1964 Singer Chamois

Singer Chamois (Saloon), 1964-1970

The Singer Chamois was in production from 1964 until 1970. Styled in house, it is a rear-engine, rear wheel drive saloon and coupe range seating four adults.

The Chamois was conceived as a sister car to the Hillman Imp, to be trimmed in a more upmarket style in the manner of the Mini-based Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet models. That meant wood veneer on the dash, nicer seats, and a dummy grille at the front. Inside there was a temperature gauge, an oil pressure gauge and a heater blower as standard, while outside there was a stripe and a set of posher wheel trims. The wheels were half an inch wider and wore radial tyres, though Motor recorded similar performance times to the Imp upon which it was based.

In 1968 the Chamois received the same full width dash as other Imps, though it also lost its wood veneer in place of mock wood trim. The 1968 model year brought twin headlamps borrowed from the Sunbeam models, while the grille was inverted. The previous year, Hillman had launched the Imp Californian coupe, and there would be a Chamois version of this for those who wanted a more rakish appearance. A Sport model had been launched in 1966, which shared the higher performance powerplant of the Sunbeam Imp Sport. With the withdrawal of the Singer name in 1970, the Chamois came to an end - but Sunbeam and Hillman variants would continue.

Fitting rivals in period would have included the Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet - though equally, their obvious Mini-with-a-boot roots may not have been appealing to those looking at the Rootes product. Less divisive would be the Triumph Herald 12/50, which offered increased performance and nicer trim over the standard Herald without restoring to six cylinder power. Today, we might also consider the Ford Anglia Super as a possible rival, though it would almost certainly have been too flash for the sort of genteel retirees that bought many of the Chamois, Heralds, and booted Minis in period. A Vauxhall Viva SL90, on the other hand, might have been just the ticket.