Humber Make it Green or leave it?

Lang · #1 17-05-13, 10:30

I have just scored a 1945 Humber Super Snipe. The very first of the post-war MK1 which ran to 1948 with the old pre-war shape.

It is original, untouched having been in the same family over 50 years and bearing its original 1948 Victorian registration from when it landed here. Runs nicely with all the worn carpet and paint chips but no rust.

The owners have a note with all the original paperwork saying when the Queen visited their town in 1954 for a one hour stop there were no Rolls Royces so the Mayor requested the Humber pick her up at the airport which it duly did.

I have always admired the WW2 Humber staff cars and have a set of 13" tyres here. With a bit of judicious altering of lights etc it could be a really good example.

Possibility two is "Did they have Humber staff cars for domestic use with the original wheels and not the fat desert tyres?" I should imagine they did and would love to see a photo.

Possibility three is leave the thing alone and just enjoy it for its own historic value.

Suggestions?

Lang

Jerry Hill · #2 17-05-13, 11:25

It's a lovely beastie, leave well alone and enjoy. If you give her the olive drab treatment you'll know and more important any future buyer will know it isn't the real deal. So it's a no brainer leave well alone unless you want to loose out. Jerry

alamotex · #3 17-05-13, 13:41

Definitely, leave it as it is. As a child in wartime UK, I recall Humber staff cars. I had an uncle who was in the car trade and attended the post war auctions of surplus military vehicles at Great Missenden. He would bid on Humbers and bring them back to his commercial garage for a spruce up and a paint job. I imagine that it was a pretty profitable business when private cars for sale were in such short supply. He told the story of his being "had " by a slick salesman who demonstrated a product that could be sprayed onto the interior roof fabric, to renew it's nap. He bought the kit, but could never get it to work as demonstrated !!

Cheers Brian

Mike Cecil · #4 17-05-13, 16:52

Lang,

Looks far too nice to make it into something it never was. Maybe sell it to a Humber collector and invest the $$ in a genuine one from O/S.....?

Mike C

gordon · #5 17-05-13, 18:05

I think if you wanted a green one there would be enough tired and rusty ones around to play with.

You could always go at it from an angle and mark it out as a Ministry / Official car of some sort without any real alterations

Richard Farrant · #6 17-05-13, 19:52

Hi Lang,
That is a nice example of a Super Snipe. I restored an ex-RAF 1945 Snipe staff car some years ago, photos here. The staff car has some differences such as wider wings to accommodate the 900-13 tyres, and the departure angle of the body is greater. It would be a shame to mess with your car, you could always "claim" it was an Impressed vehicle. This was done in the early part of the War when vehicles were short and a lot of staff cars were obtained this way.

Lang · #7 17-05-13, 22:13

Looks like it stays as-is.

Interesting once you look at the differences between the wartime body and the MK1. Stand-out things are the bulged boot/trunk on the later car and the cloth roof versus solid with sun-roof as well as single front seat for military and individual for the MK1. I am sure there are other differences.

Lang

Phil Waterman · #8 17-05-13, 23:04

Hi Lang

Great post of HUMBER with the history it should stay original. Just get a Pretty ATS Driver to sit up front and drive. Maybe a couple flags up on the front wings, my wife says to learn to do the Royal Wave, maybe a stuffed gorgi.

But then again may be having a pretty ATS driver is the way to go with many vehicles.

Cheers

Lang · #9 17-05-13, 23:20

Phil,
You are right about saving it. We do not need a driver as it already has, admittedly not pretty, an ATS driver (Arthritic, Timid, Senile).

Lang

Richard Farrant · #10 17-05-13, 23:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lang

Looks like it stays as-is.

Interesting once you look at the differences between the wartime body and the MK1. Stand-out things are the bulged boot/trunk on the later car and the cloth roof versus solid with sun-roof as well as single front seat for military and individual for the MK1. I am sure there are other differences.

Lang

Hi Lang,
I think the early Snipe staff cars had individual front seats. The boot was not all that large once the spare 900-13 was in place. For a large car, I found it had less room for the driver than a Mini ! The steering wheel is adjustable, on splines and with it pushed right in and the seat right back I still found it cramped. Other that it rides well with plenty of power, considering the same engine powered the 8 ton Humber armoured car.

regards, Richard

motto · #11 17-05-13, 23:41

Timid Lang? I doubt the fellow in Istanbul that left the 'discussion' minus his shirt buttons the day after I was robbed would agree.

Thanks again for the try.

Dave

Keith Brooker · #12 24-05-13, 22:08

This is our 1938 Humber, i would leave your one as it is as my humber was blue when it was taken from the owner in 1939. Did not get it back until 1946. The last photo is of a captured british pre war humber in 1940 and used by the germans.
Keith

Hanno Spoelstra · #13 24-05-13, 22:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lang

Looks like it stays as-is.

Lang,

I missed this thread when it first ran. Happy to hear you will leave it as-is. Normally I think an owner is entitled to do with his vehicle like he wishes, but in this case I think it would have made you eligible for getting tarred and feathered and run out of MLU

Hanno