Historic Hillman Imp could fetch £50,000
One of the most famous Hillman Imp cars ever to race, which took part in the Monte Carlo Rally 50 years ago, is to go under the hammer.
The car could fetch up to £50,000 when it is sold at auction in Wiltshire next month.
The Imp, with registration plate JDU48E, was built in 1966 by the Rootes Group, which had bought the Hillman name.
It has an impressive racing pedigree after competing in the 3,400-mile 1967 Monte Carlo Rally, coming second in its class and 46th overall.
Later in 1967, it raced in the Tulip Rally in the Netherlands in which it achieved its best international result, coming second in its class and 10th overall.
The Imp also took part in the 1967 Coupe des Alpines but had to retire because of a broken gasket.
Perhaps most significantly, the car competed in the UK's first-ever televised rallycross event in 1967.
The Imp was launched by Rootes Group as a competitor to the highly popular Mini and began manufacture in 1963 at Linwood, Scotland.
Just under 500,000 were sold before the final Imp rolled off the production line in 1976.
Considered advanced for its time, it was the first mass-produced car with the engine block and cylinder head cast in aluminium and...