Rootes

When the Sunbeam Alpine was launched in 1959 it was to be competition for Triumph and MG, but where as its competitors had targeted performance and drivability the Rootes range's target was comfort and style, which it achieved with help from its American influences.

The Sunbeam Tiger bucked the Rootes trend it was basically a Sunbeam Alpine with a Ford V8 engine which made it definitely aimed at the performance market.

Hillman, another member of the Rootes group built a technically advanced little car which was surprisingly lively, this model was the Hillman Imp unfortunately it was never as popular with the British public as it deserved to be.

The Hillman Hunter was launched in 1966 as competition for the Ford Cortina with the advantage of being both lighter and cheaper than its rival.