Made by the Rootes Group in 1963, the Hillman Imp was a small family car and was developed to compete with British Motor Corporation (BMC) Mini which was a very popular model. 

To beat the BMC Mini, the Rootes company (later purchased by Chrysler Europe) introduced a lot of measures to keep the cost low. It used a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive offering luggage space to the customer in the front as well as the rear-end (where a small opening was given to keep luggage on the foldable backseat). 

The model name “Imp” was picked up from the name of a marine engine that was produced by a Scottish producer Ailsa Craig. As the Hillman plant was also located in Linwood, Scotland Rootes decided to use this borrowed name 

The Hillman Imp eventually became so popular that they produced also in Australia, Costa Rica, Ireland, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay and Venezuela. This car was also by the Kent Police.