Works Imps - In 1964 the Imps that were used in rallies were basically standard Mk I Imps, not powerful enough to mean anything beyond class level.
Rootes hired a new Competition Manager, Marcus Chambers, who came from BMC. He had managed the department that had developed the Mini Cooper 'S' rally car. Chambers was unhappy with the Imps capacity of 875cc. "This was a grave handicap as far as I was concerned as it placed us halfway between the rarely used 750cc class and the 1,000cc class. The engine developed 39bhp and I knew it needed another 31 hp in order to be competitive." (M. Chambers, Works Wonders, MRP, 1995). To make the car more powerful the 998cc engine was slowly developed. This was first used on the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally.
In 1965 the Rootes Competition Team was joined by Des O'Dell, who had worked for many years with Aston Martin. He had then moved to Ford Advanced Vehicles, where he had been involved with the GT40. O'Dell immediately set about arranging deals with Roger Nathan, Paul Emery and Thomas Hartwell for the supply of tuning parts. In a short time he produced an Imp engine which developed some 95bhp. With this sort of power in the hands of people such as Tiny Lewis and Rosemary Smith the Imp proved very competitive.
In the 65/66 season the works Imps were increasingly modified. 66/67 saw more class wins and top-ten finishes, but one continuing handicap was the Imps's lack of disc brakes as regulations usually prevented their use as a modification.
During the next season the competition department came under Chrysler control and the scale of the operation was reduced. Fewer cars for fewer events. Work switched from preparing works cars to supporting private teams and drivers.
In 1969 Chrysler withdrew from official rallying. A car had been built for Andrew Cowan to use on the 1969 Scottish. This is the car which Andrew never used.
Results of the Works Imps (1964 - 1970).
Imps in rallies (post-Works) 1970 - ...
(Both files are very incomplete, of course).
Heyndijk & Klarenbeek won the Group 2, class 1 Star Rallye of November 1970. A mud wrestling match with delightful stages. StAR: Foundation Automobile sports Rotterdam. Participants can choose their own route, as long as they check in at all the control posts (Gulf petrol stations) within a certain time.
Heyndijk & Govert de Jong in a Sunbeam Imp, Yperen June 1971, 12h. rally
Group 2: class 850-1000cc. They came second, behind an NSU. (slippery roads)
On old and minor roads, use standard or RAC (higher & stiffer). Also a (lightweight at the least) sumpguard would also be sensible to protect the oil filter as well as the sump.
Tuning Rootes Groups Cars for Competition, by Marcus Chambers
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