passengers in the Imp

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Hillman Imp Deluxe (1964) - two golf bags can also be accommodated in the Imp

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Hillman Imp de Luxe (1963) - IMP 2 and IMP 3 in one picture

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Hillman Imp de Luxe (1963) - wonderful press recording

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Hillman Imp (1963) - the early models had a tape speedometer

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Hillman Imp de Luxe (1963) - the interior door panel contained a practical storage compartment

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Hillman Imp de Luxe (1963) - the front windows could be opened

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Hillman Imp de Luxe (1963) - flat rear seat, no cardan tunnel

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Hillman Imp (1963) - Everything folded down in the long-distance test vehicle

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Hillman Imp (1963) - Rear seat folded down on long-distance test car

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Hillman Imp (1963) - the vehicles were not spared during the test drives

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Hillman Imp (1963) - Transparent drawing

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Hillman Imp (1963) - Sketch - Cylinder head and overhead camshaft

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Hillman Imp (1964) - sketch; engine block

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Hillman Imp (1963) - the inclined four-cylinder and the rear axle

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Hillman Imp (1963) - the drive seen from below on the production line

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Hillman Imp (1963) - drive units ready for installation

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Hillman Imp (1963) - the four-speed gearbox in an aluminum housing

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Hillman Imp (1963) - Front axle construction

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Hillman Imp (1963) - the underbody of the endurance test vehicle

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Hillman Imp (1963) - long-distance test vehicle - a look into the engine compartment reveals the aluminum four-cylinder engine inclined at 45 degrees

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Hillman Imp (1964) - View into the engine compartment of one of the endurance test cars

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Hillman Imp (1963) - an early Imp in the long-distance test - the seats were not only praised

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Hillman Imp (1963) - an early Imp in a long-distance test - front section, trunk with spare wheel

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Hillman Imp (1964) - View of the dashboard of the endurance test car

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Hillman Imp (1963) - one of the vehicles used in the Automobil Revue endurance test

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Hillman Imp (1963) - front view of the long-distance test vehicle - the Imp lettering on the front is clearly visible

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Hillman Imp (1963) - early Imp in the handling test

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Hillman Imp (1963) - three different vehicles were used for the AR endurance test

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Hillman Imp (1964) - the hinged rear window on the test car

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Hillman Imp (1963) - front section with the type designation "Imp"

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Hillman Imp (1963) - wide-opening doors for easy access

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Hillman Imp (1963) - picturesquely positioned in front of the Firth of Forth Bridge

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Hillman Imp (1964) - Transparent drawing

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Hillman Imp (1963) - Test drives in the Arctic circles

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Hillman Imp (1964) - Presentation at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show

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Hillman Imp (1964) - simply designed interior door panel of the endurance test car

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Hillman Zimp (1964) - built in three examples as prototypes by Zagato

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Sunbeam Imp Sport (1967) - the sporty version with more power (50 hp) was added later

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Sunbeam Stiletto (1968) - the pretty coupé was particularly popular with pretty women - illustration from a sales brochure

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Sunbeam Stiletto (1968) - who could resist - illustration from a sales brochure

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Sunbeam Stiletto (1967) - the coupé remained much rarer than the saloon

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Sunbeam Stiletto (1967) - the more expensive coupé version with more power

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Sunbeam Stiletto (1967) - high-performance coupé version

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Sunbeam Stiletto (1967) - with twin headlights

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Sunbeam Imp Mark 2 (1968) - youthfully fresh in a brochure

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Sunbeam Imp Mark 2 (1968) - sporty design

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Sunbeam Imp Mark II (1968) - outwardly hardly distinguishable from its predecessor

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Sunbeam Imp Mark II (1968) - admiration for the interior - illustration in a sales brochure

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Singer Chamois Saloon Mark 2 (1968) - the luxury model with high-end features

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Sunbeam Imp Sport (1968) - the Sport version differed in details from the normal version

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Singer Chamois Mark II (1968) - the Mark II Singer featured a stylized radiator grille - illustration from a sales brochure

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Singer Chamois Mark II (1968) - easy to park - said the sales brochure

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Singer Chamois Mark II (1968) - the refined interior with wood and oil pressure indicator in the Singer

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Singer Chamois Sport (1970) - Refined Singer version of the sedan

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Singer Chamois (1970) - more equipment and ambiance in the Singer

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Sunbeam Imp Sport (1970) - the sports version was a lot of (driving) fun

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Sunbeam Stiletto (1970) - production of the coupé ended before the saloon

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Sunbeam Stiletto (1971) - the coupé looked more elegant than the saloon

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Summary

It was presented in 1963 as the "big" competitor to the Austin Mini, the Hilllman Imp, later also sold as the Sunbeam Imp. It was the first rear-engined car in England. But it came too late and, despite its progressive design approach, ultimately stood no chance against the Mini. Only in racing was it able to put it in its place. Today, it is seen less often than many a Ferrari. This report looks back at the history of the Hillman/Sunbeam Imp and shows a restored vehicle from 1969 in detail, supplemented by factory photos, brochures and other documents.

This article contains the following chapters

Long preparation time
Eye to eye with the Mini developers
Innovative solutions
All new in Scotland
Enthusiasm in the press
Only one-off cars?
Wonderful multiplication
Motorsport successes to this day
Imp GT (Rally Imp) better than Mini Cooper S
Not a timeless beauty
Easy and handy to drive
14 years of construction
Rare and even rarer examples
Further information

Estimated reading time: 11min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It was the "big" competitor to the Austin Mini, and its creators thought they had a real chance. But despite innovative solutions and remarkable racing successes, hardly anyone remembers the Hillmann or Sunbeam Imp today, while the Mini is still taking the hearts of car buyers by storm. However, this is precisely why it is worth taking a closer look at the "Kobold" (translation of Imp), as its conservative exterior concealed state-of-the-art technology and exciting detailed solutions for the time. The Rootes company had risen to become one of the leading car manufacturers in England in the post-war period. With the Hillman Minx and other models, the company had a competitive range, but there was no entry-level model to compete with the Ford Popular, Austin A30 or Morris Minor, as well as the Volkswagen from Germany or the Fiat 500 from Italy.

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