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
• V.W. Derrington
• Dixon & Dawson
• Paul Emery
• Alan Fraser
  In November 1965, Fraser said they would offer offer Imps in 1966, to full racing specification, in either group 5 or club racing form. Costing not yet completed, so pricing not yet known. No kits or tuning parts were to be marketed. Mr. Fraser was very proud of the way his Competition Department put cars together and a car badly put together by a purchaser would reflect badly on the Fraser reputation.
• 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
• Tim Millington

  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.
  Auto Performance of January 1983 mentions that Tim Millington was then Head of Special Tuning at Talbot Cars.

• Roger Nathan
• Nerus Engineering
• Ray Payne
• Colin Rooney
• Rootes / Chrysler
  Chrysler Competition Centre; Special Tuning Section
  Special Tuning Kits and Parts, Dec. 1972
• David Vizard
• Taurus Performance Tuning Ltd.
• Neal Davis

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