Humber Limited
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Humber Limited was a British manufacturer of
bicycles A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...
,
motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
, and cars incorporated and listed on the stock exchange in 1887. It took the name "Humber & Co Limited" because of the high reputation of the products of one of the constituent businesses that had belonged to
Thomas Humber Thomas Humber (16 October 1841 – 24 November 1910) was a British engineer and cycle manufacturer who developed and patented a safety bicycle (1884) with a diamond-shaped frame and wheels of similar size. It became a pattern for subsequent ...
. A financial reconstruction in 1899 transferred its business to Humber Limited. From an interest in motor vehicles beginning in 1896, the motor division became much more important than the cycle division and the cycle trade marks were sold to Raleigh in 1932. The motorcycles were withdrawn from sale during the depression of the 1930s. Humber is now a dormant
marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
for
automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
s as well as cycles. Following their involvement in Humber through
Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had b ...
in 1928 the Rootes brothers acquired 60 per cent of Humber's ordinary capital, sufficient for a controlling interest. The two Rootes brothers joined the Humber board in 1932 and began to make Humber the holding company for vehicle manufacturing members of what became their
Rootes Group The Rootes Group or Rootes Motors Limited was a British automobile manufacturer and, separately, a major motor distributors and dealers business. Run from London's West End, the manufacturer was based in the Midlands and the distribution and de ...
. By 1960 annual production was around 200,000 vehicles. Previous insistence on Rootes family control, however, may have led to under-capitalisation of the business. Building a brand new car, the Hillman Imp, proved beyond Humber and Rootes Group resources and their businesses were bought by the Chrysler Corporation in 1967.


Ownership and control

*
Private investors An angel investor (also known as a business angel, informal investor, angel funder, private investor, or seed investor) is an individual who provides capital for a business or businesses start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or owners ...
from incorporation and first listing in 1887 * Amalgamation with
Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had b ...
1928, Hillman newly controlled by Rootes brothers * Rootes Securities acquires 60 per cent of Humber, Hillman is made a Humber subsidiary 1932 *
Chrysler Corporation Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
acquires control of Rootes Motors (colloquially "Rootes Group") 1967 ;Wholly owned operating subsidiaries *
Commer Commer was a British manufacturer of commercial and military vehicles from 1905 until 1979. Commer vehicles included car-derived vans, light vans, medium to heavy commercial trucks, and buses. The company also designed and built some of its own ...
(Commercial Cars Ltd) 1925 *
Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had b ...
(merger 1929 — subsidiary 1930) *
Thrupp & Maberly Thrupp & Maberly was a British coachbuilding business based in the West End of London, England. Coach-makers to Queen Victoria they operated for more than two centuries until 1967 when they closed while in the ownership of Rootes Group. Mr Thru ...
1926 — coachbuilders, ex Rootes Securities 1932 *
Clément-Talbot Clément-Talbot Limited was a British motor vehicle manufacturer with its works in Ladbroke Grove, North Kensington, London, founded in 1903. The new business's capital was arranged by Charles Chetwynd-Talbot (whose family name became the brand- ...
1935 renamed Sunbeam-Talbot * Sunbeam Motor Car Company 1935 trolleybuses only * Karrier Motors 1934 *
British Light Steel Pressings British Light Steel Pressings Ltd was a company at Warple Way, Acton, London producing bodies for the vehicle industry. British Light Steel Pressings Ltd (BLSP) was formed in 1930. In its early years it made pressings for various purposes. In 19 ...
1937, merged with Thrupp & Maberly in 1939 *
Tilling-Stevens Tilling-Stevens was a British manufacturer of buses and other commercial vehicles, based in Maidstone, Kent. Originally established in 1897, it became a specialist in petrol-electric vehicles. It continued as an independent manufacturer until ...
1950 (partly owned until February 1964) *
Singer Motors Singer Motors Limited was a British motor vehicle manufacturing business, originally a bicycle manufacturer founded as Singer & Co by George Singer, in 1874 in Coventry, England. Singer & Co's bicycle manufacture continued. From 1901 George ...
1956 (partly owned until February 1964)


History


1887–1918

;Cycle industry The cycle industry was consolidating in the late 1880s and partners
Thomas Humber Thomas Humber (16 October 1841 – 24 November 1910) was a British engineer and cycle manufacturer who developed and patented a safety bicycle (1884) with a diamond-shaped frame and wheels of similar size. It became a pattern for subsequent ...
and fledgling company promoter T Harrison Lambert sold their
Humber Cycles Humber is an English brand of bicycle. Thomas Humber made himself a velocipede in 1868. From that time he built a substantial business in manufacturing tricycles and bicycles while continuously improving their design and construction. His produc ...
business to investors who added a number of other substantial cycle manufacturers * Humber & Co, Beeston * Coventry Cycle Company, Coventry * Express Cycle Works, Wolverhampton * Wellington Works, Coventry ". . . at once becomes the most powerful combination in this growing and lucrative industry." and then floated the new combine on the stock exchange. Such was the public's recognition of Humber products and their high quality and reliability the whole new organisation was named Humber & Co Limited though Humber's was not the largest component. Thomas Humber agreed to manage the whole enterprise with its works in Coventry and Wolverhampton as well as Beeston. He retired in 1892 at the end of his 5-year contract.Paul Freund, 'Humber, Thomas (1841–1910)', ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, May 2012 Humber expanded into Europe and in 1896 their subsidiary, Humber (France), joined with La Société des Vélocipedes Clément and La Société des Cycles Gladiator obtaining stock exchange listings in order to form "one of the largest Cycle monopolies in Europe" and with the intention of improving the position of Humber (France). The directors expressed the greatest interest in the new industry of motor carriages and cycles for which extensive works were to be erected by the monopoly at
Levallois Perret Levallois may refer to: *Levallois-Perret, a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France * Nicolas-Eugène Levallois, developer of ''Village Levallois'', now part of Levallois-Perret *Levallois technique, an archaeology term for a type of s ...
. At the time of the flotation prospective investors were told that agencies were already established in all principal towns in France, and the cities: St Petersburg, Copenhagen, Milan, Athens, Brussels, Bucharest, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Buenos Ayres, Santiago, Constantinople, Algiers, Sfax, Tunis, Alexandria, Saigon, Hong Kong, Port Said and throughout the whole of South America. The chairman of the new monopoly was chairman of Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Co and another director was the manager of Dunlop (France). Negotiations between the parties were completed by
Ernest Terah Hooley Ernest Terah Hooley (5 February 1859 – 11 February 1947) was an English financial fraudster. He achieved wealth and fame by buying promising companies and reselling them to the public at inflated prices, but a prosecution exposed his deceitful ...
. The ambitious new monopoly was not successful, disputes between the partners dragged through the English courts until the turn of the century. A severe economic recession in 1899 then brought about a financial reconstruction and the incorporation of a new company, Humber Limited, to continue the existing business. ;Motorcycles Humber experimented with motorcycles from their early days, and in 1899 Bert Yates won the first track race for motorcycles in Coventry on a Humber motorcycle. Later models switched to using Minerva engines, but production ceased in 1906 as there was insufficient space at the factory. Motorcycle manufacture resumed in 1908 when the new Stoke factory opened, and the new range were exhibited in 1908 at the annual Stanley show. Humber produced many new models of motorcycle in the pre-war years, but production of motorcycles ceased during the First World War. ;Motor Tricycles In 1899 Humber produced a motorised tricycle at their Beeston works with a De Dion Bouton engine of 1.75 hp or optionally 2.25 hp. This had electric ignition (early De Dion Bouton engines used
hot tube ignition A hot-tube ignitor was an early device that fit onto the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine, used to ignite the compressed fuel/air mixture by means of a flame heating part of the tube red-hot. A hot-tube ignitor consisted of a metal o ...
), and was capable of . The price in December 1899 was £84. This tricycle was based on the
De Dion-Bouton tricycle The De Dion-Bouton tricycle was the most successful motor vehicle in Europe from 1897 until 1901. With about 15,000 copies sold, the de-Dion-Bouton motor tricycle scored the first breakthrough for the distribution of motor vehicles. In particular ...
and built under licence. ;First series production cars In 1896 Humber built a prototype and nine production motorcars in their new
Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
premises. In November 1896 a car was exhibited at the Stanley Cycle Show in London. They are claimed to be the first series production cars made in England. At Humber & Company's next general meeting in 1897 the managing director said they had received many letters asking if they would produce a motorised vehicle, and that they had in fact been working on this project for two years, but had delayed production until they found a suitably reliable engine. Having now found an engine they were gearing up for production. The first Humber car was produced in 1898 and was a three-wheeled tricar of the 'sociable' type powered by a single cylinder Turrell engine. Their first conventional four-wheeled car appeared in 1901. Cars went into production in Beeston near
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
as well as Stoke,
Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
but to separate designs. Just as with bicycles Beeston Humber products retained their high quality image. The Beeston works closed in 1908 on the opening of the new works at Stoke. Humber's profit went from £16,500 in 1905 to £106,500 the next year and £154,400 in 1907. On 12 March 1908 the new works was officially opened at Stoke, then just outside the city of Coventry. New buildings covered 13.5 acres and allowed for the employment of 5,000 hands. The new works was designed to be capable of producing 150 cars and 1,500 cycles per week. Another financial reconstruction was made in 1909. In 1911 they took over the Centaur Cycle Company. By this time a wide range of cars was produced from the 998cc Humberette to several six-cylinder 6-litre models. In 1913 Humber was second only to Wolseley as the largest manufacturer of cars in the United Kingdom. Revived by the war Humber produced motorcycles and bicycles for the War Office as well as cars. HumberBeestonTricycle1899.jpg, The Humber 'Beeston' Motor Tricycle of 1899 Humber advertentie 1903.jpg, Cycle manufacturers to the King, 1903 Humber 2,75 pk 1904.jpg, Motorcycle 2¾ hp, 1904 Humber 1904 Humberette on London to Brighton VCR 2014.jpg, Humberette 5 hp 1904 Humber 1904 Forecar Front at Regent Street Motor Show 2011.jpg, Forecar 1904 Humber Humberette.jpg, Humberette c. 1912


1919–1939

There were postwar slumps in the early 1920s and in addition the public were moving from pedal cycles to motorcycles as well as to cars.
Rover Rover may refer to: People * Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian * Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer * Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist Places * Rover, Arkansas, US * Rover, Missouri, US ...
,
Singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
,
Swift Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, ...
,
Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
and Riley all gave up their manufacture of cycles.


Humber acquisitions

In 1925 Humber moved into the production of commercial vehicles with the purchase of
Commer Commer was a British manufacturer of commercial and military vehicles from 1905 until 1979. Commer vehicles included car-derived vans, light vans, medium to heavy commercial trucks, and buses. The company also designed and built some of its own ...
. In the year to 1928 Humber's chairman was obliged to report a loss for the second year running. Commer Cars' turnover was substantially increased but Commer did not return to profit. The bicycle business improved but motorcycles did not. Humber cars, the product being as the chairman put it of a distinctive class, were more influenced by conditions than were mass-produced vehicles. Humber he described as one of the oldest and best known higher grade cars. ;Before Rootes Humber 11,4 HP Saloon 1924.jpg, 11.4 hp saloon 1924 Humber saloon 1928 (15053696330).jpg, 9-20 hp fabric saloon 1928 Humber 14-40 All Weather Tourer (1928) (19180970983).jpg, 14-40 hp tourer 1928 in Humber ''Mole'' paintwork The chairman, Stanley Brotherhood, told a special meeting of shareholders of the exceedingly good performance of one of the 14-40 cars driven by J W Fitzwilliam and his brother who had just returned from traversing 4,500 miles in central Europe including the worst roads in the Balkans. He then reported the "drastic redesign" of Humber's cars which together with improved appearance and performance and revised prices were expected to improve the products' performance in the marketplace. Mention of the drastic redesign at that special meeting was followed by another meeting to discuss the amalgamation of Humber and its partly-owned subsidiary Hillman Motor Car Company. Hillman, the chairman explained, made one of the most popular medium priced cars and would provide a suitable partner to the distinctive Humber products. Shareholders were unanimous that the amalgamation should go ahead on the proposed terms. In 1929
Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had b ...
, under the control of the Rootes brothers, was amalgamated with Humber—the combine was not under the control of the Rootes brothers—but William Rootes' marketing skills had been immediately brought into play when Rootes Limited had been appointed "World Exporters". In December 1929 reviewing the 1929 year the chairman told shareholders Humber had now introduced three new models named: 16-50, for the 1928 Motor Show, Snipe and a seven-seater Pullman both for the October 1929 Motor Show. For the time being the 9-28 and 20-65 hp models would continue but at a reduced price. ;After Rootes 1930 Humber coupé.jpg, 16-50 coupé 1930 File:Humber16-60 1933.JPG, 16-60 saloon 1933 1934 Humber Snipe.jpg, Snipe 1934 Humber 12 Vogue Pillarless Saloon (1937) (15314248192).jpg, Vogue pillarless 1937 Humber Snipe saloon 1939 (8374282013).jpg, Snipe 1939 Humber Hawk first reg Essex Nov 1946 1701cc.JPG, Hawk 1946 (ex Hillman) Humber Super Snipe Mark IV (15735369897) (cropped).jpg, Snipe Mark IV 1955 Humber Hawk first registered May 1965 2267cc.jpg, Hawk series IV 1965 Humber Super Snipe Series V July 1966 2965cc next to slightly older Super Snipe.JPG, Super Snipe series V 1966 Humber-Sceptre-4dr-Sed.jpg, Sceptre 1967 Later Michael Sedgwick would describe the events of this era as "a levelling process comparable to the fate of Wolseley" ('s 1920s cars). Out, he said, went uncertain braking, the i.o.e. engine and superbly finished coachwork, the new cars were pure Rootes with Bendix brakes, downdraught carburettors, "silent third" gearboxes with central gear lever and hydraulic shock absorbers. The 16 hp car could cope with the Humber Snipe bodywork only with a low final drive ratio. The other cars also became slightly bigger Hillmans with different engines and a longer wheelbase. A Humber Twelve was introduced that looked like a Hillman Minx with a painted spare wheel cover and hinged quarter lights. There was attractive work by independent coachbuilders on the Twelve chassis. The Vogue sports saloon may or may not have been designed by couturier Captain Molyneux. The Twelve's engine was bored out to 75 mm and powered Hillman's Fourteen and even Sunbeam-Talbot's postwar 90. By the outbreak of war in 1939 the quite fast big-engined Super Snipe with hydraulic brakes was selling well and one model became the Army's famous second world war staff car.p.310, Michael Sedgwick, ''Cars of the Thirties and Forties'', Hamlyn, London 1975


1939–1945

The
Ryton on Dunsmore Ryton-on-Dunsmore is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Rugby, Warwickshire, situated 5.5 miles (8.8 km) southeast of Coventry and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west of Rugby, England. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 1,672 in the paris ...
plant which closed at the end of 2006 had originated in 1939 as one of the so-called
shadow factories British shadow factories were the outcome of the Shadow Scheme, a plan devised in 1935 and developed by the British Government in the buildup to World War II to try to meet the urgent need for more aircraft using technology transfer from the mo ...
: the
Ryton plant The Ryton plant is a former car manufacturing plant in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, England. Developed by the Rootes Group as a shadow factory in 1939 to produce aircraft engines for World War II; post war it became the headquarters of the group. Taken ...
was originally built to produce aero engines. At Speke, Liverpool, another shadow factory opened in April 1939 assembled bombers. Armoured cars, scout cars and staff cars were made in the existing factories along with much other war material J. B. Butterworth, rev. G. T. Bloomfield, ‘Rootes, William Edward, first Baron Rootes (1894–1964)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004
General Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and ...
, Commander of the British and Allied forces in Northern Africa during the Desert war of WWII, had two specially built Humber Super Snipe four door open tourers made with larger front wings or guards, mine proof floors, special fittings and long range fuel tanks. Two cars were built for him and used in the Africa campaign against General Rommel, who used a Horch open staff car. Montgomery's Humbers were known as 'Old Faithful' and the 'Victory Car'. Both cars still exist in museums in England and are a testament to the high engineering and manufacturing standards of Humber and Rootes Ltd. The victory car drove Montgomery and Churchill through the streets of London during the VE parades at the end of WWII.


Military vehicles

A Humber Mk II armoured car and crew of 'B' Squadron, 11th Hussars, Tripoli, 2 February 1943. E22008.jpg,
Humber Armoured Car The Humber Armoured Car was one of the most widely produced British armoured cars of the Second World War. It supplemented the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car and remained in service until the end of the war. Development The Guy company did ...
, Tripoli 1943 Humber Light Reconnaissance Car.jpg, Light Reconnaissance Car Humber 8cwt (1941) owned by Tobin Jones pic2.JPG, Humber 8cwt Humber personnel transport (6064871304).jpg, Heavy Utility Preserved army vehicle, Hillsborough - geograph.org.uk - 1570822.jpg, FV 1601 "Pig" P1010677 (3665487797).jpg, FV 1620 Hornet 1952 Humber FV 1600 1 ton truck (5634137430).jpg, FV 1600 1 ton truck


Annual vehicle production

* 1929-30— 9,000 vehicles * 1933-34—20,000 * 1937-39—41,000 * 1946-47—42,000 * 1949-50—90,000


1945–1967

In the postwar era, Humber's mainstay products included the four-cylinder
Hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
and six-cylinder Super Snipe. Being a choice of businessmen and officialdom alike, Humbers gained a reputation for well appointed interiors and solid quality. The Hawk and the Super Snipe went through various designs, though all had a "transatlantic" influence. ::Annual output, 200,000 vehicles In 1960 Rootes was the world's twelfth largest motor corporation by volume, its annual output nearly 200,000 cars, vans and trucks. They employed some 20,000 people. The group had six million square feet (557,000m2) of manufacturing space and owned nine assembly plants outside Britain. They were involved in car hire, hire purchase and driving schools and even made air conditioners. There were about one thousand dealers in the UK. The two Rootes brothers remained in control of their group from their adjoining suites of offices in Devonshire House,
Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...
. The ground floor Rootes showroom on Piccadilly is now an Audi showroom. Imp and Chrysler The success of BMC's
Mini The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
made Rootes speed the development of their own small car. A new assembly plant was planned but government was obliging major employers to build new plants where there was surplus labour. Jaguar solved their expansion problem by buying Daimler and its Coventry plant with experienced workforce but Rootes selected a greenfield site by
Pressed Steel ''Pressed'' is a 2011 Canadian crime drama film directed by Justin Donnelly and starring Luke Goss, Tyler Johnston, Jeffrey Ballard, and Michael Eklund. It is the debut directing project for Justin Donnelly. Plot Business executive Brian Parker ...
body works near Glasgow airport in Scotland, at Linwood near Paisley. The new factory was officially opened in May 1963 and the new rear-engined Hillman Imp went on sale the next day but there were difficulties with industrial relations and, soon, the Imp's reliability. The Imp's heavy development expenses and slackening sales to USA brought about losses for the Rootes group in both 1962 and 1963. In February 1964 the owners of the minority holdings in Humber Limited (and Tilling-Stevens and Singer Motors) sold their holdings to Rootes Motors Limited taking in exchange shares in Rootes Motors. Humber and its two subsidiaries now became wholly owned subsidiaries of Rootes Motors Limited. A last major activity of, by then, Lord Rootes, was to open sale negotiations with
Chrysler Corporation Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
. He died in December 1964. Chrysler took control in 1967.


1967–1976

The last of the traditional large Humbers, the series VA Super Snipe (fitted with twin Stromberg CD 100 Carburettors) were sold in 1968, when Chrysler ended production. Several V8 models had been in pre-production at this time, but were never publicly sold. Several of these test examples survive today. Humber's and Rootes' last new car was the second generation of Humber Sceptre, a variant of their
Rootes Arrow Rootes Arrow was the manufacturer's name for a range of cars produced under several badge-engineered marques by the Rootes Group (later Chrysler Europe) from 1966 to 1979. It is amongst the last Rootes designs, developed with no influence from f ...
model. The marque was shelved in 1976 when all
Hillman Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had b ...
s became badged
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
s. The
Hillman Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
(another Arrow model) badged Chrysler until production ceased in 1979 when Chrysler's European division was sold to
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
and the marque renamed
Talbot Talbot was an automobile marque introduced in 1902 by English-French company Clément-Talbot. The founders, Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury and Adolphe Clément-Bayard, reduced their financial interests in their Clément-Talbot ...
. The Talbot marque was abandoned at the end of 1986 on passenger cars, although it was continued on vans for six years afterwards.


After 1976

In 1986, there was a private initiative to rekindle Humber as a manufacturer of upmarket premium vehicles, employing the recently closed truck and tractor manufacturing facility at Bathgate, in Scotland. This factory had been opened by BMC in 1961, to manufacture their light trucks and tractors. The original plan had been to expand their Longbridge plant for this purpose. The trucks were later marketed as Leyland ‘Redline’ The unused company name of Humber, continued to be still maintained and registered by the new owner Peugeot. A different company, the Humber Motor Company Limited, was therefore incorporated and registered as a means of pursuing this manufacturing proposal. This proposal was vetoed by the local Bathgate councillors. They preferred the idea of a huge “Sales Mall” development on the site in Bathgate, rather than support an initiative that would have involved continued manufacturing employment in the area. The new retail idea was itself turned down by Edinburgh and Glasgow councils. Regrettably, all the Bathgate factory buildings were eventually flattened, and the site was ironically, subsequently, used merely as a distribution centre for a number of other automotive manufacturers. Humber Motor Company Limited Limited was registered as a Scottish company in August 1986 then dissolved July 2007; 'Humber Motor Company Limited' was registered in England in June 2007. Four of Humber Motor Company Limited’s registered trademarks (Sceptre, Hawk, Super Snipe, Snipe) were renewed with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). The Humber name and logo are also registered trademarks There is a continuing interest in Humber and the vehicles that it produced. There are very active web-pages frequented by the fans of, and owners of, Humber vehicles.


Main models

* Humber 8 1902 * Humber 12 1902 * Humber 20 1903 * Humberette Voiturette 1903-1911 * Humber 8/10 1905 * Humber 10/12 1905–1907 * Humber 30/40 1908–1909 * Humberette Cycle Car 1912-1915 * Humber 11 1912 1919-1939 * Humber 10 1919–1921 * Humber 15.9 1919–1925 * Humber 11.4 and 12/25 1921–1925 * Humber 8/18 1922–1925 * Humber 15/40 1924–1928 * Humber 9/20 and 9/28 1925–1930 * Humber 14/40 1926–1929 * Humber 20/55 and 20/65 1926–1929
Rootes Brothers * Humber 16/50 1928–1932 *
Humber Snipe The Humber Snipe was a four-door luxury saloon introduced by British-based Humber Limited for 1930 as a successor to the Humber 20/55 hp (which remained in the catalogue as 20/65) at the same time as the similar but slightly longer Humber ...
1929–1947+ *
Humber Pullman The Humber Pullman is a four-door limousine which was introduced by the British Humber company in 1930 as a successor to the Humber 20/65 hp and long-wheelbase version of the Humber Snipe. In 1939 an upgraded version was launched badged as ...
1930–1954+ * Humber 16–60 1933–1935 * Humber 12 1933–1937 * Humber 16 1936–1940 *
Humber Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Tex ...
1938–1967+ *
Humber Super Snipe The Humber Super Snipe is a car which was produced from 1938 to 1967 by British-based Humber Limited. Pre-war Super Snipe The Super Snipe was introduced in October 1938, derived by combining the four-litre inline six-cylinder engine from the ...
1938–1967+ 1945-1967 *
Humber Snipe The Humber Snipe was a four-door luxury saloon introduced by British-based Humber Limited for 1930 as a successor to the Humber 20/55 hp (which remained in the catalogue as 20/65) at the same time as the similar but slightly longer Humber ...
1929–1947 *
Humber Pullman The Humber Pullman is a four-door limousine which was introduced by the British Humber company in 1930 as a successor to the Humber 20/65 hp and long-wheelbase version of the Humber Snipe. In 1939 an upgraded version was launched badged as ...
1930–1954 *
Humber Super Snipe The Humber Super Snipe is a car which was produced from 1938 to 1967 by British-based Humber Limited. Pre-war Super Snipe The Super Snipe was introduced in October 1938, derived by combining the four-litre inline six-cylinder engine from the ...
1938–1967 *
Humber Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Tex ...
1938–1967 *
Humber Hawk The Humber Hawk is a four-cylinder automobile manufactured from 1945 to 1967 by British-based Humber Limited. Humber Hawk Mk I & II The Hawk, a re-badged Hillman 14 (1938-1940) was the first Humber car to be launched after World War II. Sl ...
1945–1967 *
Humber Sceptre The Humber Sceptre is an automobile which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1976 by Humber. MK I (1963 to 1965) The Humber Sceptre MK I, introduced in 1963, was a luxury car based on the Hillman Super Minx. It featured a unique ...
1961–1967,1967–1976 * Humber Vogue 1963–1966 (Australia)


Surviving cars

There is a thriving club, and many of these upmarket cars survive today from before the 1930s. Until 2020, the world's largest collection of the Rootes brothers' Humber cars (built after 1930) could be viewed at the Marshalls Post-Vintage Humber Car Museum in Hull. It included 21 Humber cars dating from 1932 to 1970 on permanent display, plus 24 unrestored cars. The museum has now closed for good and many of the cars have been sold off.


Aviation

Humber produced a number of aircraft and aero-engines in the years before the First World War. In 1909 the company signed a contract to build 40 copies of the
Blériot XI The Blériot XI is a French aircraft of the pioneer era of aviation. The first example was used by Louis Blériot to make the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, on 25 July 1909. This is one of the most fa ...
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
, powered by their own three-cylinder engine,"British-Built Engines and Bleriot Monoplanes"
''Flight'' 25 September 1909
and four aircraft were exhibited at the Aero Show at Olympia in 1910. During the First World War Humber built the BR1 and BR2 engines designed for Humber by W O Bentley and more engines were built in different factories in Coventry for the Air Ministry during the Second World War.


See also

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Humber Cycles Humber is an English brand of bicycle. Thomas Humber made himself a velocipede in 1868. From that time he built a substantial business in manufacturing tricycles and bicycles while continuously improving their design and construction. His produc ...
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Humber Motorcycles Humber Limited was a pioneering British motorcycle manufacturer. Humber produced the first practical motorcycle made in Britain by fitting one of their Humber bicycles with an E. J. Pennington two-horsepower motor in 1896. Limited sales at th ...
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List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom :''This list is incomplete. You can help by adding correctly sourced information about other manufacturers.'' As of 2018 there are approximately 35 active British car manufacturers and over 500 defunct British car manufacturers. This page lists ...


Note


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Humber Limited Coventry motor companies Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1868 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1967 1868 establishments in England 1967 disestablishments in England British companies established in 1868 British companies disestablished in 1967 Rootes Group