Vintage Thing No.124 - V8 Hillman Imp

Stephen Cuff's Imp looked so good in black. Only in strong sunlight could you see that the front end was almost totally mesh for the rather - as it turned out - undersized radiator

This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the Hillman Imp and since I've had a long standing association with these under-rated little cars there will be one or two featuring on Engine Punk over the next few months.

From a distance it looked like any other Imp

This particular example is unfortunately no more. It was built to prove a BOBO (balls out, brain off) TVR Tuscan engine that reputedly put out 450bhp from its 4.5 litres. The Imp was pretty well filleted to take the drivetrain and Jag back axle so wasn't really a Hillman Imp at all but still - whoar! though eh?

I regret asking what front suspension this thing used. Judging from the track and lack of room in the front (note the cut out for the air cleaners!) I'm pretty sure it wasn't Imp.

I saw it at Tregrehan Hillclimb on Easter Sunday in 2000 where the paddock wasn't muddy for once but that still didn't stop lots of wheelspin and twitching along the straights. It sounded quite, quite glorious, however.

It was owned by Stephen Cuff of Frome in Somerset and he'd built it to prove the engine before putting it in something more competitive but I liked it just the way it was. It ran very hot but the guys were pleased, especially as their workshop had flooded the previous weekend while they were applying the finishing touches to it.

All that valuable luggage space was cleverly used instead to show off the Jag back axle. I lurve the bent bit of ally for the engine cover - except it's now a boot

I subsequently heard on the grapevine that the engine was indeed removed and the rolling chassis offered for sale in Motoring News but, as no-one bit (why wasn't I told about it! I'd've taken it if I'd known!) the shell was cut in two and taken to a scrapyard in the Bristol area, where a mate of mine recognised it for what it had been.