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Hillman Imp
The Hillman Imp is a small economy car that was made by the Rootes Group and its successor Chrysler Europe from 1963 until 1976. Revealed on 3 May 1963, after much advance publicity, it was the first British mass-produced car with the engine block and cylinder head cast in aluminium. This unorthodox small/light car was designed for the Rootes Group by Michael Parkes (who later became a Formula One driver) and Tim Fry. It was manufactured at the purpose-built Linwood plant in Scotland. As well as the Hillman marque, there was a series of variations, including an estate car (the Husky), a van and a coupé. The Imp enjoyed modest success in both club and international rallying. Rootes introduced a homologation special called the Rally Imp in 1964. It featured many modifications over the standard model, the most important of which was an engine enlarged to 998 cc. Notable successes for this model include the 1965 Tulip Rally in which the works Imps of Rosemary Smith and "Tiny" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rootes Group
The Rootes Group was a British automobile manufacturer and, separately, a major motor distributors and dealers business. From headquarters in the West End of London, the manufacturer was based in the English Midlands, Midlands and the distribution and dealers business in the south of England. In the decade beginning 1928 the Rootes brothers, William Rootes, William and Reginald, made prosperous by their very successful distribution and servicing business, were keen to enter manufacturing for closer control of the products they were selling. With the financial support of Prudential plc, Prudential Assurance, the two brothers bought some well-known British motor manufacturers, including Hillman, Humber Limited, Humber, Singer Motors, Singer, Sunbeam Motor Car Company, Sunbeam, Talbot (automobile), Talbot, Commer and Karrier. At its height in 1960, Rootes had manufacturing plants in the Midlands at Coventry and Birmingham, in southern England at Acton, London, Acton, Luton and Du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coupe
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and typically with two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past participle of , "cut". Some coupé cars only have two seats, while some also feature rear seats. However, these rear seats are usually lower quality and much smaller than those in the front. Furthermore, "A fixed-top two-door sports car would be best and most appropriately be termed a 'sports coupe' or 'sports coupé'". __TOC__ Etymology and pronunciation () is based on the past participle of the French verb ("to cut") and thus indicates a car which has been "cut" or made shorter than standard. It was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. These or ("clipped carriages") were eventually clipped to .. There are two common pronunciations in English: * () – the anglicized ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Economy Car
Economy car is a term mostly used in the United States for cars designed for low-cost purchase and operation. Typical economy cars are small (compact car, compact or subcompact car, subcompact), lightweight, and inexpensive to both produce and purchase. Stringent design constraints generally force economy car manufacturers to be inventive. Many innovations in automobile design were originally developed for economy cars, such as the Ford Model T and the Austin Mini. Definition The precise definition of what constitutes an economy car has varied with time and place, based on the conditions prevailing at the time, such as fuel prices, disposable income of buyers, and cultural mores. It typically refers to a car that is designed to be small and lightweight to offer low-cost operation. In any given decade globally, there has generally been some rough consensus on what constituted the minimum necessary requirements for a highway-worthy car, constituting ''the'' most economical car poss ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tim Fry
Tim Fry (25 August 1935 – 17 May 2004), was an automotive engineer who, whilst in his twenties and working for the Coventry-based Rootes Group, designed the Hillman Imp, in conjunction with Mike Parkes. He subsequently became chief engineer at Chrysler Rootes. He left Rootes and set up the industrial design consultancy Smallfry in 1971. Fry and Anthony Smallhorn were awarded the Prince Philip Designers Prize for the Sea Truck In 1979. Life Fry died of cancer on 17 May 2004 in Rugby, Warwickshire. He was married to Karin and had two daughters. References External linksObituary ''The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...'' (via The Imp Site) British automotive engineers 1935 births 2004 deaths Deaths from cancer in England 20th-century English bus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Parkes
Michael Johnson Parkes (24 September 1931 – 28 August 1977) was a British racing driver and engineer, who competed in Formula One at six Grands Prix from to . In endurance racing, Parkes won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1964 with Ferrari. Born in Richmond, Surrey, Parkes was the son of John Parkes, chairman and managing director of the Alvis Group. Parkes participated in seven Formula One Grands Prix, debuting at the 1959 British Grand Prix in a Formula Two car entered by Fry. Amidst a successful sportscar racing career, he returned to Formula One with Ferrari in , achieving one pole position, two podiums, and a total of 14 championship points. Outside of motor racing, Parkes worked as an automotive engineer; whilst working for the Rootes Group, he was involved in the development of the Hillman Imp. From 1974 onwards, he served as principal development engineer of the Lancia Stratos. In August 1977, Parkes died in a road traffic collision near Turin, aged 45. Early li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BS Nymph
The BS Nymph was a fibreglass monocoque British buggy based on running gear from the Hillman Imp, including its rear-mounted 875 cc engine. While meant by Chrysler UK to enter series production to the tune of 4000 cars per annum, the Chrysler corporation discontinued the Imp before the Nymph was released. Rather than competing globally with the Mini Moke as intended, the Nymph entered small-scale production as a kit car and only 42 cars were finished. The designers, Peter Bohanna and Robin Stables, are perhaps best known for having designed the "Diablo GT", which later was developed into the AC 3000ME. Design The Nymph used almost all of the Imp parts aside from the body, with most of the hardware bolted directly to its GRP monocoque. This body was moulded in colour and also fire-retardant. At the time of introduction, a construction time of 50-60 hours were claimed. Doors and a hardtop, as well as a "Surrey"-style softtop, were available as options. By 1977, production ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Davrian
Davrian cars were built by Davrian Developments at 65 North Street, Clapham in London, England, from 1965 to 1976, in Tregaron, Dyfed, Wales from 1976 to 1980 and Lampeter, Dyfed, from 1980 to 1983. Adrian Evans (d. 1992), a structural engineer and the car's designer, built a series of cars called Davrian from 1965, based on components from the Hillman Imp, including the front and rear suspension, the aluminium alloy Hillman Imp engine which was Coventry Climax-based and the Imp transaxle. Davrian 1965–83 In 1967, the design had settled to a 2-seat glass fibre monocoque coupé, officially called the Davrian Imp and series production started with a company being formed called Davrian Developments. The cars were sold in kit form. Over time, a variety of power units were offered including the Mini-engined Davrian Demon (mid-mounted), Volkswagen Beetle Type 1 (rear-mounted), Renault (rear-mounted), and Ford Fiesta (mid-mounted). The car weighed in at . Over the years, a se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ginetta Cars
Ginetta Cars Limited is a British specialist builder of racing and sports cars based in Garforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire. History 20th century Ginetta was founded in 1958 by four Walklett brothers (Bob, Ivor, Trevers and Douglas) in Woodbridge, Suffolk. The first car was built in 1957 and subsequently became known as the Ginetta G1; it was based on a pre-war Wolseley Hornet six. The first car built was the 1958 Ginetta G2, a cycle-fendered "special" using Ford 10 HP mechanicals. The Walklett Brothers briefly also offered a kit car body called the Fairlite, a glass-fibre body shell priced at £49 for fitting to a Ford 8 or 10 HP chassis. The four Walklett brothers each had their areas of expertise: Bob was the managing director, Douglas was the mechanical engineer and also handled the electrical work, Ivor was the designer and Trevers was the stylist, working closely with Ivor. From their original base, the company moved to Witham, Essex, in 1962, and between 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clan (car)
The Clan Crusader is a fibreglass monocoque British sports car based on running gear from the Hillman Imp Sport, including its Coventry Climax inspired, rear-mounted 875 cc engine. It was first made in Washington, Tyne and Wear, Washington, Co Durham, England between 1971 and 1974, but since then several efforts have been made to bring the car back to production. Plans were made by Martin Phaff (of previous Ginetta Cars, Ginetta fame) to re-resurrect the Clan in 2009, but nothing seems to have come of the project so far. Clan Crusader The car was designed by a group of ex-Lotus Cars, Lotus engineers led by Paul Haussauer with styling by John Frayling. The company was set up in 1969, and small-scale production began in July 1971. From September, official production began at a new factory in Washington set up with the aid of a government grant. Engineer Brian Luff, one of the brains behind the all-conquering Lotus 72, created "a remarkably strong, yet ultra-lightweight, monocoq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bond 875
The Bond 875 is a small three-wheeled car partly designed by Lawrence "Lawrie" Bond and manufactured by Bond Cars Ltd in Preston, United Kingdom, from 1965 to 1970. There was also a van version from 1967, known as the Ranger. The car was announced in August 1965, though volume production got under way only during summer 1966. The 875 used the lower-compression (8:1) four-cylinder 875 cc 34 b.h.p. four-stroke engine used in the Commer Imp Van from the Rootes Group. Crucially for the dynamics of the vehicle, this was rear-mounted, unlike in most other British three-wheelers of the era. It was the same basic layout as used in the Hillman Imp, installed as a complete package along with the Imps' transmission, rear suspension and rear wheels. However, because the 875 had a fibreglass body along with aluminium doors, and weighed less than , the performance was good – better than the Imp. The low-compression engine meant it was able to run on "2-star" low-octane petrol, which was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Autocar (magazine)
''Autocar'' (stylized in all caps) is a weekly British automobile magazine published by Haymarket Media Group. It was first published in 1895 and refers to itself as "the world's oldest car magazine". Mark Tisshaw is editor and other team members include Steve Cropley, Rachel Burgess, James Attwood, Matt Prior, Matt Saunders and Felix Page. ''Autocar'' has several international editions, including China, India, New Zealand, and South Africa. History The publication was launched as ''The Autocar'' by Yattendon Group, Iliffe and Son Ltd. "in the interests of the mechanically propelled road carriage" on 2 November 1895 when, it is believed, there were only six or seven cars in the United Kingdom. L. J. K. Setright suggests that the magazine was set up by Henry Sturmey (1857–1930), Henry Sturmey as an organ of propaganda for Harry J. Lawson, founder of the Daimler Company and a journalist on the magazine in its early days. Henry Sturmey stood down as editor of ''The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cylinder Block
In an internal combustion engine, the engine block is the structure that contains the cylinders and other components. The engine block in an early automotive engine consisted of just the cylinder block, to which a separate crankcase was attached. Modern engine blocks typically have the crankcase integrated with the cylinder block as a single component. Engine blocks often also include elements such as coolant passages and oil galleries. The term "cylinder block" is often used interchangeably with "engine block". However, technically, the block of a modern engine (i.e., multiple cylinders integrated with another component) would be classified as a monobloc. __TOC__ Construction The main structure of an engine typically consists of the cylinders, coolant passages, oil galleries, crankcase, and cylinder head(s). The first production engines of the 1880s to 1920s usually used separate components for each element, which were bolted together during engine assembly. Modern en ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
