Impish Behavior Or The Weird Way They Tried To Get Americans To Like Little Rear-Engined British Cars

One of my favorite British cars tends to get overshadowed by the legendary Mini, which is sort of  a shame, because while the Mini is unquestionably an iconic and remarkably engaging little car, this thing is, too, just not nearly as successful as the famous Mini. I’m talking about the Hillman/Sunbeam Imp, that rear-engined little marvel from the Rootes Group.

We never got Imps here in America, but that doesn’t mean the Rootes folks would have loved to have big sweaty fistfuls of crumpled American dollars, so they certainly imagined and plotted ways to break into that tricky American market. And, based on this pair of Imps shown at the 1965 New York (and maybe San Francisco, too?) Auto Show, the way the Rootes people planned on getting into the American market was by chugging watering cans full of gin and then smacking one another in the face with sheets of drywall, which allowed them to come up with ideas like Lord and Lady Imp.

Both cars were based on the clever and well-packaged rear-engined Imps known in the UK, which, as you can see here, had externally-accessible luggage stowage at the rear to go along with the bonnet in the front. A fronnet, if you will, which I do hope you won’t.

The two concepts were, as their names suggest, designed to be targeted at men and women separately and specifically, and as such are interesting examples of how traditional gender roles and preferences were seen at the time. Well, according to some British automakers, at least, who seemed to think that all men were, above all, married to the sea.

I say this because of the wildly nautical tone of the Lord Imp:

Just look at this thing! There’s the US Navy seal on the hubcaps and center of the steering wheel, the headliner and doorcards are blueprints of naval ships, the doorhandles are chromed sheepshanks or something, there’s nautical wood paneling on the sides, and the seat pattern are the Code of Signals flag for the letter “U” which can also mean “you are running into danger.” I wonder how much they thought that one out?

The PR copy for the Lord Imp is pretty incredible, too:

“FOR MEN ONLY: Designed specifically for men, the new Lord Imp has features such as ship-to-shore radio, a marine compass, ship’s bell, air horns and portable bar. It has nautical theme upholstery and the trim inside and out carries forth the boating motif. A prototype of the Lord Imp, which is based on the popular Sunbeam Imp sports sedan, was exhibited by Rootes Motors of England at the New York International Auto Show.”

Yeah, back off ladies, this is for the men. Men who like to pretend they’re commanding proud naval vessels as they pilot their 875cc city cars around town, pretending they’re delivering a broadside of cannonfire into the diner on the corner.

The Lady Imp is just as ridiculous, just in a very different, “feminine” way:

Doorhandles that look like either jewelry or silverware, matching luggage that matches the seat upholstery, door cards, and headliner, which are all densely floral’d in lilac and violet, along with perfume dispensers and a hair dryer and other exciting girlie things. From Rootes PR, again:

LADIES’ CAR: A new car a man wouldn’t want to drive, but would be more than happy to give to his wife – as the “ultimate present” is this Lady Imp, exhibited by Rootes Motors of England at the New York International Auto Show. The Lady Imp comes complete with such totally feminine features as a hair dryer, Princess mobile telephone and cosmetic perfume console. It is richly upholstered in a bright and striking floral pattern, and interior and exterior trim are equally feminine.

They could have used the word “feminine” maybe a few more times, right?

Both cars, interestingly, featured communication options that were ahead of their time: a telephone (presumably radio-based) on the Lady and a “ship-to-shore” radio on the Lord, though I suspect it was an early CB-type radio, because what the hell business does a land-car have making ship-to-shore radio calls?

Oh man, I forgot about those naval-knot floor mats on the Lord there. I also forgot I seemed to have written about these cars back in 2014 at the Old Site, but also, I don’t care. They’re still interesting, and, besides, those Old Site articles never show images. It’s also late and I have to get up early to drive to Monterey! So maybe I recycle some interesting content. What is that, a crime?

It’s not. It’s beautiful. Besides, these bonkers things are worth revisiting, I think.

Were dudes really that into Naval Kitsch in the ’60s? I mean, I know about the old midcentury rich-guy caricature of the ascot-and-captain’s-hat, Mr.Howell-style. But was this a mainstream thing? Maybe?