“What the hell is an Imp?” That’s what I said, when BangShift Web Nerd Scott Payton sent me this video yesterday. It turns out a Hillman Imp is an 875cc aluminum four cylinder powered little boxy car that was built in the 60’s and 70’s in Scotland and Australia. Well apparently the Aussie’s dig them and, since they are like a weird looking Datsun 510, race the piss out of them. They make roughly the same power as my minibike, sound twice as pissed off, and clearly need one more gear on Bathurst. They are rear engine, and we want one.
The little bastard is F’ing awesome to watch weave through cars in every single corner, although a few of them come back around on the straights. If you don’t find yourself saying “shift” at the computer screen at least once during this video it will surprise me. This video will make you want to go run the road course at Bathurst FOR SURE. I’m in, when do we leave? Make sure you get the extra insurance on the rental car as those k rails look big.
…..it looks like a highly, altered, early Corvair
Very cool, and what an awesome track! Yowza! It sure does need one more gear in that little car though…
I like the little cars with the peace sign tail lights that look like little Rambler Americans. LOL I want 1 of those.
Tim, those Ford Cortina’s they are also popular in the UK.
Indeed.
Love them Mk.1 Cortinas. You could even get them with a Lotus twin cam. I would love to have one.
They were sold in small numbers in the USA.
neat stuff there,very cool.
I want to see the tach in that thing on the straights, Holy RPM’s Batman!
question,how many rpms is he running on the straight?–answer—ALL of them!!
Damn!! To go around the outside of someone across Skyline, is f&%king psychotic..this guys nuts!! My new hero!
Its actually a public road most of the year with a criminally low speed limit and haunted by police… No Aussie Nurburgring type setup for us unfortunately. They prep it for racing for the Bathurst 1000 and a few other events.
So if your ever in aus you can drive the road, doesn’t seem quite as fun at the speed limit though.
OKAY all you ‘Pro Touring’ guys and gals ! Slap a number on ’em and let’s go racin’ !
LOVE LOVE LOVE those downhill twisties and LOOOOONG straights !
we LOVE Bathurst in Australia!! Just so’s you don’t think we all race Hillman Imps, fer chrissakes, (not that there’s anything wrong with that) this link is a Ferrari 458 doing Bathurst,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM4QpKaTNtc
And this is the Muscle Car Masters series (Mustangs, Camaro’s and Aussie cars)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCz5VZyRVPc