1937 Humber Snipe Imperial

Description

Rare and stately Humber with a lusty 100bhp 4.1 straight-six engine; highly original with some fabulous Art Deco features; only four former keepers; former wedding car in need of recommissioning following a period in storage; ideal winter project

Among the pioneers of the British motoring scene, Humber produced their first car in 1896 and went on to make a range of sturdy, luxuriously trimmed saloons aimed at the upper middle classes. Following the Rootes takeover in 1932, they concentrated on large six-cylinder cars under the Snipe, Imperial and Pullman brands which were used almost exclusively by civic dignitaries and top-brass military types.

In the Desert War against Rommel’s Afrika Corps, Field Marshal Montgomery became immensely fond of ‘Old Faithful’, his Super Snipe staff car, which had mine-proof floors, long range fuel tanks and balloon tyres. Winston Churchill became equally attached to FLY 176, his Snipe Imperial Limousine, which got him and his loyal Tommy-gun-toting bodyguard, Walter H Thompson, out of many close scrapes.

First registered in Leeds in July 1938, this impressive Snipe Imperial sadly comes with very little history so we will never know what role it might have played in the rich life story of our island nation - if only cars could talk... Powered by the same rugged 100bhp 4,086cc straight-six that was used in the gargantuan Pullman Limousine, it has four-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension and a luxuriously trimmed dark blue leather interior with rear picnic tables and wonderfully Art Deco Jaeger dash instruments and white Bakelite HMV radio.

A 1937 model, it has had just four former keepers, according to the V5C, and was first sold by Brightwells back in 2013, at which point it had been in the vendor’s ownership for 12 years. Although it was in running order with a recently fitted stainless steel exhaust, it was stated to be in need of precautionary recommissioning, the last MOT having expired in July 2009 when it was being used as a wedding car (hence the flowers on the rear parcel shelf).

It then appeared in another Brightwells auction in 2016 when it was bought by a collector near Pershore who kept it in storage along with many other cars. Our vendor acquired the Humber about four years ago when the Pershore collection was dispersed following the death of the owner. He has also kept it in dry storage and has not registered the car in his name so the V5C still only records four former keepers.

On offer here at no reserve as a straightforward winter project, this stately old Humber has bags of charm and originality and now needs an enthusiastic new owner who can get it back on the road where it belongs. Retaining its original (transferable) Leeds-issue number plate, GUA 418 also comes with an original 63-page Instruction Book which will no doubt prove useful.

An extremely rare model nowadays, believed to be one of only around half-a-dozen surviving, it shouldn’t take much to get it going and it would be a fine way to travel to the Goodwood Revival next summer with a bunch of mates on board.

Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]