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Humber Super Snipe Mk III - saloon body - manufactured in 1950
Within the span of just one generation the once important British car industry has almost completely disintegrated. I guess it's quite unique that a nation with such a strong engineering tradition and such a long and distinguished automotive history all but completely loses an entire industry in a relatively short time. The number of theories of how this has happened is almost as varied as the British car industry once was, and this question has kept numerous people occupied for the last few decades. The most striking is the contrast with the fortunes of car industry in other European nations which stood at the early beginnings of motoring, like Germany and France. There too were difficult times, perhaps even more than in Britain, but the manufacturers that did survive came out stronger and better than before, while the British manufacturers just slowly withered and failed. The sad ending of MG Rover, the last of the important survivors, in 2005 is an example of that.
These may seem unkind words, but they're certainly not meant like that. British car history is one of the most fascinating of all and has brought forth many classics which are appreciated all over the world. And even the cars which are almost forgotten outside British borders still strike a nerve with classic car enthusiasts at a surprise encounter. It's that typically British character that made the cars both unique as increasingly hard to sell at a time of growing international competition.
Just look at the Humber Super Snipe shown here. Few people, especially outside the British Commonwealth, will remember this car but it's easy to identify as being British and stately. Even with the influence of American car design shining through. The Super Snipe, and its limousine brother the Pullman, were the top range cars offered by the Rootes concern just after the second World War. Rootes was one of the major players in the British car industry at the time, together with the likes of Austin-Morris and Standard-Triumph, and offered cars with brand names like Hillman and Sunbeam, besides Humber.
The Humber Super Snipe was a car for those who were well-to-do but weren't in the market for a Rolls Royce or a Bentley. Surprisingly this was a competitive market segment just after the War in Britain. It was crowded with offerings in the same idiom from Armstrong-Siddeley, Daimler and Austin with the Sheerline to name some. Humber could capitalize on the popularity of its staff cars during the War and some famous Humber owners like Winston Churchill and King George VI; subsequently the Super Snipe sold relatively well. It was fitted with a straight 6-cylinder engine displacing 4,086 cc which produced 100 hp @ 3400 rpm, offering a top speed of 130 kph. The engine was an old-fashioned design with side valves and the car by no means sporty but the combination of reliability and strength rendered the Super Snipe a second place overall in the 1950 Monte Carlo rally. This all added to the lustre of the Super Snipe name.
From 1952 the Humber models were modernized, acquiring even more of an American look. The Super Snipe model name was retained until 1967, and the disappearance of this model marked the decline of the Humber name. The cars became victim of "badge engineering" and lost their unique features. The Humber make lasted until the bitter end of the Rootes concern in 1970, and was continued by Chrysler UK until 1976 but by then the cars were only a shadow of what the Humber name once meant.
Humber illustrates the demise of the British car industry. A once proud make, catering to nobility and leaders, gradually slipping into obscurity and losing its identity in the process. A combination of social factors, inability to adapt and marketing errors contributed to this demise, where British values turned from virtue into a burden. Interesting, but also a pity.
© André Ritzinger, Amsterdam, Holland
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