![]() The second Imp made ( 4533 KV) was presented by Lord Rootes to Lord Lee, chairman of Coventry Climax. It should be able to compete with the small Fords and BMCs, including the Mini. At the same time they appeared willing to go ahead with a Rootes small car, but it had to be a proper motor car with a.o. No bubblesĪfter having been presented with two prototypes, the Rootes board members (used to Hillman or Humber solid, well-made quality cars) made it clear they were not interested in any bubble-car of sorts, nor in a design that cut costs at all costs. Other aims of the team included that the small car be fun to drive. Looking at the competition (Fiat 500, BMW 700, Citroen 2CV) and considering costs, they opted for a rear engine. Parkes and Fry proposed a 2 adults - 2 children car, that could do 60 mph and manage 60 mpg (which meant researching aerodynamics). In 1955 a small car project was begun, not so much to come up with an economy car in the Suez Crisis days (like the Mini), but to provide an idea of what sort of affordable car could be made and what its performance would be. It was produced for more than 12 years, until 1976. Launched in 1963, it sported many new and untried ideas, like an aluminium alloy engine, and overhead camshaft a pneumatic throttle and king-pins running in sealed plastic bearings. It was made in the purposebuild Linwood factories in Scotland. Rootes' small car was designed by Michael Parkes (a development engineer for Ferrari) and Tim Fry more or less from 1955 on.
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