Series Humbers were manufactured between May 1957 and March 1967 when production in the UK ceased. In Australia production continued until 1968. The ‘New Humber Hawk’ was launched in 1957 and brought a change in Humber design, that of monocoque construction (the largest bodyshell in Britain at the time). Still using the well tried 4 cylinder 2267cc engine from the ‘Mark’ Humber Hawk, the new car had many transatlantic looks.

In October 1958 the ‘New Humber Super Snipe’ was launched, using the same bodyshell but powered by a new Humber engine designed in part by Armstrong Siddeley of 2651cc. This Series l Super Snipe was to stay in production for one year only, when with the launch of the Series ll came the more common 2965cc engine. In October 1960 the model went under alteration again, when the front wings and frontal styling were changed to the more common twin headlamp design for the Series lll. In October 1964, the saloon range was restyled using a lower flatter roofline, and the introduction of the most luxurious Series Humber the ‘New Imperial’. Estate cars continued to use the earlier round roofline.

A small number of experimental Chrysler V8 engined Super Snipes and Imperials were produced towards the end of the production run. The Series Humber range ceased production to be replaced by the Chrysler Valiant imported from Australia. Total Production approximately 50k .M.P.G 17 - 28 m.p.g on Leaded Fuel

What to look for:
Bodywork: Rust in wheelarches, Sills, outriggers, front footwells, rear valance, jacking points, boot floor, and Door skins. Metallic paint finishes prone to crazing. Mazak Door handles and other brightwork corrodes from the inside and can become badly pitted, requiring re-manufacture.

Engine & Gearbox: No major engine problems very long lived units expect 100k miles plus, watch for fuming and oil pressure below 40 psi. Hawks may smoke slightly Super Snipes should not. Water Pumps prone to failure but easily replaced. Expect plenty of slack in manual column gearchanges. Listen for whine from worn Gearbox layshaft bearings. Early Borg Warner DG Automatic Gearboxs costly to repair later Type 35 less so.

Suspension & Steering: Suspension long lived but needs regular greasing 27 grease nipples every 1,000 miles! Watch for stress cracks in Front Suspension cross-members in late high mileage vehicles. Wear in Metalistik bushes on centre track rod in non power steering cars can result in MOT failure. Power Steering Rams costly to replace prone to leaks.

Brakes: No known problems - disc pads hard to find

Interior: Vinyl Trim easy to clean wears well, cloth and leather of good quality. Walnut dashboard, door trims and picnic tables varnish prone to crazing. Smith clocks rarely work.

Spares: Trim and body parts are virtually unobtainable, mechanical parts mainly available from Speedy Spares - expect to do a lot of hunting at Autojumbles and on E-Bay!

Written by David Clark