The Imp Site

Master builders / Imp Gurus

Short list of fame

apprenticeship - workmanship - strong points - driver / drivers - author - these days

When the tuning firms had a close look at what they thought to be a potentially very race-worthy engine, they found it wasn't going to be cheap to make it very much faster.
In developing the original Coventry-Climax engine for quantity production in a road car, Rootes restricted the valve and port sizes, and left little room for opening out.

Dennis Allt
Engine and gearbox specialist, who carries on the late Ian Carter's top quality work and built the 998cc engine for the Practical Classics Engine Workshop series
Malcolm Anderson
A.V.S.
Ernie Beck
George Bevan
Ben Boult
Ian Carter
Andy Chesman
Andy Dawson
Used to work at Chrysler's competitions department, has rallied Imps, knows pretty much all there is to know about tuning and and making Imps handle really well. Once headed Motor magazine's acceleration league table (up to 1000cc) with his rallying Imp DFL 492C. He wrote many a story for the now defunct Cars and Car Conversions magazine on Imp tuning. Runs a motorsport workshop (1977: Dawson Auto Developments). He also is a consultant for several car manufacturers.
V.W. Derrington
Paul Emery
Alan Fraser
Willy Griffiths
A racing mechanic with Team Lotus. Later he joined Roger Nathan Racing, being specifically in charge of Imp development. The Coventry Climax knowledge he gained with the Lotus cars came in very usefull. Griffiths then went on to Paul Emery Cars, to a similar position, until setting up business on his own account.
- Tuning Imps / by Willy Griffiths. - Cars and Car Conversions 1968, February
  2 pages (Feature on tuning Hillman Imps, Part 3)
  reprint in Unique Master Portfolio. - p.66-68
George Hartwell
Roger Nathan
Nerus Engineering
Ray Payne
David Vizard

[source: Hot Car, 1968, April, p. 46-47]

	Imp Sport	Hartwell	Neal Davis	Nathan	Taurus
Conversion	-			Stage One	The 'Go Ahead' first stage
Modifications	2x Stromberg 1.25" CD carbs; 310 camshaft; special exhaust manifolding	twin Stromberg 1.25" CD carbs	twin choke Weber carb on special inlet manifold	Modded carb and cam, stronger valve springs, exhaust manifolding and silencer	Modded head and cam; stronger valve springs, carb and exhaust manifolding Valve sizes in the head are unaltered, but the porting is worked.
Cost	(when new) £665	(as kit) £35	(as kit) £27 7s	(as kit) £38 15s	(as kit) £39
0-30 mph	4.9
0-40 mph	7.6	7.8	7.1	7.2	7.8
0-50 mph	11.1	12.1	12.4	9.5	10.7
0-60 mph	17.1	17.0	18.4	14.2	18.0
0-70 mph		27.2
Top speed	88 mph	85 mph	83 mph	90 mph	89 mph

Talbot Special Tuning department in Whitley still sold Imp competition parts in the early 1980s. The knowledgeable, friendly and avuncular chap behind the counter was none other than Tim Millington, who subsequently wrote the bible on tuning Imps.
Talbot Special Tuning were discontinuing competition parts of the Imp in 1984 or 1985.

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