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Eye-catching black and whites


forddeliveryboy

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30 minutes ago, Remspoor said:

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mly1kQKsexU/VAs60y2GZ4I/AAAAAAABVqU/Kh08CKEB_ho/s1600/hillman%2B1967%2Bhusky_tyl.jpg

I just love those Hitman Imp estates, called the Husky. It seems Hillman managed to solve the problem of making an estate car with a rear engine, as that looks like a decent sized boot and not too high a floor, either. Did they make a van version of this, or is my memory playing tricks on me?

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4 minutes ago, Andrew353w said:

 Did they make a van version of this, or is my memory playing tricks on me?

Yup, originally sold as the Commer Imp Van, later as the Hillman Imp van - info here  https://www.imps4ever.info/family/van.html-

MYH 954 D : Hillman Imp VanCommer Imp Van - The Imp Site

These weren't just windowless estates, they were designed as vans from scratch, in particular they had higher roofs designed to accommodate, of all things, milk churns.

 

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2 hours ago, martc said:

Yup, originally sold as the Commer Imp Van, later as the Hillman Imp van - info here  https://www.imps4ever.info/family/van.html-

MYH 954 D : Hillman Imp VanCommer Imp Van - The Imp Site

These weren't just windowless estates, they were designed as vans from scratch, in particular they had higher roofs designed to accommodate, of all things, milk churns.

 

And dear old Rootes tooled up for this when with a bit of extra tooling they could have made the Imp a true hatchback too.  The Imp was useless for any big luggage with it's daft opening rear window - I remember them in use.

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1 hour ago, Remspoor said:

Hillman: Imp - Graces Guide

Brake sharply and those cases will through the windscreen. Pretty wet ad - somehow extolling the lack of luggage space - but then the Beetle was worse...

I remember the early ones of these as second hand bangers - nicely made and finished but pretty  useless for carrying stuff...the all alloy engine was very prone to overheating once the rad got old.

Rootes were saddled with a new factory in Scotland by the Gov - bodyshells were shipped up there by train - not exactly a cost saver. Later in their blighted career Chrysler cheapened them as much as possible and they were then one of the cheapest cars on the UK market by the early 70's.

The 'Stiletto' and 'Californian' did not even get the opening rear window.

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