History
This Imp was my first car since my father had already owned his for two years, being a fan of technically interesting vehicles. He considered an Imp as an ideal car to learn to drive in, being small and having light steering and in early 1974 my older brother bought one from the forecourt of a BP garage. The mechanic was unsure how to fix it and I guess the owner just left it there. It wasn't in great condition with rust and faded paint. My dad got it running and my brother used it as a work car. In May 1974 it was returned to us and was restored to a degree with overhauling the engine and brakes and dad resprayed it in the Holden Jamaican Lime colour you see in the photo. I was 16 at the time.
I passed my test in it but, unfortunately. the car and myself was a match which was not "made in heaven" with the car constantly breaking down constantly. Anyone knowing Imps will know what I mean, but a lot of the times the breakdowns were caused by yours truly, with lack of maintenance and spirited driving being the main culprits. Quite often I would arrive home to have dad walk out of his garage, hearing a funny noise coming from my car, and asking "what's wrong with it now?" (he drove his 1964 Imp for 9 years without ever touching it mechanically apart from maintenance). He said on a number of occasions that I was "never meant to own an Imp!"
Nevertheless, I loved that car. It was nimble, economical and very versatile with its opening rear window. It taught me how to fix cars. During the CB radio era, it was great for "foxhunts". Even when I bought my second car, a 1973 LJ Torana, I kept my Imp for a few years when it was replaced with another, and then another (an imported Singer Chamois version) and then another etc.etc. I actually had up to five in my yard at the same time (including dad's, which was also replaced a couple of times, one being in a crash). And I still have one, a 21000 mile 1967 GT which I restored as a "barn find" in 2009. My previous one, a 1968 Imp III was mine for 19 years.
As mentioned, the reliability of the Hillman Imp has been an issue since it's release in 1963. But just as with the Triumph Stag, long-term Imp owners have done the R&D that the factory could not, and so the result is that a well-sorted Imp can be as reliable as any other car. My (late) father and I owned around 24 cars in various states of repair, with a total of 10 registered over the last 41 years.
And if I went back, I would do it all over again. But I would be a little wiser...!
Modifications
None, it was kept standard. Dad was never a fan of modifying cars. I do prefer original cars anyway.
