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Le Mans Classic 2012
Rootes Motors Limited
Moteur 4 cylindres 875 cm3
Longueur : 3,814 m
Largeur : 1,524 m
Hauteur : 1,475 m
A car I wouldn’t have imagined seeing at an American classic car show is this Hillman Imp. It is left-hand drive and is badged for export markets as a Sunbeam Imp. It also carries the Leicestershire-issued registration of NUT325F. I wonder if the model was sold in the United States during its period of production between 1963 and 1975?
It is well-known that the Hillman Imp had a difficult gestation period, numerous strikes disrupting production at the Linwood plant in Scotland, and reliability was not the Imp’s forte. Heavy development costs and disappointing sales drove the parent Rootes Group into the arms of Chrysler Corporation in 1965.
The American owner of this car was fully aware of the Imp’s tangled story, but he adores the car, and it has proved trouble-free in his stewardship. He has even made a pilgrimage with other Imp enthusiasts to the Linwood site, just before it was completely razed.
But his pride-and-joy is not the only car bearing the NUT325F registration. The original car is still on UK roads, taxed and MOT’d too. That car is a Sunbeam Stiletto, the sporty coupé model, and it has won many prizes at UK classic car shows.
Car: Hillman Imp.
Date of first registration: 3rd February 1965.
Registration region: Shropshire.
Latest recorded mileage: 85,512 (MOT 7th May 2019), currently on SORN
Date taken: 9th November 2016.
Album: Carspotting