A revisit of an an old rivalry between two small sporty Brits: the iconic Mini Cooper and the lessser-spotted Imp-based Sunbeam Stiletto. Which is the better option as a classic today?
Words: Nigel Clark Images: Matt Woods
"In the early 1960s, if a well-heeled youngster wanted a new set of wheels that was a bit flash without being too expensive, the answer usually came in the shape of a small sports car, probably a Sprite or Midget. Then BMC teamed up with F1 racer John Cooper and changed everything.
When Cooper worked his magic by tweaking Issigonis’ cleverly packaged front wheel drive runabout, a whole new class of performance car was created overnight. The launch of the Mini Cooper in 1961 gave the world a car that matched a sports car’s straight line performance but, inheriting the exceptional handling of the basic Mini, could easily beat the sports cars through the bends. The fact that the Cooper also offered four seats was another benefit, though maybe not uppermost in the minds of young buyers. Arguably the Mini Cooper’s success created the market for the hot hatchbacks that emerged in the following decades.
The Rootes Group wasn’t about to sit back and miss out on a slice of this new-found action. Having launched the Hillman Imp as a Mini rival in 1963, three years later an Imp Sport hit the market followed by the Stiletto, badge engineered under Rootes performance brand of Sunbeam.
So by the mid-1960s the aspiring buyer in search of a sporty saloon had a choice between BMC and Rootes products. Contemporary sales figures suggest the Mini won the contest hands down but is that really a fair representation of the Imp’s capability? Today we’re comparing a Mini Cooper Mk1 and a Series 1 Sunbeam Stiletto. Let’s find out how these rivals fare some five decades later."
More here:-
https://classicsworld.co.uk/cars/mini-c ... -stiletto/
