Vintage Thing No.128 - Imp special saloon
This car is something of an enigma. Clearly an Imp Special Saloon, none of my Impish friends can identify what it is. It could be a Maguire Imp or a Davrian Imp but doesn't look quite like either.
This is a very old photograph, taken at the same event where I first encountered Kermit (VT No. 101) That was at Tregrehan hillclimb in 1984 (I think).
The photo is a little damaged as it was stuck to the back of another print and my patience in peeling it off gradually evaporated as I saw what was portrayed. I would say that it's been narrowed in the greenhouse area and has a centrally mounted single seat.
There were many Imp Special Saloon 1000cc racers backalong and they were often pitted against Mini Special Saloons. Neither variety had much in common with production saloons and the formula was a delightful free-for-all. However, I think - and I could be wrong here - that Special Saloons had to have a driver's seat offset to one side.
One of my mates remembers a Rover V8 powered Imp from way back but I honestly can't remember what engine this thing had. And he can't remember if his V8 thing was a central single-seater.
I was actually searching for another Impish picture when I found this. At the same event was an Imp-powered Mini! I remember photographing that alright but can I find that dratted picture now? Or the negative for it?
This is a very old photograph, taken at the same event where I first encountered Kermit (VT No. 101) That was at Tregrehan hillclimb in 1984 (I think).
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| Was this speed hillclimb Imp a track refugee built by a known racing car specialist or purposely made at home to take to the hills? |
The photo is a little damaged as it was stuck to the back of another print and my patience in peeling it off gradually evaporated as I saw what was portrayed. I would say that it's been narrowed in the greenhouse area and has a centrally mounted single seat.
There were many Imp Special Saloon 1000cc racers backalong and they were often pitted against Mini Special Saloons. Neither variety had much in common with production saloons and the formula was a delightful free-for-all. However, I think - and I could be wrong here - that Special Saloons had to have a driver's seat offset to one side.
One of my mates remembers a Rover V8 powered Imp from way back but I honestly can't remember what engine this thing had. And he can't remember if his V8 thing was a central single-seater.
I was actually searching for another Impish picture when I found this. At the same event was an Imp-powered Mini! I remember photographing that alright but can I find that dratted picture now? Or the negative for it?
If you can track down Julian Massey he may well be the person to ID this car!??
ReplyDeleteRicky Parker-Morris