Book Review: Apex – The Inside Story of the Hillman Imp by Peter & David Henshaw
‘Definitive’ is a term that’s probably used too often in book reviews, but it’s hard to avoid in the case of this new, third edition of Apex, the Henshaw brothers’ remarkable history of the Hillman Imp.
If you’re not familiar with the Imp, it was a Mini-rivalling small family car built from the early-1960s to the mid-70s that did things a little differently: it was rear-engine, rear-drive, with an all-alloy engine derived from the all-conquering Coventry Climax racing units. Itself a winner on racetracks and rally stages, the Imp was however not the sale success its creators, the Rootes Group, had hoped for after it failed to recover from early reliability woes.
Before Chrysler, which had in the meantime taken over Rootes, axed the car in 1976, it had been described by one executive as, “not designed by people with high-volume production in mind”.
But 60 years after its launch, the Imp is alive and well, thanks to enthusiastic owners and the enduring appeal of a radical design that appealed to keen drivers, although ironically those same qualities contributed to its lack of contemporary commercial success. With its front-engine, front-drive layout, the Mini set the template for future small-car design, not the Imp.
As well as offering fabulous detail on the Imp’s design and development, Apex also charts the Imp’s social and industrial history. It was built at a brand-new, UK-government-subsidized factory in Linwood, Scotland. Linwood was supposed to be the catalyst for a new industrial cluster that would support a large new town. But suppliers did not follow Rootes to Scotland and instead, Imp production remained logistically complex and costly as a result. The factory outlived the Imp, but not by long.
Our family has a connection to Tim Fry, who as a young engineer worked with Mike Parkes, later of Ferrari fame, to conceive the original Slug small-car prototype, its Apex evolution and finally the production Imp. Tim, who died in 2004, collaborated on the original edition of the book, and I don’t think I’m being biased when I say that his insight and wit bring colour to the story.
For the third edition, the authors have brought the Imp story right up to date, detailing the restoration of rare prototypes and competition cars, the vibrant club scene and the recent trend toward the installation of BMW K-series motorcycle engines in place of the original units. It all adds up to the (sorry!) definitive story of a fascinating car.
Apex – The Inside Story of the Hillman Imp
by Peter & David Henshaw
A to B Books, 2023. ISBN 978-0-957565-15-9
Find it on eBay
Order direct from the publisher (UK)
If you’re not familiar with the Imp, it was a Mini-rivalling small family car built from the early-1960s to the mid-70s that did things a little differently: it was rear-engine, rear-drive, with an all-alloy engine derived from the all-conquering Coventry Climax racing units. Itself a winner on racetracks and rally stages, the Imp was however not the sale success its creators, the Rootes Group, had hoped for after it failed to recover from early reliability woes.
Before Chrysler, which had in the meantime taken over Rootes, axed the car in 1976, it had been described by one executive as, “not designed by people with high-volume production in mind”.
But 60 years after its launch, the Imp is alive and well, thanks to enthusiastic owners and the enduring appeal of a radical design that appealed to keen drivers, although ironically those same qualities contributed to its lack of contemporary commercial success. With its front-engine, front-drive layout, the Mini set the template for future small-car design, not the Imp.
As well as offering fabulous detail on the Imp’s design and development, Apex also charts the Imp’s social and industrial history. It was built at a brand-new, UK-government-subsidized factory in Linwood, Scotland. Linwood was supposed to be the catalyst for a new industrial cluster that would support a large new town. But suppliers did not follow Rootes to Scotland and instead, Imp production remained logistically complex and costly as a result. The factory outlived the Imp, but not by long.
Our family has a connection to Tim Fry, who as a young engineer worked with Mike Parkes, later of Ferrari fame, to conceive the original Slug small-car prototype, its Apex evolution and finally the production Imp. Tim, who died in 2004, collaborated on the original edition of the book, and I don’t think I’m being biased when I say that his insight and wit bring colour to the story.
For the third edition, the authors have brought the Imp story right up to date, detailing the restoration of rare prototypes and competition cars, the vibrant club scene and the recent trend toward the installation of BMW K-series motorcycle engines in place of the original units. It all adds up to the (sorry!) definitive story of a fascinating car.
Apex – The Inside Story of the Hillman Imp
by Peter & David Henshaw
A to B Books, 2023. ISBN 978-0-957565-15-9
Find it on eBay
Order direct from the publisher (UK)