Dunbartonshire Hillman Imp Police Cars
One of the areas covered by the then Dunbartonshire Police Force (Present Strathclyde Force) was the scenic A82 Loch Lomondside road which ran from Dumbarton to Fort William. In the sixties it was a narrow twisty road which followed the contours of the lochside with road traffic enduring the consequences of meeting oncoming vehicles at every corner whilst trying to take in the scenic splendour.
In the mid sixties a great deal of heavy construction work was being carried out at Loch Awe which necessitated the movement of a large number of abnormal loads on the A82.
At that time the police motorcycles previously utilised for escort duty were replaced by two standard Hillman Imp Police Cars, one was blue and the other was white in colour. The Chief Mechanic decided to swap the respective doors, boot lids and engine covers of both cars to form a 'panda effect' without the need of paint resprays.
Both cars were then fitted out with the ful1 width front and rear police boards with the front board having a hinged section which, when opened up, exposed the distinctive 'wide load' sign. In order to make them more high profile both front and rear boards along with the roof panel were painted yellow.
External equipment comprised the fitting of a bonnet mounted siren, roof mounted hazard orange indicators, Marschal roof beacon, rally spotlight with internal handle and P.A. loudspeaker.
Internal modifications consisted of the removal of the passenger seats in order to carry equipment for road traffic and marine scenarios. The internal
roof lining was fitted with zips to access the roof mounted equipment. The radio transmitter was housed in the front boot area with the tuner and handset mounted on the dash board alongwith the associated switches for the aforementioned accessories.
The only engine modification noted was the replacement of the dynamo with an alternator.
The equipment carried was as follows:-
Road traffic cones, road hazzard signs, life jackets, two man lifebelt, flares, rubber quoits, rope casting device, sundry ropes, sledgehammers, bolt-cutters, crowbars, Tapley-meter, measuring tapes, canvas stretcher and first aid, and tool box to aid any breakdowns encountered enroute.
Both cars were used together in 'wide load' scenarios which comprised of basic escorting until the roadways narrowed sufficiently to utilise a system of 'leap-frogging' the vehicle between the lay-bys available. This involved one Imp going ahead and stopping oncoming traffic at a predetermined point and radioing the other Imp that the road ahead was clear. In many locations the radios were inoperative and the first public car stopped would be allowed to carry this message to the awaiting convoy at the last lay-by.
When not involved in their specialist wide load duties both cars were utilised in normal one man patrol duties attending at many road traffic and marine accidents on the Lochside. Their high profile appearance soon made them a tourist attraction at every rest stop with the subsequent nickname of "Pinky and Perky" being attributed to them by both police and public.
The cars tour of duty lasted four years until motor-cycles reclaimed their previous status. A serving Strathclyde Superintendent who drove the Imps latterly has stated that in nearly 30 years service he has never witnessed anything that was more effective in this scenario -a fitting tribute to the Loch Lomond Imps.
