Only for those interested in a bit of UK car history.....

If the Hillman Imp was the basis and not just the engine supplier for the flat car, it was one very old Imp as the registration is one of the series that was used mostly up to 1963, but some areas kept till 1965 when the extra letter became law.

It was 301 VTG, black plate with silver letters and numbers.

The Imp had its engine laid almost on its side, perfect for such a car I feel....

The Hillman Imp engine was very interesting as it was partially originally designed for a fire pump by Coventry Climax, actually used in the second world war, thousands were made I believe.....

It was used for the Hillman Imp because the original Roote's engine designed for the Imp proved to be noisy and unreliable, rumored to have been 2 stroke air cooled. It was a very early attempt at making an economical car, because of the knock on effects of the Suez Crisis of 1956 on petrol prices and availability.

Engines from Coventry Climax also saw Formula one fame into the middle of the 1960's with world famous drivers using it, Jim Clarke springs to mind....still with only 4 cylinders, but larger capacity...

Great explanation here:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Climax#Climax-powered_vehicles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillman_Imp

I have a great story about buying one for my girlfriend of the time around 1974, but only on request as it is not really anything to do with Imp history.....

Marking as off topic because it really is....