Why the Hillman Imp became the first English rear-engined car

Bruno von Rotz
06/30/2012

Sunbeam Imp Mark II von 1968

When the Rootes Group presented the Hillman Imp in May 1963, the world was amazed. Not only had the developers designed a neat little car, the engine was in an unusual place for a British car, especially as the Mini had just demonstrated four years earlier that a modern car had the engine (and drive) at the front. In fact, the Imp was the first British mass-produced rear-engined car.

But the Rootes Group engineers had good reasons for choosing the rear engine, as P. G. Ware, chief technician of the Rootes Group and director of Humber Ltd. explained. The rear engine had a number of advantages, he wrote in his "Engineering Appraisal" in 1963:

Almost ideal weight distribution, which was not dependent on the vehicle's state of charge
Good traction even on slippery or sloping roads, good uphill capability because the drive is ideally loaded
Better distribution of braking force to the front and rear wheels and more even tire wear than a front-wheel drive vehicle
Better aerodynamics thanks to sleeker lines and the absence of a radiator element at the front, proven by the Imp's low fuel consumption
Improved maneuverability, light and precise steering due to the elimination of weight on the front wheels
No unpleasant influences on the steering wheel when accelerating
Less noise for the passengers sitting in the front, i.e. the seats that are most frequently occupied
Large distance between fuel tank (front) and exhaust (rear) and therefore less risk of fire

What P. G. Ware did not mention was that the decision to house the engine and drive in one place was made early on because they did not want to allow a gimbal tunnel and the associated space restrictions. This criterion was of course also fulfilled by the Mini, against which Rootes positioned the Hillman Imp.

Hillman Imp von 1963 - mit Heckmotor

Well, as we know today, the front engine with front-wheel drive prevailed despite the aforementioned advantages of the Imp configuration and not the rear engine, even though Porsche and Smart are still loyal to it today.

If you would like to find out more about the technical background of the Hillman Imp through the eyes of the Rootes engineers, you can find the five-page "Engineering Appraisal" of the Imp in the Zwischengas archive.
And of course there is a detailed article about the Hillman Imp.

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Ingrid Bergman's Ferrari 212 at RAID Switzerland-Paris 2012

Bruno von Rotz
06/29/2012

Ferrari 212 Inter von Pininfarina im Jahr 1953

The 2012 vintage of the RAID Switzerland-Paris once again attracts a diverse field of classic automobiles, from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta to a phalanx of Rolls-Royce Phantom I and II.

A Ferrari 212 Inter Coupé, which was once dressed by Pininfarina (still spelled in two words at the time), has a remarkable history. The two-tone coupé was a gift from Roberto Rosselini to his enchanting wife Ingrid Bergman, famous for films such as Casablanca and Notorious.

Rosselinis Geschenk an Ingrid Bergmann - Ferrari 212 Inter von Pininfarina

After taking delivery in Rome, the happy couple drove the car through half of Europe to Stockholm, where they arrived at the Grand Hotel at three o'clock in the morning, just in time to receive an award the next day.

The 212, which Ingrid is said to have affectionately called "Growling Baby", was also used by Rosselini for racing at the VII Stella Alpina event.

Ferrari 212 Inter von Pininfarina am Genfer Autombilsalon von 1953

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Iso-Rivolta and Gordon Keeble - almost like brothers

Bruno von Rotz
06/28/2012

Iso-Rivolta IR 300 von 1970

They look like brothers, the Iso-Rivolta IR 300 (picture above) and the Gordon Keeble (picture below), even though one comes from Italy and the other from England.

Gordon Keeble GT von 1964

And the similarity in character and shape is no coincidence. There are astonishing parallels. Both the Englishman and the Italian wanted to be four-seater Gran Turismo coupés. Both are powered by powerful V8 engines from the Chevrolet Corvette. Both were designed at Bertone by Giugiaro.

However, John Gordon was originally one step ahead of Renzo Rivolta. He presented his Gordon Gran Turismo 4 Seater in Geneva as early as 1960. With its trellis frame and De Dion rear axle, but above all with its low kerb weight of 1,100 kg (as announced by Gordon) and the powerful engine, the sports car promised to shake up the competition.

The Iso-Rivolta was then presented in 1962, differing from the Gordon GT above all with the platform frame and the supporting sheet steel body. In terms of the other ingredients, however, the two designs were almost like fraternal twins.

Unfortunately, John Gordon did not make as much progress as planned. It was not until 1964 that the now Gordon Keeble went on sale, and instead of the sheet steel body it now had a plastic one. Nevertheless, the trade journals were enthusiastic, but the Iso-Rivolta also received many positive reviews and was ultimately somewhat more successful than its English counterpart. While only just under 100 Gordon Keeble models were built, the Iso made 792 in eight years. Neither manufacturer survived. However, the survival rate of the two coupés is quite high, especially in the case of the Gordon Keeble cars, where over 90% of the vehicles are probably still in existence.

We have dedicated extensively illustrated and documented reports to both cars, because both the Iso Rivolta IR 300 and the Gordon Keeble are fantastic contemporary witnesses and wonderful coupés.

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Zagatos Hillman Zimp - the prettier Imp

Bruno von Rotz
06/27/2012

Hillman Zimp von 1964 - gebaut in drei Exemplaren - Foto Tim Machin

It was more elegant and lighter than the technology donor Hillman Imp, the Hillman Zimp, three examples of which were built in the Zagato premises in Milan in just under nine months (photo by Tim Machin). The vehicles were based on two new and one used Imp Deluxe. Thanks to aluminum bodies, the Zimps weighed significantly less than a standard Imp at 630 kg despite their greater overall length. And they were also significantly prettier, as the bodywork followed the usual Italian ideals of the time. Chrome trim was largely dispensed with.

Zagato wanted to build the vehicles itself in cooperation with Rootes in a specially founded English subsidiary and sell them for just under 1,000 pounds, which was considerably more expensive than what was charged for the normal Imp.

The Zimp (for Zagato-Imp) was proudly presented at the Earls Court Show in London in October 1964. The Automobil Revue wrote :
"Last but not least, the Hillman Imp, known as the ZIMP and dressed by coachbuilder Zagato, deserves a mention. No one would suspect that this beautiful, red-painted aluminum body (10% weight reduction) conceals Scottish Imp engines, and certainly not when you take a seat in the interior and enjoy not only the excellent visibility, but also the soignée interior and the seating comfort. At the moment, the ZIMP still has the standard aluminum engine with 39 hp, but Zagato is said to be working on a more powerful version. The British Zagato company is also considering assembling this jewel, which costs less than £1000, in small series directly in England."

The re-bodied Imp even made it into the 1965 Automobil Revue catalog, a clear indication of the anticipated production plans. But things turned out differently, Chrysler was not impressed by the plans and blocked the project thanks to its 50% stake in the Rootes Group. So it remained with the three prototypes, all of which are said to have survived.

Hillman Zimp von 1964 - Werksbild

A pity, the combination of Italian design and innovative English engineering would have made perfect sense.

We will soon be publishing a comprehensive and lavishly illustrated report on the equally interesting "normal" Hillman Imp.

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New and cheaper - Premium Light membership on Zwischengas

Bruno von Rotz
06/27/2012

Premium-Light als Mittelweg zwischen Registriert und Premium-PRO

In the survey we conducted a few months ago, many Zwischengas readers asked for a cheaper Zwischengas subscription than the current Premium membership.

After a long period of preparation, we are now able to offer the Premium-Light membership as an entry point, which, like the previous Premium membership, now called Premium-PRO, gives access to all Zwischengas content.

Premium-Light is aimed purely at online users; it is not possible to download (and print) facsimile PDFs and high-resolution photos. These options are reserved for Premium PRO members.

Premium-Light members can publish one vehicle advertisement at the same time, while Premium-PRO members can now publish two vehicle advertisements live.

An upgrade from Premium-Light to Premium-PRO is possible at any time, any credit will be credited to the new membership in the form of an extended subscription period. So if you want to switch to Premium-PRO after a while, you can do so without any disadvantages. And there is still no automatic renewal. If you do not renew before the expiry date, you will simply revert to registered status.

The new Premium Light membership currently costs just over half the price of the normal Premium PRO membership, i.e. € 29 or CHF 37 for one year.

More about memberships on Zwischengas isdocumented on the corresponding explanation pages

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International P4 meeting to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Ford Taunus 12 M P4

Hildo Grabmann
06/26/2012

Eindruck vom Internationalen Ford Taunus P4 Treffen in Welterstadt

From June 15 to 17, there were more Ford Taunus P4s in Weiterstadt near Darmstadt than there have been for more than 40 years, and whether there will ever be so many P4s together again is really up in the air.

As the organizer of this P4 meeting and as the type consultant for Ford P4s, I had been making preparations for about three years, collecting P4 driver addresses and inviting them to the meeting. And the P4 drivers came in droves. 71 different P4s and another 35 Ford classic cars could be admired in Weiterstadt. One was more beautiful than the other. Six vehicles came from Norway - on the road, of course - five from the Netherlands, three from Belgium, one each from Luxembourg, France, Switzerland and Austria, so the internationality was certainly guaranteed.

The first participants had already arrived on Thursday, because with such long journeys you should take your time on the one hand and on the other hand you always have to reckon with a small breakdown. But the Ford classic cars ran as they did on the first day - i.e. as they did around 50 years ago - without any problems on both the outward and return journeys. Very minor faults - which can happen from time to time at this age - were repaired by the drivers either on the way or directly at the meeting.

The participants and, above all, the many visitors to the meeting were amazed to see thirty-eight two-door and six four-door saloons, nineteen coupés, six estate cars and two panel vans lined up in rows on the beautifully prepared fairground at the Steinbrücker Hof.

Aufreiheung der Ford Taunus P4 am Interantionalen Treffen bei Darmstadt 2012

A special treat, however, was the P4 world record car, which was brought back to Germany for the first time in 45 years by its current owner Frank Rousset in 2008 for the Veterama trade fair in Mannheim. At this anniversary meeting, Frank and his friend Sylvain had come from Mulhouse (France) with this car for the second time and had brought along many of its distinctive items from the world record run in 1963, when this car with a 1.2-liter 40 hp engine covered a total of 358,273 km non-stop in 142 days, setting 145 world records and international best performances on the former race track oval of Miramas in southern France.

As is well known, one of the five drivers had fallen asleep on the 111th night, the P4 had rolled over twice and the mechanics had spent eleven hours getting the P4 back on the road using only spare parts and tools carried in the car. Ford and BP from France had set world records and best performances in this car, which even after the repair looked like a heap of scrap metal, and this car still exists today in the same condition after it was considered lost for almost 40 years because it had been hidden and "forgotten" in the far corner of a shed at the automobile museum in Le Mans.

Ford Taunus 12 M P4 Weltrekordwagen von 1963

Curiously, there is now an optically replicated but "whole" P4 world record car, which also appeared at the P4 meeting. Many, many photos were taken, as most people had never seen this world record car, which has made Ford history. I presented a brochure specially compiled about this world record at the meeting.

Nachbau des Ford Taunus 12 M P4 Weltrekordwagens von 1963

In keeping with Ford's history, the organizer also had one of two replicas of Ford's first automobile from 1896 - the Quadricycle - on display in the same tent as the world record car. This replica is owned by Udo Becker, Peter Glasmacher and Friedel Schlusnus, who have made this vehicle, as well as the example in the Ford Cologne factory, roadworthy and are currently even working on a road registration.

Nachbau des Quadricicle von Ford - erstes Automobil von Ford

Glasmacher had traveled from Belgium with his wife and both were always to be found at the Quadricycle in historical clothing, provided the perfect backdrop and were able to give perfect information about this extremely rare vehicle.

On Saturday afternoon, both the P4 world record car and the Quadricycle did laps of honor among the many P4 vehicles lined up. Many visitors simply could not believe that they had not only seen and photographed these two historic Ford vehicles from all angles, but had now also seen them being driven properly. The spectators will remember this for a very long time.

Die Ford Taunus P4 beim Promenieren am Internationalen Treffen in Welterstadt

The awards ceremony took place on Sunday afternoon.
The following were awarded prizes and certificates:

the most beautiful two-door P4 saloon was from Thorsten Appel from Hamburg
the most beautiful four-door P4 saloon was from Jürgen Meurer from Odenthal
the most beautiful P4 Coupé was from Roger Muijrers from Falkenburg/Netherlands
Toon Graafmans from Ulicoten/Netherlands came with the most beautiful P4 station wagon
the most beautiful P4 panel van was shown by Alexander Karla from St. Ingbert
Tore Sunmann from Kongsberg/Norway had the longest journey on the road with 1,284 km
the most curious P4 vehicle was the P4 world record car of Frank Rousset from Mulhouse/France
the youngest P4 owner was Aniol Bettelyoun from Otzberg, aged 14

Lebenshilfe Gießen was also represented with a stand and a beautiful P4, because this year, in addition to several classic cars and other prizes, there is also a P4 to be won for a donation of five euros. Spare parts dealers and companies offered their services, and there was even a master coachbuilder from Hungary on hand to demonstrate his work on a perfectly restored VW Golf Cabrio. The flag of the Ford factories was held high by Helga Müller, the supervisor of all 355 Ford clubs. The largest Ford classic car club - the Alt-Ford-Freunde - was represented with a stand and their 1st chairman Dr. Walter Klein and the 1st chairman of the Belgian Ford M-Club Lieve Pappijn were always available for the Ford enthusiasts present.

This meeting was intended to bring the P4 family closer together, as the Ford Taunus 12 M P4 is rarely seen on the road or at a classic car meeting.

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When a Ferrari stops being a Ferrari

Bruno von Rotz
06/25/2012

Carrozzeria Italia Barchetta auf Basis eines Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 von 1964 erbaut

Once upon a time there was a Ferrari 330 GT 2+2, built in 1964 by the Ferrari company in Maranello with chassis number GT 6395, which gave its owners a lot of pleasure as a sports car coupé.

Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 von 1964

Sometime around 1990, Domenico Scaduto, a former employee of Carrozzeria Touring, converted the 330, which had grown old in the meantime, into a Barchetta. To do this, he used the chassis and mechanics of the '64 Ferrari and built an open sports car body on it using traditional craftsmanship, just as the employees of Carozzeria Touring had done in the 1940s and 1950s when, for example, the Ferrari 2000 Mille Miglia was created, a vehicle that was certainly the inspiration for Scaduto's new Barchetta in terms of design language. However, the newer Barchetta differs from the "original" due to its different dimensions and the increased space required by the more modern mechanics.

Ferrari 2000 MM - Touring Superleggera Spider von 1949

The owner John Weinberger from Illinois (USA) was very proud of the open Ferrari and even Sir Stirling Moss drove the beautiful car at a renowned classic car event. Autoweek magazine published a report on the vehicle.

Between 1995 and 2010, the car appeared at several auctions (Barret Jackson, RM Auctions, Gooding & Company) and changed hands several times. In 2010, Reinhard Schmidlin from the Oldtimer Galerie in Toffen acquired the sports car.

As Schmidlin wanted to resell the car, he advertised it on the classicdriver internet platform and, to his surprise, was "promptly" warned by German lawyers. Both the use of the Ferrari brand name and the attachment of the typical brand insignia (prancing horse) were illegal.

Schmidlin did not want to accept this and so the parties met in court in Frankfurt on June 21, 2012 (LG Frankfurt AZ 2-03 O324/11) after long and cost-intensive preparations by the lawyers involved.

The court tended to approve a trademark infringement on several points and thus found in favor of the manufacturer Ferrari. The majority of the arguments put forward by Schmidlin's defense were not accepted. As a result, the lawyers negotiated a settlement.

The whole story naturally raises a whole series of questions. What is the essence of an automobile (chassis, engine, body)? Can the current trademark laws, which incidentally differ significantly from country to country, be applied to the subject of conversion/special? Why is a process that was completely normal in 1949, namely the construction of a body by an external body company on a factory chassis, suddenly disreputable today? Would all the Specials that were built on Alvis, Riley or MG chassis at that time or later be worthy of a warning under German trademark law if there were a corresponding representative of interests?

Legally, the matter is certainly tricky and it is understandable that a manufacturer who invests a lot in its brand wants to protect it from free riders. But does it have to go so far that Ferrari sues a mortician for placing an unauthorized Ferrari logo on an urn (2007, Financial Times Deutschland) or warns a traditionally built Barchetta, which probably does more for the Ferrari brand than many a 456 or 599 on the road? And do all owners of King Ferrari or Felber Ferrari cars have to fear for the brand identity of their treasures? And will Ferrari have a say tomorrow if you want to replace the radio in your 308 or change the color from red to yellow?

Because this story began like a fairy tale, even though it corresponds to the facts, it should also end like one: And if they haven't died, the gentlemen lawyers will continue to argue, motivated by sending handsome fee notes ...

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Elegance from Eisenach - Wartburg sports car coupé

Bruno von Rotz
06/24/2012

Wartburg 313 Sport von 1958 auf der Retro Classic Stuttgart 2012

At the Retro Classic in Stuttgart this spring, a Wartburg sports car coupé was up for sale with an asking price of 75,000 euros. The pretty coupé had cost DM 9,000 in 1958 - an impressive increase in value for a vehicle that was once ridiculed in the West because of its two-stroke dang-dang engine.

Wartburg Sportwagen Coupé von 1958

Yet the convertible coupé looked thoroughly modern and pretty, and in 1957 the car even received an award "For good design". And the car proudly bore the name "Wartburg", as the third vehicle after the 1899 coachbuilt carriage and the 15 hp BMW two-seater from 1930.

The sales brochure of the time praised the simplicity of operation (locking synchronization from 2nd gear) and safety aspects (duplex brakes at the front, simplex brakes at the rear) demonstrated by delicate female hands. The improved heating (thanks to the installation of a fan heater) was also praised. The 900 cm3 three-cylinder engine produced 50 hp, enough to take the car to around 140 km/h. This meant that the driving performance matched the smart exterior of the sports car.

Wartburg Sportwagen Coupé von 1958 - wie ein Filmstar

You can read more about the Wartburg in a test report of the time, which we have just published, as well as in other reports, for example in ADAC Motorwelt No. 4/1957 or Automobil Revue No. 18/1957.
The original brochure of the Wartburg sports car from 1958 is of course available in the Zwischengas archive, as is extensive photographic material.

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Sporty on the move in the Sunbeam Rapier

Bruno von Rotz
06/23/2012

Sunbeam Rapier von 1967

The Sunbeam Rapier is hardly known (anymore) in our latitudes. It was introduced in 1967. Technically, it was based on the station wagon version of the Hillman Hunter. A 1.7-liter engine with an aluminium cylinder head developed 88 hp, which was transmitted to the rear axle via a manual four-speed gearbox (plus overdrive).

In terms of design, the Rapier appeared to be based on the Plymouth Barracuda produced in America at the time, although it was at least one size smaller.

With a top speed of over 165 km/h and less than 14 seconds for the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h, the Rapier could also be seen among other speedy coupés. Automobil Revue devoted a full-page short test to the English coupé in issue 26/1968and concluded it with the following summarizing words:
"The significantly better, albeit still orthodox, chassis compared to the previous Rapier and the air of the English class car in the interior stamp the Rootes model as a vehicle for the reserved individualist who does not need a very large rear compartment and, on the one hand, wants to own something that is not commonplace, but on the other hand does not want to stand out, neither through exceptional driving nor through clearly displayed snobbery."

Elegantes Coupé Sunbeam Rapier

The Sunbeam Rapier H120 was really sporty, with a performance-enhanced engine now delivering 108 hp, good for 175 km/h and an acceleration time of 11 seconds in the 0-100 km/h discipline. This performance was also documented externally by wider wheels, a matt black radiator grille and a spoiler integrated into the trunk lid.

The Sunbeam Sceptre saloon, which was built at the same time, was less sporty but hardly any slower; in other markets it was also offered under the name Humber Sceptre.

Sunbeam Sceptre von 1968

As always, the pictures are also available in high resolution in the Zwischengas archive .

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Saab (again) at the start like 50 years ago

Bruno von Rotz
06/22/2012

Erik Carlsson und K. E. Svensson auf dem Saab 92 beim Start zur East African Safari 1963

Saab could be saved after all, according to reports. New financial backers have emerged. Well, we wish the brand could survive.

We just happened to come across this picture from 1963. It shows Eric Carlsson and K. E. Svensson on the Saab 96 at the start of the East African Safari in 1963.

We wish you good luck!

Incidentally, this picture is of course just one of several hundred photos of Saab vehicles on Zwischengas.

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