104-553: Hillman GT may refer to: a variant of the Hillman Hunter , an automobile produced by Chrysler Europe a variant of the Hillman Imp , an automobile produced by Chrysler Australia Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Hillman GT . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
208-537: 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" Lewis finished first and second overall. Considered ahead of its time,
312-581: A Sunbeam Imp sports sedan (ZT-86-20) completed the First American Rodding Magazine sanctioned endurance run and broke a world record in the process, previously set by Erwin George “Cannonball” Baker in 1933, driving from New York City, to Los Angeles, California, covering 3,011 miles in 48 hours, 9 minutes, 54 seconds at an average speed of 63.7 mph. The Imp gained a reputation as a successful rally car when Rosemary Smith won
416-548: A car builder by offering the then small Hillman Minx back in 1931. However, the Minx had since grown larger and was well established as a medium-size family car by the time the Imp was introduced. For the Imp, Rootes pioneered the use of an aluminium engine in a mass-production car. This process proved to be more complicated than simply substituting an aluminium design for a familiar and well-understood cast-iron design. Rootes had to build
520-630: A folding rear bench seat, automatic choke which was rare on compact cars outside the United States until the 1970s, and gauges for temperature, voltage and oil pressure which have been largely omitted since the 1950s in favour of emergency lights. The engine proved flexible and very easy to tune. It was an overhead camshaft design, which permitted better air flow than a standard OHV engine. As with all engine heads, it could also be flowed and ported to allow better airflow at high engine speeds. Useful improvements in power could be gained by replacing
624-665: A four-headlamp Sunbeam with the newer dashboard. Production of the Imp stopped in 1970 because Todd Motors required the Imp assembly line to build the Hillman Avenger . Todd Motors only had two final assembly lines at Petone , so the Avenger and the Hunter shared one line and the larger Chrysler Valiant was built on the other. Imps were assembled by Rootes Australia in their Port Melbourne factory from 1964. The following models were produced: Between August 12 and 14, 1964,
728-441: A kit for retro-fitting: it was stated that the factory fitted servo-assistance, at a domestic market price slightly below £13, would be cheaper for customers. A mild facelift in 1970 gave new grilles to the various Hunter trim levels, and some derivatives gained a (then) more fashionable dashboard, exchanging wood for plastic, but the car remained fundamentally the same throughout its life. A more detailed facelift for 1972 brought
832-549: A new 1972 "GL" model, replacing the Singer Vogue, that initially had little to distinguish it (and justify a higher price) apart from wooden dashboard and door inserts, the same different trim patterns from the old Vogue and standard reversing lights. On all sedans, the rear Hunter badge moved from the right hand side of the boot lid to inboard of the left side tail lamp cluster and a locally sourced derivative badge appeared denoting "Super", "Super Auto" and "GL" variants (but not
936-497: A new all-plastic dashboard with deeply hooded round dials (earlier versions had either a strip speedometer or round dials in a flat dashboard for more expensive models like the Vogue), new steering wheel, plastic instead of metal air cleaner, reshaped squarer headlamps in a new grille and some engine tuning changes. For 1975, bumpers were enlarged and the tail lights were enclosed in a full-width anodised aluminium trim piece. Following
1040-583: A new, computerised assembly plant on the outskirts of Paisley , in Linwood , in which to assemble the Imp. The UK Government Regional Assistance policy provided financial grants to the Rootes Group to bring approximately 6,000 jobs to the area. Linwood had become an area of significant unemployment because of redundancies in the declining shipbuilding industry on the nearby River Clyde . The investment also included an advanced die-casting plant to manufacture
1144-573: A one-off basis. The engines often sporting the Twin Weber twin-choke setup. A number of sidecar crews raced Imp-equipped outfits at the Isle of Man TT races, best placement being Roy Hanks in eleventh place in the 1976 TT 1000cc Sidecar. Imp-engined outfits are still regularly championed in classic racing. Andy Chesman won the 1972 World Hydroplane championship using an Imp engine. He bought Imp specialist company Greetham Engineering and designed
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#17327836563711248-458: A plastic air cleaner housing (these models were always harder to keep in tune than their predecessors), smaller, squarer headlamps, a new dashboard with deeply hooded round dials (the Hunters had strip speedometers previously), high-backed front seats, and a revised silver trim panel surrounding the tail lights. These models carried over the previous models' upholstery material and colours for about
1352-505: A pneumatic throttle linkage and an automatic choke, both of which were replaced by more conventional items on the Mk II. The Mk II also had improved front suspension geometry, and several trim and detail changes. Although the car was constantly improved over its production life, there was no single change as significant as those in 1965. Among the changes were an added water pump, cylinder head with larger ports and valves, and 'Mark II' emblems on
1456-427: A redesigned 'by Chrysler' boot lid badge, spray-on black, instead of silver, tail panel — the texture of this changed from textured fake vinyl to a matte black over the year's run. Initially the cars were offered with tan, red, blue or black upholstery with the dash painted to match but after a few months, Todd's switched to a new type of vinyl with different colours and texture for their Avenger, Hunter and Valiant lines,
1560-593: A regular occurrence, as was the case in many parts of British industry in the 1960s and 1970s. Approximately half a million, half of this number coming in the first three years of production. Unassembled cars were exported for assembly in Australia, Costa Rica, Ireland, Malaysia, Malta , New Zealand, Philippines , Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, and Venezuela. New Zealand cars were assembled as Hillmans by Chrysler/Hillman importer Todd Motors for several years from about 1964. The model returned, this time as
1664-403: A semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension system. The relatively costly and sophisticated solution, atypical for small-car design at the time, was insisted upon by its designers after lengthy testing of a Chevrolet Corvair with swing axles . To attain balanced handling, the Imp actually used swing axle geometry at the front, but that initially led to too much understeer , and the camber
1768-619: A sparsely trimmed car with high performance. The Hustler was powered by the Rootes Group 1725cc engine, equipped with alloy head and twin Stromberg side-draught carburettors. The Hustler's styling alluded to its big brother; the Chrysler Valiant (VG) Pacer. The Hunter GT was renamed the Hunter Royal 660 . Outside, this car gained Rostyle wheels. Inside, the car was trimmed in the same "buffalo grain" textured vinyl, which also
1872-558: A very competent small car. Another problem that contributed to the reputation for poor reliability was the lack of understanding of the maintenance needs of alloy engines by owners and the motor trade in the 1960s. Regular failures of the Giubo couplings also occurred. It was overshadowed in popularity by the Mini . The company's huge investment in both the Imp and the Linwood production plant
1976-559: A vinyl-covered roof and "simulated wood treatment" for the facia and door sills. By this time, however, Chrysler UK dealers had been selling the French-built Chrysler Alpine for more than two years: more than ten years after the launch of the original Hillman Hunter, the Chrysler Hunter was self-evidently a run-out model, and relatively few were produced. According to How Many Left , only 7 remain in
2080-617: A wedge head to increase the 998 cc engine to 125 bhp with twin 40DCOE Weber carburetors . He also fitted a spacer on top of the wet block to accommodate longer cylinder liners, increasing capacity to 1220 cc. At the BP-sponsored Windermere records week in October 1972, he raised the R1 Class water speed record to 89 miles per hour (143 km/h). He was killed in 1998 in a power-boat accident, still holding
2184-465: A year but there was a mid-1973 change to the then-new 'wet look' vinyl across all Kiwi assembled Chrysler/Hillman models and the Hunter shared the new cream, brown and blue colours, retaining black dashboards and interior plastics (UK cars had fully colour matched interiors in different colours with available cloth trim, a material Todd's would not introduce till the Hunter's final years). Todds also added
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#17327836563712288-846: The Tulip Rally in 1965. That led the Rootes Group to produce a special rally conversion of the Imp under both the Hillman and Singer marques, known as the Imp Rallye . In 1966, after winning the Coupe des Dames, Smith was disqualified under a controversial ruling regarding the headlamps of her Imp. The Imp was also successful in touring car racing when Bill McGovern won the British Saloon Car Championship in 1970 , 1971 and 1972 . Imps were also successful racing cars. The privateer team of George Bevan dominated
2392-798: The Vanden Plas 1300 and 1500 , the Wolseley 18/85 , and the Ford Cortina 1600E and 2000E. The Arrow range extended to several body styles: saloon , estate , fastback coupé and a two different coupe utilities (pick-ups) (the Dodge Husky from South Africa and the Paykan Pick-Up in Iran, each model had a unique body). Depending on the model, they had two doors or four doors. Not all marques were represented in all body styles, with
2496-451: The "Sunbeam" name was used on all British Rootes products, including the Imp and the Husky. The coupe bodyshell is similar to the standard body but features a more shallow-raked windscreen and rear window which, unlike that on the standard bodied cars, can not be opened. The attempt at a more sporty design did not translate into better acceleration or top speed figures and the aerodynamics of
2600-525: The 1967 acquisition of Rootes by Chrysler , the Arrow derivatives were rationalised until only the Hillman Hunter version was left by 1976. From September 1977 it was re-badged as a Chrysler, which it was to be for the remaining 2 years of its life. Hunter production was switched in 1969 to Rootes' troubled Imp plant in Linwood , from its original home of Ryton . Sales were lower after 1975 following
2704-465: The 948cc engine nor the envisaged 928cc engine were used, the latter originally being proposed as early as the mid-1960s for a projected Mark III Imp that became a victim of Chrysler’s cost-cutting before it reappeared years later in the Chrysler Sunbeam . The Hillman Imp was officially announced on 2 May 1963, when HRH Duke of Edinburgh was invited to open the factory in Linwood . After
2808-582: The AJAX!", particularly noting the all-aluminium water-cooled rear engine. The same year, the Daily Express published an article titled "It's the new 'baby'", calling it "the first baby car ever built by the Rootes Group". In June 1963, the Motor Sport magazine commented on the press' reaction to the Imp who strongly favoured the Imp in terms of its engine, gearbox and competitive price; at launch,
2912-663: The Arrow's trim specification and bench seat. The Hunter was renamed to Hunter Royal, the model corresponding in trim level with the UK Singer Vogue, but retaining the Hunter plastic moulded dashboard, with simulated wood trim. An additional model, the Hunter GT, corresponded with the UK Humber Sceptre in trim level, but utilized the standard Hunter grille. These cars featured trim parts from various UK models, including UK Humber Sceptre bonnet ornaments. In 1970,
3016-547: The Australian version of the Hunter was face-lifted again, with the introduction of the HE series. Marketing of the car, plus its rear badges, referred to it as the Hunter, rather than a Hillman. The facelift involved a change to the radiator grille, with new and smaller rectangular headlights. Also, the appearance of the rear of the car was changed with a flush trim panel under the boot lid and new twin-lens tail lights. Depending on
3120-801: The British Saloon Car Championship (later known as the British Touring Car Championship ) in the early 1970s. Driven by Bill McGovern , the Bevan Sunbeam Imp won the championship in 1970, 1971 and 1972 with limited factory support. In UK club racing the Imp variants became highly successful in the under 1000 cc Special Saloon category. Notable exponents of the Imp in racing include Ian Forrest, Harry Simpson, Ricky Gauld, John Homewood, Roger Nathan, Gerry Birrell , Ray Payne and Chris Barter. To this day Imps still compete on historic rallies in
3224-608: The Hillman GT, and the Holbay-engined GLS was positioned at the top of the range. For the 1975 Motor Show, a limited edition Hillman Hunter Topaz was produced. This was largely based on the Hunter Super and equipped with overdrive, radio, vinyl roof, Rostyle wheels and a special half cloth upholstery as standard. This car was only available in a unique metallic bronze paint finish. The price was less than that of
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3328-785: The Hillman GT, which was based on the Minx trim, but was a model in its own right (not a "Hillman Minx GT" nor "Hillman Hunter GT"). It featured a twin Zenith Stromberg CD150 carburettor version of the 1725 engine developing 94 bhp (70 kW) and Ro-Style wheels. in 1972 came the Hillman Hunter GLS with a specially tuned twin-Weber- carburettor engine (by Holbay) shared with the Sunbeam Rapier H120 model, as well as close-ratio gearbox and quad headlights. The estate version, announced in April 1967,
3432-537: The Hillman Hunter DeLuxe model which succeeded the Minx. Automatic models were all powered by the 1725 cc engine. Particular attention was paid to weight and cost to bring the vehicle in line with its natural competitors, including the Mark 2 Ford Cortina. For the first time in a Rootes car MacPherson strut suspension featured at the front, with a conventional live axle mounted on leaf springs at
3536-534: The Hillman Hunter and the Minx respectively. Nevertheless, the need to compete on price was evidenced with the announcement of the Singer Vogue estate car. The Vogue saloon was fitted with an alternator , but the Vogue estate, announced in April 1967, was fitted with a dynamo ; the manufacturers explained that the change was made to help keep the model's recommended UK-market selling price below £1,000. The Singers were short-lived models, retired early in 1970 along with
3640-511: The Hillman Hunter from imported CKD packs at their Port Melbourne factory , which they inherited as part of Chrysler's acquisition of Rootes Australia . Designated as the HB series, the range comprised two models, the Arrow with basic vinyl upholstery and floormats, and the Hunter, with better quality upholstery and carpeted floors. A Hunter Safari wagon was added to the range in May 1968. The Safari name
3744-593: The Imp nevertheless suffered from reliability problems, which harmed its reputation and led to the Rootes Group being taken over by Chrysler Europe in 1967. The Imp continued in production until March 1976, selling just under half a million units in 13 years. Known internally within the Rootes Groups as the APEX project, the Imp came about because of the fuel shortage caused by the Suez Crisis in 1956. Petrol
3848-593: The Imp was seen by Rootes as a potential second car for families with the means to acquire one. In this incarnation, it was a somewhat revolutionary, high-quality small car, with some above average features. Later the concept evolved into a kind of ultra-economy car with some cheaply and poorly executed, design features as a utilitarian vehicle, like some of the Eastern European marques of the time like Škoda , and later Lada , which were relatively low-cost economy cars , popular with British consumers. At one point
3952-470: The Imp, which often resulted in warped cylinder heads, the cautious Arrow broke little new engineering ground. New parts were largely based on tried and tested Rootes components, using a new but strong 5-bearing version of the well-proven 1725 cc overhead valve petrol engine as a starting point which varied in output from 66 to 88 bhp (49 to 66 kW) (in the Humber Sceptre ). The engine
4056-504: The Linwood plant until it closed in 1981, after just 18 years in use. The Ryton assembly plant continued in operation until December 2006, when production of the Peugeot 206 was switched to Slovakia . Being a direct competitor to the BMC 's Mini , it used a space-saving rear-engine , rear-wheel-drive layout to allow as much luggage and passenger capacity as possible in both the rear and
4160-654: The Rootes Group who were trying to compete with the Mini, production of which totalled 1,190,000 during the 1960s. The Mark I was introduced as a 2-door saloon , which appeared in two models; the Basic and De Luxe. In October 1964, a luxury edition was introduced, known as the Singer Chamois. Following the initial problems that affected the Mark I, the Rootes Group decided to re-introduce the Imp with significant changes both mechanically and cosmetically. The Mk I Imps had
4264-642: The Singer marque was retired in 1970. The Humber Sceptre traded on Humber's tradition of building luxury cars and was the best-appointed version. It was marketed as a Sunbeam Sceptre in some markets. The manual-gearbox model featured either the D-type or the later J-type Laycock De Normanville overdrive , with the J-type fitted from chassis numbers L3 onwards starting in July 1972. As with all Arrows, an automatic gearbox
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4368-584: The Sunbeam marque (Sunbeam Sceptre for instance), and at other times used UK marque/model names. Singer Gazelle and Vogue models were also sold in the UK for one season badged as Sunbeams after the Singer brand was withdrawn. The models sold – not all concurrently – were, alphabetically by marque: The most prolific model within the Arrow range, the Hillman Hunter, was the Coventry -based company's major competitor in
4472-700: The Talbot badge was applied to any production Hunter following Chrysler Europe's 1978 takeover by Peugeot , and the application of that badge to other Chrysler models sold on or after 1 August 1979. The final Chrysler Hunter was built in September 1979 in Porirua , New Zealand, and was donated to the Southward Museum . In 2000 the Museum sold the car to a private collector. As Rootes looked to rationalise
4576-698: The UK with only 1 still on the road. The European operations of Chrysler were sold to Peugeot just before the end of Hunter production in 1979, although the Chrysler branding was briefly retained, with the Talbot marque being introduced across Europe from 1 August 1979. It was effectively replaced by the Talbot Solara – a four-door saloon version of the Alpine hatchback – which was launched in April 1980. Commencing in 1967, Chrysler Australia Ltd assembled
4680-585: The UK, with the Vokes' car often making it onto the podium in the HRCR Clubmans Rally Championship. The Imp was also successfully raced and rallied in other parts of the world, notably Asia, where drivers including Andrew Bryson and Pardaman Singh regularly won saloon car categories into the 1980s. The 998 cc Imp engine was also used in three-wheeled racing sidecars in the 1970s and 1980s. Exhaust systems were naturally constructed on
4784-468: The aluminium engine casings, and a stake in a brand new Pressed Steel Company motor pressings works, which manufactured all the new car's body panels. The location of the plant led to significant logistical issues for the manufacturing process. Linwood was over 300 miles (480 km) away from Rootes' main factory at Ryton-on-Dunsmore , but the engine castings made in Linwood had to be sent to Ryton to be machined and assembled, then sent back up to be put on
4888-431: The available "GL Auto" which was badged just "GL"). In 1973 Todds created another completely unique model by updating the "GL" with a simplified variant of the four-headlight nose from the upmarket Humber Sceptre (a rare UK-assembled import) and altering the tail with a new silver strip below the tail lights, incorporating the reversing lights. These changes gave the "GL" a much more distinctive appearance front and rear. By
4992-483: The basic Hillman Imp was the cheapest new car on the British market, which increased low sales figures for a time. Over the life of the car, Rootes (and later Chrysler UK) produced four body styles. The original saloon was introduced in May 1963 and ran through to the end of production in 1976. It has an opening rear window, making it effectively a hatchback . The opening rear window is intended to make it easier to load
5096-502: The blue option was dropped and the dashboards reverted to black paint. By now the equivalent Super model in the UK had seen its specification reduced to the iron head engine, no bumper over-riders, less exterior bright metal detailing and fixed front quarterlights — so the New Zealand version was unique. The range's first major facelift for 1972 brought an uprated motor with new carburettor and ignition tuning, re-profiled camshaft and
5200-404: The car: "Well, Mike Parkes and I were very good friends. So we went to the director of engineering, B. B. Winter, and said to him we could design you just the car we want. And he said: 'Alright, get on with it then!'". The early stages of development presented "The Slug", which had clear similarities to a bubble car. However, the Rootes design board were not satisfied with this approach, and ordered
5304-415: The cars — a 600-mile (970 km) round trip. This was addressed by a complex schedule of trains shifting completed cars and raw castings south, and trains loaded with engine- gearbox assemblies and many other Ryton-sourced goods running north. To aid with balancing the logistical costs of this operation, body pressings for the Hillman Avenger were also made at Linwood, but transported south to Ryton on
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#17327836563715408-428: The company had been acquired by Chrysler, to become part of Chrysler Europe . A year later, ahead of the 1968 London Motor Show , the recommended retail prices of most Imp models were reduced for the domestic market by more than four per cent, despite the general price inflation affecting the UK. Chrysler stewardship was blamed by some for the demise of the Imp in March 1976, after fewer than 441,000 had been built, but
5512-436: The component trains. This schedule remained in operation for the duration of Linwood Imp production. The local West of Scotland workforce, recruited mainly from the shipbuilding industry, did not bring the distinct skills necessary for motor vehicle assembly, and Imp build quality and reliability suffered accordingly. However, industrial relations were also an issue in production. Industrial disputes and strike action became
5616-460: The coupés being reserved for Sunbeam. The Arrow range was conceived in 1962. Following the Hillman Imp , consideration was given to developing a larger rear-engined car , but this concept was dismissed, and the engineering settled on for the new car was more conventional and closer to the layout of the existing Audax series (which included the previous Hillman Minx). With cash-strapped Rootes struggling amid continuing engine cooling problems with
5720-453: The design team to press forward. That led to the next stage of the Slug, which appeared more utilitarian with appropriate styling. Extensive road testing was carried out in Norway in winter conditions, East Africa in the height of summer and in Arctic conditions in Canada by a small team led by Ken Sharpe (Chief Development Engineer, Ryton) Rootes did previously look at building a small car twice, even if both ultimately contributed little to
5824-503: The development of the Imp. The first being the 1938–1939 Little Jim prototype, which featured a conventional front-engined rear-wheel drive layout equipped with a 750cc water-cooled engine followed later by the post-war rear-engined 1949 Little Jimmy prototype by Craig Miller that would make use of a Volkswagen-based twin-cylinder engine. It was originally envisaged by Rootes the 742cc Coventry Climax FWMA inspired engine would be available in three sizes, 800cc, 875cc and 998cc. However it
5928-427: The domestic market in October 1966 with a 1725 cc engine, were given the Hillman Hunter name with the respected name Hillman Minx (for the cheaper 1496 cc version), following in January 1967. Hillman would remain the British group's most prolific marque. The Hunter model name was not in fact entirely new for a Rootes-related car, having been used for one year's production of the Singer SM1500 . Sports models included
6032-431: The entire Chrysler Europe operation was not a success and two years later it became part of Peugeot . The Imp was one of Britain's longest-running production cars with a 13-year run, despite lower sales in its later years. Its place in the Chrysler UK range was taken the following year by the Chrysler Sunbeam , a three-door hatchback based on the Avenger rear-wheel drive underpinnings. Both cars continued to be produced at
6136-404: The fitting of synchromesh on all forward gears as "impossible". Besides the engine's unique design, it was canted at a 45° angle to keep the center of gravity low and optimise road-holding. As reported in tests such as The Practical Car and Driver , rear-engined cars generally suffer from oversteer handling characteristics to some extent, and to counteract that as much as possible, the Imp has
6240-492: The front of the car. It used a unique opening rear hatch to allow luggage to be put into the back seat rest. It was the first mass-produced British car with the engine in the back and the first to use a diaphragm spring clutch . The baulk-ring synchromesh unit for the transaxle compensated for the speeds of gear and shaft before engagement, from which the Mini had suffered during its early production years. It incorporated many design features which were uncommon. Among them were
6344-558: The good ergonomic quality of its dash-board/fascia, and its replacement reflected similar trends in other new and modified UK vehicles at a time of "production rationalization". The more modern arrangement on the Imp was seen by some as a missed opportunity. The initial problems damaged the Imp's reputation and popularity trailed off, with half of all production being from the first three years. It still sold thanks to its competitive price, distinctive styling, and cheap running costs, but sales never lived up to expectations for what had become
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#17327836563716448-470: The last Rootes car to be marketed in Australia. Chrysler Australia then closed the former Rootes factory, focusing Australian production at its Tonsley Park plant in Adelaide . New Zealand importer and CKD assembler Todd Motors also created its own unique versions of the Arrow line. The single 1967 launch version (1725 cc aluminium head engine with four-speed manual transmission or three-speed Borg Warner 35 automatic transmission with twin front seats)
6552-448: The launch of the Chrysler Alpine , a similar sized car but with front-wheel drive and a hatchback bodystyle, at a time when rear-wheel drive saloons still dominated in this sector. Following the Hillman Avenger 's move to Linwood in 1976, the very last European Hunters were assembled in the Santry plant, Shanowen Road, Ireland from " complete knock down " (CKD) kits until production ended in 1979 – but no evidence exists to suggest that
6656-407: The likes of Paul Emery, Andy Dawson, Ian Carter and others. The later 998cc engines in the Rallye Imps meanwhile would on the other hand make use of expensive wet-lines and were not really intended for road use, rather only for competition and further tuning. It was later discovered the largest reliable limit the 875cc engine would tolerate was 948cc, however in the absence of more development neither
6760-439: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hillman_GT&oldid=1082772451 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Hillman vehicles Hidden categories: Use dmy dates from April 2022 Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Hillman Hunter Rootes Arrow
6864-401: The luxury Singer Chamois (launched October 1964), and the Sunbeam Sport (launched October 1966), with a more powerful twin-carburettor engine, were offered with varying degrees of success. For marketing reasons the Singer variants were sold as Sunbeams in many export markets, even before May 1970 when the Singer marque was discontinued altogether by Chrysler UK. In some markets, such as France,
6968-490: The mid-70s, the Hunter was an old model and under siege from newer Japanese rivals. Todd's Hunters adopted the larger bumpers and new grille introduced for 1975 in the UK but the range was eventually rationalised into a single Super saloon model with the four-headlight front end and "wood" dashboard inserts (by then it was synthetic wood rather than the real material used originally). The final updates included standard cigarette lighter and heater control illumination. Around 1975,
7072-423: The model, this panel was painted in the body colour, matte grey or matte black (Hustler Model); this facelift was unique to Australia. Inside, the HE models received a new collapsible steering column, with the Valiant's steering wheel. The model range was later modified again: a new cut price performance version called the Hustler was introduced. This was similar in concept and execution to the UK Hillman GT –
7176-403: The new car was actually 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (6.4 cm) shorter than that of the old, but the length of the passenger cabin was nonetheless increased by moving the engine and the toe-board forwards. For the first two years there were few changes. However, in May 1968 power assisted brakes were made available as a factory fitted option. Hitherto this possibility had been offered only as
7280-426: The number of platforms and the total engineering cost of their vehicle line-up during the 1960s, they kept alive the many names of the companies they had purchased to maintain product differentiation in the market place. As such, the Arrow was simultaneously aimed at several slightly different market segments, using a range of brand and model names during the car's 13-year production run. The first models, launched on
7384-447: The opening, he then drove a silver Imp to Glasgow Airport . One of the first Imps produced is currently on display at the Glasgow Museum of Transport . Another early example from 1963 is at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu , with the registration 1400 SC. Before and after its announcement, the Imp garnered significant attention from the motoring press. In 1962, the Small Car & Mini Owner magazine published an article titled "Enter
7488-499: The optional automatic was uprated from the three-speed Borg Warner 35 to the new, four-speed 45 but there were supply problems and Todds reverted to the 35 three-speed for several assembly runs of the automatic versions. 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
7592-536: The rear. Other firsts for Rootes in the new car were curved side glass and flow-through ventilation. Manual transmissions were available in four-speed form with an optional Laycock de Normanville overdrive , or Borg-Warner automatic transmission, again as an option. Initially, the Borg Warner Type 35 3-speed automatic was offered, then the Type 45 four-speed automatic became available in 1973. The handbrake
7696-407: The rest of the Singer range. Briefly following the retirement of the Singer brand, and throughout the model life for principal export markets, the Singer Vogue was badged as a Sunbeam. The single-carburettor Sunbeam Alpine and twin-carburettor Sunbeam Rapier were only sold as fastback coupés, and were marketed with a strong sporting image – although it was eventually the Hillman Hunter which
7800-404: The saloon body with extended rooflines were tried, but never offered to the public. Instead, buyers choosing the estate had to settle for a van-derived car with somewhat unusual styling. Both the van and estate ceased production in 1970. In an attempt to interest a wider public when sales figures fell well short of the intended 100,000 cars per annum, several badge-engineered derivatives, such as
7904-543: The side of the doors. The Imp was never officially badged nor referred to as the "Mark III". However, changes were made to the range when the Rootes Group was fully acquired by Chrysler Europe , and so that version is sometimes referred to as the "Chrysler Imp". After Rootes Group's acquisition by Chrysler in 1968, the entire range was revised, except for the Stiletto. The instrument panel and steering wheel were redesigned. The large speedometer previously positioned behind
8008-589: The small family car segment. In its 13-year production run, its UK market contemporaries included the Ford Cortina , Vauxhall Victor , Austin/Morris 1800 , and Morris Marina . The sports-orientated Sunbeam Rapier occupied a segment contested by the Ford Capri , MGB GT , Vauxhall Firenza , and to an extent the Triumph Dolomite , while the more upmarket Humber Sceptre competed with other premium-specification cars based on conventional saloons, such as
8112-518: The small luggage area behind the fold-down rear seat. The fold-down nature of the rear seat was itself unusual in small car design at the time, being more often associated with larger upmarket estate cars. In 1965 a van badged as the "Commer Imp" was introduced. A coupe, the Imp Californian, was introduced in 1967 at the same time as the van's pressings were used to create an estate car , badged "Hillman Husky". Several estate car prototypes using
8216-473: The standard Hunter Super when fitted with the optional overdrive. A Hillman Break de Chasse was sold in French-speaking markets, based on the Minx specification. (Also offered was a similar Sunbeam Break de Chasse; "break" being a French term for an estate, and the phrase break de chasse translating roughly as shooting-brake .) The Singer Vogue and Singer Gazelle were positioned slightly upmarket of
8320-436: The standard model cost £508 1s 3d, while the deluxe version was £532 4s 7d. The name "Imp" was originally the name of an engine produced by Ailsa Craig Ltd. , a manufacturer of marine engines. In 1962 the company was acquired by Warsop Fram Group, and all of Ailsa Craig Ltd's assets were up for sale. The Warsop Fram Group traded the Imp name to the Rootes Group in exchange for a new Humber Super Snipe motor car. The namesake
8424-714: The standard saloon are actually slightly better. The new body style made its first appearance at the Paris Motor Show in October 1967, with the introduction of the sporting Sunbeam Stiletto. The coupe body had also appeared, with less powerful engines, in the Hillman Imp Californian announced in January 1967 and the more luxurious Singer Chamois coupe. The Imp was a massive and expensive leap of faith for Rootes. The company did not have recent experience building small cars, even though it started off as
8528-619: The standard silencer (muffler) with one that impeded the exhaust gas flow less and with better carburettors. However, in adapting the design to suit modern mass-production methods, Rootes had left the engine more fragile than the Coventry Climax model from which it had been derived. The Imp used a derivative of the Climax FWMA engine whereas the Lotus cars used an FWMC engine which had an entirely different cylinder head. Initially,
8632-455: The steering wheel was replaced by a horizontal row of four circular dials/displays of varying detail and complexity, according to the model involved. The right-hand dial, the speedometer, was now to one side of the driver's normal sightline, while one multi-functional stalk on the right side of the steering column replaced the two control stalks that had been directly behind the steering wheel, one on each side. The earlier Imp had been praised for
8736-413: The three passenger doors), painted rather than bright metal door window frame trim and fixed rather than opening front quarter-lights. Because the hand brake was between the driver's seat and the driver's door, for safety reasons, there wasn't an arm rest on the driver's door. Todd's also offered a Singer Vogue saloon with a 1725 cc engine and a more upmarket wood veneer dashboard from 1967 to 1971. It
8840-522: The time. The Hillman Hunter was rebranded as the Chrysler Hunter for the UK market in September 1976, receiving at the same time a four headlight frontal treatment similar to that of the Hunter GLS model and the Humber Sceptre. In order to try to prolong the model life an improved level of equipment included a central console and a voltmeter. The Super version also featured an aluminium-head engine and viscous fan coupling along with reclining seats,
8944-494: Was almost identical to its UK counterpart but Todd started to use its own upholstery designs from the 1969 rectangular headlight update. For 1970, it added a silver rear trim panel and a 'by Chrysler' boot lid badge to the Hunter saloon and introduced the estate although this had a lower specification than the saloon – an iron head 1725 cc engine, no automatic option, simpler dashboard trim (no locking glovebox), interior door pull handles instead of armrests (sedans had them on
9048-539: Was also used to identify the Australian Chrysler Valiant wagons. The Safari was a popular seller, particularly as the competing Holden Torana was not available as an estate / station wagon. The HC series was released in November 1968. Major changes were the adoption of the UK face-lifted Hunter radiator grille and rectangular headlights, and the renaming of the Arrow as the Hunter, retaining
9152-506: Was an option. A closer ratio G-type gearbox was fitted to later Sceptres, using the J-type overdrive. An estate version of the Humber Sceptre was introduced at the London Motor Show in October 1974. It featured a built-in roof rack and a carpeted loading floor protected by metal strips and illuminated by an additional interior light. Washer and wiper were provided for the rear window, a rare feature on UK-market estate cars of
9256-540: Was inclined by a modest 15 degrees, to allow for a lower bonnet line and to enable packaging of the carburettors. This engine was further uprated by specialists Holbay, employing two Weber 40DCOE carburettors to produce 107 bhp (80 kW) for the Sunbeam Rapier H120 and Hillman Hunter GLS. A smaller 1500 cc engine was the standard for manual versions of the Hillman Minx and the Singer Gazelle, and
9360-401: Was later reduced by lowering the pivot points. Gradually increasing in popularity in the UK, Mark I sales in 1963 were estimated at 33,000, and increased to 50,142 in 1964. However, Imp sales decreased in 1965 to 42,663. Reliability problems had quickly surfaced, mainly due to poor cooling of the rear engine, and the public image of the car was becoming negative. That was extremely worrying for
9464-405: Was not to be as through a combination of engineering production costs, Apex’s increased weight and size, together with experimental dry-liner 998cc engines being unreliable, resulted in only the 875cc engine being standardized at the cost of imposing a constraint on the Imp as a one-capacity car that competitors like the Mini did not experience. One alternative solution considered before being dropped
9568-427: Was originally launched as the "Hillman Estate Car" without either Hunter or Minx badging. It came with a one-piece tailgate which was much cheaper to produce than the horizontally split two piece tailgate featured on the car it replaced , but the change nevertheless drew some unfavourable press comment. The car's image was boosted when a Hunter driven by Andrew Cowan won the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon . The range
9672-523: Was rationed in the UK, sales of the heavy cars for which Rootes was known had dramatically slumped, and there was a huge market for small economical cars with low fuel usage. The BMC's Mini had already taken advantage of the opportunity, with production starting in 1959. Although the project officially began in 1955, the market for small cars was soon recognised and it was evident that the project would evolve into Rootes' first small, economical car. Seeing an opportunity, Mike Parkes and Tim Fry offered to design
9776-471: Was replaced by the Hunter GL. The range was given a unique-to-NZ update early in 1971: the iron head "deluxe" estate (never badged as such) was almost unchanged apart from the side "Hunter" badges moving from the front doors to the front guards and revised seat and door trim patterns, and the door tops switched from black to the same colour as the seats. The alloy headed "super" saloon got these changes plus
9880-469: Was situated between the driver's seat and door (i.e. on the driver's right-hand side for a right-hand drive car) rather than between the front seats. This followed the practice established with the 'Audax' cars. The first Arrow model to be launched, the Hillman Hunter, was presented as a replacement for the Hillman Super Minx . The Hunter was lighter than its predecessor and the wheel-base of
9984-463: Was soon simplified with trim levels and varying engine specifications: the Hillman Hunter DeLuxe or DL replaced the Minx and retained the Minx 1496 cc engine; the 1725 cc engine with an iron cylinder head being an option on these entry-level models. Above that were the Hunter Super and Hunter GL, both with the higher specification alloy headed engine and two different trim levels. The twin carburettor engined "Hillman Hunter GT" eventually replaced
10088-530: 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 ),
10192-788: Was the manufacturer's name for a range of cars produced under several badge-engineered marques by the Rootes Group (later Chrysler Europe ) from 1966 to 1979 in Europe, and continuing on until 2005 in Iran . It is amongst the last Rootes designs, developed with no influence from future owner Chrysler. The range is almost always referred to by the name of the most prolific model, the Hillman Hunter . A substantial number of separate marque and model names were applied to this single car platform. Some were given different model names to justify trim differences (Hillman GT, Hillman Estate Car) and, from time to time, models were sold in some European markets under
10296-533: Was to be a significant part of the demise of the Rootes Group . The Imp's commercial failure added to the major losses suffered by Rootes, although the main reasons for these losses were unresolved industrial unrest and the effects of the link with the Chrysler Corporation of the USA. The link was initiated by Lord (William) Rootes in 1964 as a partnership, but he died in October of that year and by 1967
10400-632: Was to be found in the VG series luxury Valiant, the Regal 770. These cars sold steadily, but they became overshadowed when Chrysler Australia commenced assembly of the Mitsubishi Galant in 1972. By this time, the Mitsubishi was a conspicuously more modern car, and the last Australian Hunter was produced in November 1972. The stockpile of vehicles took almost a year to clear and the Hunter became
10504-445: Was to develop a new taller block giving the engine a longer stroke whilst retaining the 875cc engine's dry-liners, however this would have been an expensive procedure and would have only been worth the investment had the Imp been a success. A few long-stroke engines were built and evaluated, the work not completely going to waste as they would go on many years later to be bored out up to 1150cc and used to great in effect in competition by
10608-534: Was to emphasize its small-size, and to help it sell as the obvious competitor for the Mini. The water-cooled four-cylinder power unit was inspired by the Coventry Climax FWMA engine, featuring an all-aluminium alloy overhead camshaft, combined with a full-synchromesh aluminium transaxle. This combination was very advanced at the time. Sir Alec Issigonis , designer of the BMC's Mini, had recently described
10712-527: Was used in North America. Sunbeam Break de Chasse, Hunter, Vogue and Minx were offered in some French-speaking markets (where "break" is a term for an estate). A Sunbeam Sceptre appeared in France and some German-speaking markets (at least), and carried the Humber Sceptre level of specification, as described below. The Sunbeam Vogue was also available in the home (British) market for a short period after
10816-459: Was used in long-distance rallying. The sportiest Sunbeam was the Rapier H120 model, though this shared its specially tuned Holbay engine with the Hillman Hunter GLS. Sunbeam Arrow, Sunbeam Break de Chasse, Sunbeam Hunter, Sunbeam Minx, Sunbeam Sceptre and Sunbeam Vogue were used for export markets where the Sunbeam name was more familiar or deemed more likely to succeed. The Sunbeam Arrow name
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