An open and shut case for the Hillman Imp in 1967

When I first saw a bright and brand new yellow Mark 2 Hillman Imp it was at Mr Pughs farm in Garth, North Wales,I had thought of an 850cc Morris Mini but as soon as I looked closer at the amount of space and engineering in an 875cc Hillman Imp, I was off to the local Rootes dealership named Kirbys In Maghull,Lancashire the next week.

Look at all those openings,the ease of loading this car over any other,then or now was just miles apart from anything then available.The doors are very wide too,making access to the rear seats easy,they fold down flat for carrying a load too.

This is a Mk2 Imp so circa 1967 when the revised front suspension lower pivot points were introduced,first seen on the Hillman Californian Coupe.

Note,the car in the picture carries a 1968 F registration number plate,as can be seen by the letter F at the end of the plate.

I was able to buy a Mk1 Hillman Imp painted in Balmoral Grey,which is quite a light shade,it was a single owner car and I paid 425 pounds for it back then,a Mini of a similar age would have been 400 pounds but just look at all the extra features the Imp gave me.As a regular camper,it was a real load carrier and excellent on rough roads and wet farmers fields,you never bog down an Imp!