GP.2 racing Imp test - onboard video

[knutspeed]

My Old Man has been though the loop with Minis to Imps aeons ago, but in recent years we've both stuck to Historic Racing. Senior in Imps, and me running a 65 Mini Cooper.
Thing is, I have been offered a test run in one of the Imps for quite some time, and took it up only a few weeks ago. I did 5 laps in total just to get a taste, and I was totally charmed by the Imp - and I also matched my best laptime in the Mini which I've been racing and developing since 2004!

The handling and sound, the entire experience is so lively compared to a 1300cc Cooper S. I thought there was nothing closer to a Go-Kart than a Mini, but hey...so next year I'll be steering an Imp instead!

Anyways, onboard video from the test here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpUJ8eli6eY
(Please excuse graunchy shifts, we later found an ill-fitting joint on the shifting rod)

[GURNSIMPS]

Wow thats a brilliant Video,whats the spec of that Imp because its very rapid!!

[bazzateer]

Will you be racing against the likes of Benoy, Oliver, Jones, Frost, Hazelwood, Gunton, Martin, Plats etc etc?

[knutspeed]

Thanks!

The Imp is FIA Period G-spec (Group two). Full race 998cc Reg Patten engine, 4-speed s/c box w/LSD, twin Dellortos, etc. Boot & Bonnet in fibreglass, poly screens, various lightening (think min weight is 670kgs). Shell is seam-welded, safety devices 6-pt cage, safety tank, front + rear rad, proper exhaust manifold and single box merlin motorsports silencer (96dB). Running on 13" Superlites with Yoko 048R road tires.

Sadly, I won't be racing against too many other Imps (apart from my dad) as we're in Norway. We'll be racing various Scandinavian series, where the competition in the 1300cc class is from Minis, NSU TTS, Fiat Abarths, Escort 1300 etc. Not enough cars to do a 1150cc-series. There are a few very fast Imps racing in Denmark, hopefully we'll find time to go and chase them a bit.

Dad's been running the Imp for two seasons now, and it's been very reliable. The one I'll be racing is a Bevan replica, which has even hotter specs than this one.

Here's the car from the outside, boasting Hartwell-colors:


And the Bevan replica is coming along nicely (yes, we know the color is off, will be repainted after next season )

[GURNSIMPS]

This forum gets better everytime I look on Here!!! Good luck with the racing and please let us know how You get on.

[ibbo]

wow keep the vids and pictures coming

[Bevan IMP]

Hi Knutspeed

I presume your dad is Doc.....

Dont be fooled by the colour of the car...... My car is painted the original Chrysler lagoon blue and we still think it should be darker.

If you look at photographs of the original car they always look different.

As long as we keep our two cars apart it won't be a problem.

Jonathan Bevan

[bazzateer]

Great video!

[knutspeed]

Hi Jonathan,
You are of course correct. Not many others over here race Imps, but just wait until after next season

The color is a riddle, but then again, pictures usually don't tell the complete truth...
Anyway, looking at our car, it is too much of a "modern" blue, so we want to get it closer to the real deal. And we also have a painter who's an expert on getting the shine right - not super-glossy, but just the right look from back in those days.

I guess we'll need to put those yellow stripes on the roof of ours to keep them apart!

[Bevan IMP]

I am trying to source the original castol sticker for the roof........

Your car looks great, I used your car to give my dad a push in building ours. It took me around 15 years but he finally agreed.

I will e-mail you on Monday regarding the wheels, dont buy them until you have spoken to me as compomotive did me a deal. Also I need to fit the new fronts on with the correct tyres to ensure the offsets are correct.

Jonathan Bevan

[Dave ' Linwood ' Lane]

I am trying to source the original castol sticker for the roof........

Jonathan Bevan

Isaydingdong stickers on ebay have most of this stuff and will custom make to your requirments

http://www.isaydingdong.co.uk/shop/ Heres their website , they do stuff on the bay as well , top quality from what ive seen

[Bevan IMP]

many thanks i will have a look

[bazzateer]

Another vote here for isaydingdong - good products at good prices and never any problems.

[ImpManiac]

Knutspeed,

Wonderful video and photos! Please keep them coming!

IM

[johnh875]

/\/\/\ Hear, hear - thanks for sharing the pics & vids of your great cars! Great inspiration to leave work on time tonight & spend time in the garage.

You are right also about the Imp being like a go-kart!!!

[big J]

Great site you guys have,I enjoy a good shag myself
http://www.shag.no/default.asp?view=1&p ... age,%20man!

[bazzateer]

I like the T-shirts and the mug but they're a bit expensive for me

[knutspeed]

Great site you guys have,I enjoy a good shag myself
http://www.shag.no/default.asp?view=1&p ... age,%20man!

Thanks We're, well, taking things kind of lightly compared to a few others...so we enjoy acting a bit tongue-in-Cheek (and Cheek was incidentally the name of the C2 Prototype Doc built from scratch).

Racing is all about having fun, and we've just got to admit to being a bit mad with regards to which cars we're running!

[knutspeed]

Time macine


The first race-imp, this must be 78 or 79..


Yours truly with dad's ex-Slim Borgudd Imp.


The same car

..and the engine on its way into the Bevan replica, taken this weekend:

[SteveLee]

Nicely done - no one overtook you!

[TimC]

Wow great video. First time iv watched a video from Rudskogen which aint a Gatebil event.

[Clive Brown]

Hi Jonathan,
You are of course correct. Not many others over here race Imps, but just wait until after next season

The color is a riddle, but then again, pictures usually don't tell the complete truth...
Anyway, looking at our car, it is too much of a "modern" blue, so we want to get it closer to the real deal. And we also have a painter who's an expert on getting the shine right - not super-glossy, but just the right look from back in those days.

I guess we'll need to put those yellow stripes on the roof of ours to keep them apart!

Ahh.... The car with the yellow stripes on the roof was Les Nash's car , which was the triple Championship-winning car as sold to Les for the 1973 season (can I really be that old?). The body colour was purple, not Bevan Chrysler lagoon blue.

Clive

[knutspeed]

Clive - purple! I didn't know that. No surprise - there were so many hip (weed-inspired?) paint jobs back then. I remember some of them vividly from the late 70s, even though I was just a toddler.

Anyway, the Imps are now awaiting the glacier to melt from outside the workshop - then both imps are off for a rolling road session followed by shakedowns early may.

[Bevan IMP]

Hi

I think Les nash still had the car in blue, but just added purple and yellow to the bonnet and roof

[Clive Brown]

A rare picture of the twin headlight car, which got written off early in the 1973 season at Thruxton. This picture looks like it was taken at Silverstone.

[Bevan IMP]

I have just found the picutres of the car after the accident. I will post them when they are scanned.

Jonathan

[ImpManiac]

I've got to say, this is one of the best Imp racing pictures I have ever seen! FANTASTIC! More, please!

IM

[knutspeed]

Had our Bevan Tribute Imp out in fresh air for the first time - race debut in two weeks if all goes to plan



More pictures here: http://www.shag.no/default.asp?itemID=4 ... t&headline

[ImpManiac]

That is nothing less than GORGEOUS! Thank you for posting the link and the photo!

IM