Humber Hawk.
For many years, photographs of the earlier - early/mid 1950s era - Humber Hawks have maintained a presence in the gallery section of OCC (for example on this page), and at last a few photographs of the later type have surfaced (a contemporary Super Snipe Series II has featured for a while though). The four-cylinder Hawk saloon featured is 507 BRY, a Leicester-registered car from 1961. The owner was clearly very keen on his comfortable cruiser, as just the car and no family members, were included. He must have been gutted to realise, when he collected his prints from the local developing company, that the back of the camera wasn't fully closed, causing the vertical stripe that appears to varying degrees on each photo.
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The 2267cc four-cylinder Hawk was the cheapest version of the range, playing second-fiddle to the more glamorous six-cylinder Super Snipe. In addition to the saloon, a commodious estate car version was also offered. The range-topping Imperial would arrive in 1964.
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First up is a side view, which highlights the body design that was clearly influenced by transatlantic styling trends of the day, including the wraparound screens fore and aft. A non-standard, American-style, ornament graces the bonnet of this particular example. I wonder what gem resided in the old garage with its door open, just the other side of the fence alongside the Humber?
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A brief stroll to the rear of the car for photo #2. Anyone who worked serving fuel at a petrol station in the 1960s, will be familiar with this view, and no doubt knew at least one co-worker who struggled to find the petrol filler cap. Cunningly, those responsible for the Humber's design disguised the screw-off cap as a reflector, beneath the offside rear light cluster.
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Rounding-out this trio of snapshots, is a front three-quarter look at the Humber's attractive lines. The non-original bonnet mascot is more clearly visible from this angle. A wing-mounted radio aerial hints at the in-car wireless set installed in this classic machine.
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I really like this era of Humber, and nearly succumbed to a 1964 Super Snipe not long after passing my driving test. It was probably the alluring interior, all wood and leather, that attracted me. Plus, it had been chauffeur-driven from new, owned by a little old lady that travelled everywhere sat in the rear compartment, which made it a little more interesting. A lack of funds precluded its purchase, but I wouldn't say no to one now, that's assuming one turned up for a fair price that didn't have bucket-fulls of filler in the front or rear wheelarches, both common rot-spots on this era of Hawk/Super Snipe. An estate in particular would be a very practical proposition.
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Return to Page 19 in the photographic archive, or visit the main index here.
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