Legacy

The first Hillman Imp to come off the production line Courtesy of Glasgow Museum of Transport

Production of the Imp ceased in 1976. In this source a member of the 'Imp Club' describes the qualities of the Imp that made him a fan of the car. He describes the part played by the Linwood factory in the development of modern car production methods in Britain and Europe. Also, he highlights the fact that the Imp was ahead of its time, in terms of design, and points out that a small car produced in Scotland enjoyed great success in car rallies and other motor sports.

"Geoffrey Rootes' dream for Linwood" author Robert J Allen. Published 1991. Robert Allan is involved in running the Imp Club, for enthusiasts of the Imp car.

What is left behind is a memorial not to social success, but to technology, advanced production methods and marketing. Many ideas from the Linwood project still live on and are used in modern-day cars, not only by Chrysler and Peugot-Talbot, but by many other car companies and industry, who have learned their lessons from the history of industrial growth and development in the twentieth century, of which Linwood was a part. Many of the unique design features of the Imp are present in the modern hatchback Eurocars. The Imp was, after all, one of the first of these, with its roots deep in French, Italian and German engineering, as well as British tradition, quality and inventiveness: a dream of a motor car designed by enthusiasts which serves as day to day transport and is equally at home on the race or rally circuit.