Monte Carlo Hillman Imp rally car's £50k auction hope

The car took part in several races including a televised rally cross event in 1967

A car that took part in the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally could fetch up to £50,000 at auction next month.

The specially modified Hillman Imp was built in 1966 by the Rootes Group, which had bought the Hillman name.

Auctioneer Richard Edmonds, said: "We're thrilled to be able to offer this historic and much-loved vehicle."

The car, with the registration plate JDU46E will be sold at Richard Edmonds Auctions in Chippenham on 4 March.

Its racing history also includes competing in the Tulip Rally in the Netherlands.

It was also driven in the 1967 Coupe des Alpines, but did not complete the race because a gasket failed. It was also driven in the UK's first-ever televised rally cross event in the same year.

'Incredibly lucky'

The Imp was manufactured in Linwood, Renfrewshire, as a rival to the Mini, but never gained as much popularity.

Just under 500,000 were sold before the final model rolled off the production line in 1976.

The Imp is being sold by private collector Mark Tudge who has kept it at his home near Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

Mr Tudge, who has owned the car since 2013, said he was selling it for personal reasons.

"I was incredibly lucky to buy the car. I was on holiday in North Wales in 2013 when I saw a classified advert in a local paper selling the car.

"As it was in Cheshire not too far away, I went to see it and met the then owner, a retired banker and rally fan.

"He wouldn't sell the car to me for about a month - not until he was sure I was going to look after it.

Mr Tudge said the car's scratched paintwork was a reminder of its racing days, so it had not been refurbished.