ROVER

Rover Company

The Rover Company Limited

Industry	Automotive industry Motorcycle industry (until 1925) Bicycle industry (until 1925)
Fate	Merged into Leyland Motors(1967) Assets separated as Land Rover (1978) Rover brand defunct (2005)
Successor	SAIC MG Motor TATA Land Rover
Founded	1878
Founder	John Kemp Starley & William Sutton
Defunct	2005
Headquarters	England: Coventry, West Midlands (1904–47) Solihull, West Midlands (1947–1981) Gaydon, West Midlands (1981–2000) Longbridge, West Midlands (2000–2005)
Key people	Spencer & Maurice Wilks (Management & Engineering, 1929–63) John Towers
Products	Rover Automobiles Motorcycles (until 1925) Bicycles (until 1925) Land Rover All terrain vehicles
Subsidiaries	Alvis Cars (1965–67)

Rover is a former British car manufacturing company founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. It is the direct ancestor of the present day Land Rover company, which is a subsidiary of Jaguar Land Rover, in turn owned by the Tata Group.

The company traded as Rover, manufacturing cars between 1904 and 1967, when it was sold to Leyland Motor Corporation, becoming the Rover marque. The Rover marque was used on cars produced by British Leyland (BL), who separated the assets of the original Rover Company as Land Rover in 1978 whilst the Rover trademark continued to be used on vehicles produced by its successor companies – the Austin Rover Group(1982–1986), the Rover Group (1986–2000), and then finally MG Rover (2000–2005). Following MG Rover’s collapse in 2005, the Rover marque became dormant, and was subsequently sold to Ford, by now the owners of Land Rover, a move which effectively reunited the Rover trademark with the original company.

After developing the template for the modern bicycle with its Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, the company moved into the automotive industry. It started building motorcycles and Rover cars, using their established marque with the iconic Viking Longship, from 1904 onwards. Land Rover vehicles were added from 1948 onwards, with all production moving to the Solihull plant after World War II.

The Polish word now most commonly used for bicycle – rower originates from Rover bicycles which had both wheels of the same size (previous models usually had one bigger, one smaller – see Penny-farthing, and were called in Polish bicykl, from English bicycle).

History

Before cars

The first Rover was a tricycle manufactured by Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry, England, in 1883. The company was founded by John Kemp Starley and William Sutton in 1878. Starley had previously worked with his uncle, James Starley (father of the cycle trade), who began by manufacturing sewing machines and switched to bicycles in 1869.

 J. K. Starley & Co. Ltd ‘Rover’ bicycle advertisement

In the early 1880s, the cycles available were the relatively dangerous penny-farthings and high-wheel tricycles. J.K. Starley made history in 1885 by producing the Rover Safety Bicycle—a rear-wheel-drive, chain-driven cycle with two similar-sized wheels, making it more stable than the previous high-wheel designs. Cycling Magazine said the Rover had “set the pattern to the world”; the phrase was used in their advertising for many years. Starley’s Rover is usually described by historians as the first recognisably modern bicycle.

The words for “bicycle” in Polish (Rower) and Belarusian (Rovar, Ро́вар) are derived from the name of the company. The word ровер is also used in many parts of Western Ukraine.

In 1889, the company became J.K. Starley & Co. Ltd., and in the late 1890s, the Rover Cycle Company Ltd.

Rover motorcycles

Main article: Rover (motorcycles)

In 1899 John Starley imported some of the early Peugeot motorcycles from France in for experimental development. His first project was to fit an engine to one of his Rover bicycles. Starley died early in October 1901 aged 46 and the business was taken over by entrepreneur H. J. Lawson.

 1912 Rover 3-speed

The company developed and produced the Rover Imperial motorcycle in November 1902. This was a 3.5 hp diamond-framed motorcycle with the engine in the centre and ‘springer’ front forks which was ahead of its time. This first Rover motorcycle had innovative features such as a spray carburettor, bottom-bracket engine and mechanically operated valves. With a strong frame with double front down tubes and a good quality finish, over a thousand Rover motorcycles were sold in 1904. The following year, however, Rover stopped motorcycle production to concentrate on their ‘safety bicycle’ but in 1910 designer John Greenwood was commissioned to develop a new 3.5 hp 500 cc engine with spring-loaded tappets, a Bosch magneto and an innovative inverted tooth drive chain. It had a Brown and Barlow carburettor and Druid spring forks. This new model was launched at the 1910 Olympia show and over 500 were sold.

In 1913 a ‘TT’ model was launched with a shorter wheelbase and sports handlebars. The ‘works team’ of Dudley Noble and Chris Newsome had some success and won the works team award.

 1920 Rover 500 cc

Rover supplied 499 cc single cylinder motorcycles to the Russian Army during the First World War. The company began to focus on car production at the end of the war, but Rover still produced motorcycles with 248 cc and 348 cc Rover overhead valve engines and with J.A.P. engines, including a 676 cc V-twin. In 1924 Rover introduced a new lightweight 250cc motorcycle with unit construction of engine and gearbox. This had lights front and rear as well as a new design of internal expanding brakes.

Poor sales of their motorcycles caused Rover to end motorcycle production and concentrate solely on the production of motor cars. Between 1903 and 1924 Rover had produced more than 10,000 motorcycles.

Early Rover cars

 Rover, 1905.

 The Rover Six in a 1910 advertisement—£155.

 Rover 8HP Two-seater from 1904 inLondon to Brighton Veteran Car Run 2010

 Rover Tourer, 1926.

 1936 Rover 10.

In 1888, Starley made an electric car, but it never was put into production.

Three years after Starley’s death in 1901, and H. J. Lawson’s subsequent takeover, the Rover company began producing automobiles with the two-seater Rover Eight to the designs of Edmund Lewis, who came from Lawson’s Daimler. Lewis left the company to join Deasy in late 1905. He was eventually replaced by Owen Clegg, who joined from Wolseley in 1910 and set about reforming the product range. Short-lived experiments with sleeve valve engines were abandoned, and the 12hp model was introduced in 1912. This car was so successful that all other cars were dropped, and for a while, Rover pursued a “one model” policy. Clegg left to join the French company Darracq in 1912.

During the First World War, they made motorcycles, lorries to Maudslay designs, and, not having a suitable one of their own, cars to a Sunbeam design.

Restructure and re-organization

The business was not very successful during the 1920s and did not pay a dividend from 1923 until the mid-1930s. In December 1928 the chairman of Rover advised shareholders that the accumulation of the substantial losses of the 1923–1928 years together with the costs of that year’s reorganisation must be recognised by a reduction of 60 per cent in the value of capital of the company.

During 1928 Frank Searle was appointed managing director to supervise recovery. Searle was by training a locomotive engineer with motor industry experience at Daimler and, most recently, had been managing director of Imperial Airways. On his recommendation Spencer Wilks was brought in from Hillman as general manager and appointed to the board in 1929. That year, Searle split Midland Light Car Bodies from Rover in an effort to save money and instructed Robert Boyle and Maurice Wilks to design a new small car.

This was the Rover Scarab with a rear-mounted V-twin-cylinder air-cooled engine announced in 1931, a van version was shown at Olympia, but it did not go into production. During this time the Rover 10/25 was introduced, with bodies made by the Pressed Steel Company. This was the same body as used on the Hillman Minx. Prior to this time Rover had been a great supporter of the very light Weymann bodies that went suddenly out of fashion with the demand for shiny coachwork and more curved body shapes. Weymann bodies remained in the factory catalogue until 1933.

Frank Searle and Spencer Wilks set about reorganising the company and moving it upmarket to cater for people who wanted something “superior” to Fords and Austins. In 1930 Spencer Wilks was joined by his brother, Maurice, who had also been at Hillman as chief engineer. Spencer Wilks was to stay with the company until 1962, and his brother until 1963.

The company showed profits in the 1929 and 1930 years but with the economic downturn in 1931 Rover reported a loss of £77,529. 1932 produced a loss of £103,000 but a turn around following yet more reorganization resulted in a profit of £46,000 in 1933. The new assembly operations in Australia and New Zealand were closed.

Frank Searle left the board near the end of the calendar year 1931, his work done.

Building on successes such as beating the Blue Train for the first time in 1930 in the Blue Train Races, the Wilks Brothers established Rover as a company with several European royal, aristocratic, and governmental warrants, and upper-middle-class and star clients.

Second World War and gas turbines

Rover W2B-26 jet engine Welland

A Rover W.2B/26 on display at the Midland Air Museum This design was later to become the Rolls-Royce Derwent

In the late 1930s, in anticipation of the potential hostilities that would become the Second World War, the British government started a rearmament programme, and as part of this, “shadow factories” were built. These were paid for by the government but staffed and run by private companies. Two were run by Rover: one, at Acocks Green, Birmingham, started operation in 1937, and a second, larger one, at Solihull, started in 1940. Both were employed making aero engines and airframes. The original main works at Helen Street, Coventry, was severely damaged by bombing in 1940 and 1941 and never regained full production.

In early 1940, Rover was approached by Frank Whittle to do work for Whittle’s company, Power Jets. This led to a proposal from Power Jets in which Rover would put forward £50,000 of capital in exchange for shares in Power Jets. Rover contacted the Air Ministry (AM) regarding the proposal, which ultimately led to an arrangement between Rover and former Power Jets contractor British Thomson-Houston (BTH) to develop and produce Whittle’s jet engine. The Air Ministry had left Whittle and Power Jets out of these negotiations. Rover chief engineer Maurice Wilks led the team to develop the engine, improving the performance over the original Whittle design. The first test engines to the W.2B design were built in a former cotton mill in Barnoldswick, Lancashire which Rover moved into in June 1941 (along with Waterloo Mill in Clitheroe). Testing commenced towards the end of October 1941.

A need for greater expertise within the project, along with difficult relations between Rover management and Frank Whittle (not least because Rover under AM approval had secretly designed a different engine layout, known within Rover as the B.26, which they thought was superior), led to Rover handing over their part in the jet engine project and the Barnoldswick factory to Rolls-Royce in exchange for the latter’s Meteor tank engine factory at Ascot Road, Nottingham, the result of a handshake deal between Rover’s Spencer Wilks and Rolls-Royce’s Ernest Hives made in a local inn in Clitheroe. The official hand-over date was 1 April 1943, though there was a considerable overlap, and several key Rover staff such as Adrian Lombard and John Herriot, the latter being at Rover on secondment from the Air Inspection Department (AID) of the AM, moved to Rolls-Royce. In exchange for the jet engine project and its facilities, Rover was given the contract and production equipment to make Meteor tank engines, which continued until 1964. Although Rolls-Royce under Stanley Hooker were soon to be able to start producing the Whittle-designed W.2B/23 engine (known within Rover as the B.23, later named by Rolls-Royce the Welland), they evaluated the 4 Lombard/Herriot re-designed Rover W.2B/B.26 engines under test at the time of the takeover, and selected the Rover design for their own jet engine development (it became the Rolls-Royce Derwent engine).

After the Second World War, the company abandoned Helen Street and bought the two shadow factories. Acocks Green carried on for a while, making Meteor engines for tanks such as the Centurion and Conqueror, and Solihull became the new centre for vehicles, with production resuming in 1947. This was the year Rover produced the Rover 12 Sports Tourer. 200 cars were built for the export market but all had RHD so many cars stayed in the UK. Solihull would become the home of the Land Rover.

Experimental cars

 Rover JET Gas Turbine Experimental Car

Despite the difficulties experienced with the jet engine project, Rover was interested in the development of the gas turbine engine to power vehicles. In 1945, Rover hired engineers Frank Bell and Spen King away from Rolls-Royce to assist Maurice Wilks in the development of automotive gas turbines. By 1949, the team developed a turbine that ran at 55,000 rpm, produced more than 100 horsepower (75 kW), and could run on petrol,paraffin, or diesel oil. Rover’s early turbine engines consumed fuel at a rate much greater than piston engines, equivalent to 6 miles per imperial gallon (5.0 mpg_-US; 47 L/100 km). Although fuel consumption was later reduced by using a heat exchanger, it was never as low as that of contemporary piston engines.

In March 1950, Rover showed the JET1 prototype, the first car powered with a gas turbine engine, to the public. JET1, an open two-seat tourer, had the engine positioned behind the seats, air intake grilles on either side of the car, and exhaust outlets on the top of the tail. During tests, the car reached a top speed of 88 mph (142 km/h). After being shown in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1950, JET1 was further developed, and was subjected to speed trials on the Jabbeke highway in Belgium in June 1952, where it exceeded 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). JET1 is currently on display at the London Science Museum.

Four further prototypes were built, the P4-based front-engined T2 and rear-engined T2A saloons, the rear-engined four-wheel-drive T3 coupé, and the front-engined front-wheel drive T4 saloon.

Rover and the BRM Formula One team joined forces to produce the Rover-BRM, a gas turbine-powered sports prototype that entered the 1963 24 hours of Le Mans, driven by Graham Hill and Richie Ginther. It averaged 107.8 mph (173 km/h) and had a top speed of 142 mph (229 km/h).

Rover also ran several experimental diesel engine projects in relation to the Land Rover. The 2-litre, 52 horsepower (39 kW) diesel unit designed and built by Rover for its 4×4 had entered production in 1956 and was one of Britain’s first modern high-speed automotive diesel engines. Experimental projects were undertaken to improve the engine’s power delivery, running qualities, and fuel tolerances. British Army requirements led to the development of a multifuel version of the 2.25-litre variant of the engine in 1962, which could run on petrol, diesel, Jet-A, or kerosene. However, the engine’s power output when running on low-grade fuel was too low for the Army’s uses. Rover developed a highly advanced (for the time) turbodiesel version of its engine in the mid-1960s to power its experimental ‘129-inch’ heavy duty Land Rover designs. This 2.5-litre engine used a turbocharger built by Rover’s gas turbine division as well as an intercooler. This was one of the first times these features had been incorporated on such a small-capacity diesel unit, but they were not adopted.

After the Leyland Motor Corporation takeover, the Rover Gas Turbine was used in a number of Leyland trucks, including one shown at the 1968 Commercial Motor Show. Rover gas turbines also powered the first Advanced Passenger Train.

Golden years

 1962 Rover 80 (P4).

The 1950s and ’60s were fruitful years for the company. The Land Rover became a runaway success (despite Rover’s reputation for making upmarket saloons, the utilitarian Land Rover was actually the company’s biggest seller throughout the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s), as well as the P5 and P6 saloons equipped with a 3.5L (215ci) aluminium V8 (the design and tooling of which was purchased from Buick) and pioneering research into gas turbine-fueled vehicles.

As the ’60s drew to a close Rover was working on a number of innovative projects. Having purchased the Alvis company in 1965 Rover was working on a V8-powered supercar to sell under the Alvis name. The prototype, called the P6BS, was completed and the finalised styling and engineering proposal, the P9, was drawn up. Rover was also working on the P8 project which aimed to replace the existing P5 large saloon with a modern design similar in concept to a scaled-up P6.

When Leyland Motors joined with British Motor Holdings and Rover and Jaguar became corporate partners these projects were cancelled to prevent internal competition with Jaguar products. The P8 in particular was cancelled in a very late stage of preparation- Rover had already ordered the dies and stamping equipment for making the car’s body panels at Pressed Steel when ordered to stop work.

Rover continued to develop its ‘100-inch Station Wagon’, which became the ground-breaking Range Rover, launched in 1970. This also used the ex-Buick V8 engine as well as the P6’s innovative safety-frame body structure design and features such as permanent four-wheel drive and all-round disc brakes. The Range Rover was initially designed as a utility vehicle which could offer the off-road capability of the Land Rover, but in a more refined and car-like package.

 Rover 2000 (P6).

Mergers to LMC and BL

Main article: British Leyland

This Rover prototype for a midengined sports car was shown to the press in 1967, but politics in the wake of the BLMC merger got in the way, and the model never entered production.

In 1967, Rover became part of the Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC), which already owned Triumph. The next year, LMC merged with British Motor Holdings (BMH) to become the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). This was the beginning of the end for the independent Rover Company, as the Solihull-based company’s heritage drowned beneath the infamous industrial relations and managerial problems that beset the British motor industry throughout the 1970s. At various times, it was part of the Specialist Division (hence the factory designation SD1 for the first—and in the event, only—model produced under this arrangement), Leyland Cars, Rover-Triumph, and the short-lived Jaguar Rover Triumph. The Land Rover products however had flourished during the turbulent BLMC years, with the Range Rover in particular generating sizeable revenues for the company as it moved further upmarket. After the Ryder Report in 1975, Land Rover was split from Rover in 1978 as a separate operating company within British Leyland, and all Rover car production at Solihull ended and was switched to the Austin-Morris plants in Longbridge and Cowley for the rest of the marque’s existence. The Range Rover subsequently went on to become BL’s flagship product, after Jaguar was de-merged and privatised in 1984.

British Leyland entered into a collaborative venture with the Honda Motor Corporation of Japan, which resulted in a whole generation of Rover-badged vehicles which shared engineering with contemporary Honda models, which would sustain the beleaguered company and its successors until the mid-1990s.

Sale to BAe, and divestment

In 1988 the business was sold by the British Government to British Aerospace (BAe), and shortly after shortened its name to just Rover Group. They subsequently sold the business in 1994 to BMW. Honda, which had owned a 20% share in partnership with BAe, exited the business when BAe sold its share to BMW.

BMW, after initially seeking to retain the whole, decided only to retain the Cowley operations for MINI production. Land Rover was sold by BMW to Ford. The Longbridge production facility, along with the Rover and Morris Garages marques, was taken on by former Rover executive John Towers in April 2000 for a derisory sum under the marque MG Rover. The Towers administration of MG was declared insolvent in April 2005 and the business was later refloated under the ownership of Nanjing Automobile, who moved production to China.

Current Status

Legally the Rover marque is the property of Land Rover under the terms of Ford’s purchase of the name in 2006. The company is now known as Jaguar Land Rover Limited, Land Rover having been sold by Ford to Tata Motors in 2008. As part of the deal with Tata the Rover marque had to remain as property of Land Rover.

Models

 1938 Rover 16.

Launched under the independent Rover Company pre-merger (1904–67)

1904–12 Rover 81906–10 Rover 61906–07 Rover 10/12                   1906–10 Rover 161906–10 Rover 201909–12 Rover 12 2-cylinder                     1908–11 Rover 15

1911 Rover 12hp 4-seater torpedo sleeve-valve 1910-1912

1910–12 Rover 12 sleeve-valve

no info

1912–13 Rover 18

1914 Rover 12 Glegg tourer SV9486 (DVLA) first registered 24 January 1921

1914 Rover 12 glegg tourer (5870911466) 1912–23 Rover 12 Clegg1919–25 Rover 8

1922–23 Rover 6/21

1924–27 Rover 9/20

             1925–27 Rover 14/45

1926–29 Rover 16/50

1929–30 Rover Light Six

1930–31 Rover Light Twenty

1927–47 Rover 10

1927–32 Rover 2-Litre

1932–34 Rover Meteor 16HP/20HP

1931–40 Rover Speed 20

1932–33 Rover Pilot/Speed Pilot

1932–32 Rover Scarab

1934–47 Rover 12

1934–47 Rover 14/Speed 14

1937–47 Rover 16

1947–48 Rover 12 Sports Tourer

1948–78 Land Rover (I/II/III)—In 1978, BL established Land Rover Limited as a separate subsidiary; it took over Land Rover production.

1948–49 Rover P3 (60/75)

Rover 110 (P4). The unmistable profile of the Rover P4 with ‘suicide’ (rear-hinged) rear doors.

1949–64 Rover P4 (60/75/80/90/95/100/105/110)

1958–73 Rover P5 (3-Litre/3.5-Litre)

1963–76 Rover P6 (2000/2200/3500)

Launched under the Rover trademark as a British Leyland Motor Corporation (later BL plc) subsidiary (1967–88)

• 1970–78 Range Rover—In 1978, BL established Land Rover Limited as a separate subsidiary; it took over Range Rover production.

1976–86 Rover SD1 (2000/2300/2400/2600/3500/Vitesse)1983–85 Rover Quintent—Australian market1984–89 Rover 200-Series (SD3)1985–89 Rover 416i—Australian market                                    1986–98 Rover 800-series & Sterling

Launched by the Rover Group/MG Rover as a British Aerospace/BMW subsidiary (1988–2005)

1989–95 Rover 200/400-Series (R8)1993–98 Rover 600-Series1994-01 Range Rover Mk.2 (P38A)

1995-05 Rover 200/25 (R3)

1995-05 Rover 400/45 (HH-R)

1998-04 Land Rover Freelander1998-05 Rover 75

See also

Austin Rover Group

Rover Group

MG Rover Group

Nanjing Automobile Group

Rover – How it all began.

By Kevin Phillips

The history of the Rover Company goes back to 1881 when the Coventry Sewing Machine Company was founded. From sewing machines, they graduated to manufacturing bicycles in 1869. The first Rover machine was a tricycle which appeared in 1884 and a year later the new safety bicycle appeared and the company then became known as JK Starley & Co Ltd.

John Starley’s safety bicycle was the prototype of the modern pedal cycle and was developed to overcome the balancing problems of the common penny-farthing cycle. Tricycles had been easier to control than the high and ungainly “ordinaries as the penny farthings had come to be known, but were not as maneuverable and were much more expensive.

John Starley’s safety bicycle featured a rear wheel that was driven by a chain and gearing which would reduce the effort required by the rider and would enable the front wheel diameter to be dramatically reduced.

Once his safety bicycle had proved a success, Starley began experimenting with an electrically driven battery-powered tricycle. The batteries were placed in a wicker basket above and behind the rear axle with the electric motor fitted underneath. Unfortunately, it was not a success as the performance and range was pitiful and once the batteries had gone flat, the dead weight of the machine would have taxed even the strongest of riders.

Starley’s safety bicycles caught on rapidly and the business went from strength to strength with rapidly rising sales which made John Starley a wealthy man.

In June 1896, Starley formed the Rover Cycle Co Ltd which operated from the New Meteor Works. In its first year of operation, the new company built 11000 cycles and returned a profit of 21,945 pounds. At about this time, an entrepreneur by the name of Harry Lawson had arrived in Coventry and taken over a disused cotton mill in order to manufacture his license-built Daintier motor car. Lawson was a man who was going places and, expanding by acquisition, tried to induce Starley to join forces with him. Starley would have no part of it, but it did get him thinking about engines and their possibilities.

Starley imported several Peugeot motorcycles from France in 1899 for observation and experimental work. This was a natural progression as by the end of the nineteenth century the motor car phenomenon was taking the world by storm and Britain already had motor cars being built by Daim]er, Wolseley, Lanchester and Riley.

Rover’s first project was to motorise a Rover pedal cycle, something that Triumph was already working on.

John Starley died tragically early in October 1901 aged 46, while still the undisputed leader of Coventry’s bicycle industry, his business now producing 15,000 machines a year.

Harry Smith took over as Managing Director and made the decision to go motorised in 1902. The first public appearance of the 2% HP Rover motorcycle was made on 24th November 1902.

By now Britain’s fledgling motorcar industry was starting to show signs of stability and Daimler was turning out good cars and making good money. On 16th December 1903 the Rover directors decided to start development of a light car. It would be designed by Edmund Lewis who had been acquired from Daimler who were the acknowledged motorcar experts. Rover’s decision had been made just in time as by now Daimler and Riley in Coventry had been joined by Annstrong-Siddeley, Humber, Lea-Francis, Singer and Standard.

 

Keith Adams Austin Rover / Rover Group / MG Rover Resource

German Rover Company & Rover Cars Community

Portuguese MG-Rover Club

Polish MG Rover Club

Spanish site of MG-ROVER

Czech MG-Rover Community

Catalogue of the Rover archives, held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick

HUMBER cars Coventry, England, UK 1868-1931/1976

Humber (car)

Humber

Industry	Automotive industry
Fate	Merged
Successor	Rootes Group
Founded	1868
Defunct	1931
Headquarters	Coventry, England
Products	Automobiles
Subsidiaries	1929–1931 Hillman Motor Car Company

Humber Marque

Owner	PSA
Country	United Kingdom
Discontinued	1976
Markets	Automotive
Previous owners	1868–1931 Humber 1931–1967 Rootes Group 1967–1979 Chrysler

Humber is a dormant British automobile marque which can date its beginnings to Thomas Humber‘s bicycle company founded in 1868. Following their involvement in Humber through Hillman in 1928 the Rootes brothers acquired a controlling interest and joined the Humber board in 1932 making Humber part of their Rootes Group. The range focused on luxury models, such as the Humber Super Snipe.

History

Cars

Rotary aero engine BR2. Humber Limited
design: W. O. Bentley for Humber
Sopwith F.1 Camel and 7F.1 Snipe; Nieuport B.N.1; Vickers F.B.26A Vampire II. and others

At Humber & Co’s third general meeting in 1897 the managing director said they had received many letters asking if they would produce a motorised vehicle, and they had in fact been working on this project for 2 years, but had delayed production until they found a suitably reliable engine. Having now found an engine they were gearing up for production.

The first Humber car was produced in 1898 under the guidance of Thomas Humber and was a three-wheeled tricar with the first conventional four-wheeled car appearing in 1901. See book Humber history to 1930] The company had factories in Beeston near Nottingham and Coventry. The Beeston factory produced a more expensive range known as Beeston-Humbers but the factory closed in 1908 after financial problems. Before the First World War a wide range of models were produced from the 600 cc Humberette to several six-cylinder 6-litre models. In 1913 Humber was the second largest manufacturer of cars in the United Kingdom. The Humber Motor Works in Coventry still survives—a rare thing as the majority of the city was destroyed in the November 1940 air raid.

In 1925 Humber moved into the production of commercial vehicles with the purchase of Commer. In 1928 Hillman was added but independence ended in 1931 when the Rootes Brothers bought a majority shareholding.

Prior to WWII and after, many large long wheel based Humber Limousines were built with English, Australian, American and even a few European coachbuilders’ special bodies. Thrupp and Maberly of London,later acquired by Rootes, built many of the coachbuilt bodies for the Pullman and Imperial limousines. Most of these surviving cars in Australia are fitted with Thrupp and Maberly aluminium bodies. the series V Imperial is bodied by Thrupp and Maberly and somewhat rare today.

Thrupp and Maberly built a special body for an eight cylinder Sunbeam in 1936 which was given to King Edward VIII. After his abdication the car was returned to the factory and significantly altered and then eventually sold as a Humber with a new six cylinder engine and altered grille and body.

During World War II, military ordered cars were produced for the armed services. several armoured cars These were produced under the Humber name, along with heavy-duty “staff” cars. The standard Humber cars, limousines,specially prepared war models and military 4×4 vehicles [ which were fitted with Rolls Royce engines], were almost literally bullet proof running gear and heavy duty suspension. gave excellent reliability and performance in difficult terrain in both Northern Africa and Europe.

General Montgomery,Commander of the British and Allied forces in Northern Africa during the Desert war of WWII, had two specially built Humber Super Snipe four door convertibles made with larger front wings or guards, mine proof floors,special appointments and long range fuel tanks. Two cars were built for him and used in the Africa campaign against General Rommel [ who used open tourer large, long range convertible Mercedes Benz’s. Montgomery’s Humbers are known as ‘Old Faithful’ and the ‘Victory Car’. Both cars still exist in full military regalia in museums in England and are a testament to the high engineering and manufacturing standards of Humber and Rootes Ltd. the victory car drove Montgomery and Churchill through the streets of London during the VE parades at the end of WWII.

These side valve, large Humber cars, trucks,4 x 4 vehicles and armoured cars were and still are remarkably robust, reliable and have amazing longevity if maintained and driven sensibly. In Australia many war surplus Humber cars and trucks spent over forty years on farms used by farmers and the Country fire authority in very reliable service in tough and harsh conditions.

In the postwar era, Humber’s mainstay products included the four-cylinder Hawk and six-cylinder Super Snipe. Being a choice of businessmen and officialdom alike [ ministerial,government cars before the Statesman and Fairlane ], Humbers gained a reputation for beautifully appointed interiors and build quality. The Hawk and the Super Snipe went through various designs, though all had a “transatlantic” influence. They offered disc brakes and automatic transmission at a time when these fitments were rare. Powersteering was also available in Australia. A top-flight model, the Imperial, had these as standard, along with metallic paintwork and other luxury touches such as extra courtesy lights and vinyl covered black roof and electricxally operated rear adjustable suspension. The last of the traditional large Humbers, the series VA Super Snipe[fitted with twin Stromberg CD 100 Carburettors, were sold in 1968, when Chrysler, who by then owned the Rootes group, pulled the plug on production. Several V8 models had been in pre-production at this time, but were never publicly sold. Several of these test examples survive today.

Rootes’ last car was the second generation of Humber Sceptre, a badge-engineered Rootes Arrow model. [ Audax range ]The marque was shelved in 1976 when all Hillmans became badged as Chryslers. The Hillman Hunter (another Arrow model) was subsequently badged as a Chrysler until production ceased in 1979 when Chrysler’s European division was sold to Peugeot and the marque renamed Talbot. The Talbot marque was abandoned at the end of 1986 on passenger cars, although it was continued on vans for six years afterwards.

Aviation

Humber produced a number of aircraft and aero-engines in the years before the First World War. In 1909 the company signed a contract to build 40 copies of the Blériot XI monoplane, powered by their own three-cylinder engine, and four aircraft were exhibited at the Aero Show at Olympia in 1910.

Photographs

Humber Humberette 5 HP Voiturette 1903

Humber 11,4 HP Saloon 1924

1926 Humber 9/20 tourer

Humber 14/40 HP Tourer 1928

Humber 14/40 HP 2-Seater Sports 1929

Humber Heavy Utility 1940

Humber Pullman

1965 Humber Sceptre Mark II

Main models

• Humber 8 1902
• Humber 12 1902
• Humber 20 1903
• Humberette Voiturette 1903-1911
• Humber 8/10 1905
• Humber 10/12 1905–07
• Humber 30/40 1908–09
• Humberette Cycle Car 1912-1915
• Humber 11 1912
• Humber 10 1919–21
• Humber 15.9 1919–25
• Humber 11.4 and 12/25 1921–25
• Humber 8/18 1922–25
• Humber 15/40 1924–28
• Humber 9/20 and 9/28 1925–30
• Humber 14/40 1926–29
• Humber 20/55 and 20/65 1926–29
• Humber 16/50 1928–32
• Humber Snipe 1929–47

1930-1948 Humber Snipe

Humber Snipe
Snipe saloon early 1932
Overview
Manufacturer	Humber after 1931 Rootes Group
Production	1930-1940 1945 – 1948
Body and chassis
Related	Humber Pullman
Chronology
Predecessor	Humber 20/55hp

The Humber Snipe was a four-door luxury saloon introduced by the British-based Humber company for 1930 as a successor to the Humber 20/55 hp (which remained in the catalogue as 20/65) at the same time as the similar but slightly longer Humber Pullman. Launched in September 1929 under the banner headline “Such Cars As Even Humber Never Built Before” twelve months after the Rootes brothers’ influence took effect formalized with the Hillman merger in December 1928. Humber nominally joined the Rootes Group as part of a necessary restructure of Humber’s capital in July 1932.

1930–35 Snipe 80

Thrupp & Maberly landaulette 1932

The Snipe, or from late 1932, Snipe 80 featured a 3498-cc six-cylinder engine of 80 mm bore and 116 mm stroke with the overhead-inlet, side-exhaust valve gear that had been a feature of the company’s six-cylinder engines since the mid-1920s. A single Stromberg carburettor was fitted. The four speed transmission had a right hand change lever (right hand drive cars) until 1931 when it moved to the centre of the car facilitating the production of left hand drive examples. The shutters on the radiator grille were opened and closed thermostatically to control the flow of cooling air. For 1933 the engine was redesigned to have overhead valves producing an extra 5 bhp. Bendix mechanical brakes were fitted.

Snipe 80 1934

The conservatively boxy 4 or 6 light saloon body with spare wheels mounted on the front wings incorporated rear-hinged doors for back passengers. A fabric saloon (until 1930), sports saloon, tourer and drophead coupé were also listed and bare chassis were also supplied to outside coachbuilders. In 1930 on the home market the chassis sold for £410, the tourer £495, coupé £565 and saloon £535. With a 120-inch wheelbase and a total length of 173 inches, the car was, by the standards of the British market, larger and more spacious than the average family car such as the more mainstream Hillman Minx of that time, the Hillman business having been acquired by Humber in 1928. With the success of the Snipe, Humber was seen to be succeeding, “where many had failed, in marketing large cars at competitive prices”.

There were several minor body updates for 1933 including windscreen wipers mounted below rather than above the screen, recessed direction indicators and two tone paint on the 4-light sports saloon. 1205 of the 1933 models were made.

In 1931 a fleet of Snipes was used by the Prince of Wales on his tour of the West Indies.

The body and chassis were shared with the smaller engined 16-50 (1930–32) and 16-60 (1933) models.

1936–37

1936 saw the wheelbase grow by 4 inches (10 cm) to 124 inches (315 cm) while the overall length of the standard-bodied car increased by 2 inches (5 cm). The chassis was new with independent front suspension using a transverse spring. A vacuum servo was fitted to the braking system. Body styles available were 4-light and 6-light saloons, a sports saloon and a drophead coupé. The car now featured a side-valve 6-cylinder engine of 4086 cc with a stated output of 100 hp which was later used in the post war Super Snipe. A top speed of 84 mph (135 km/h) was claimed.

2652 were made.

The same chassis and body range was used for the smaller engined Humber 18.

1938–40

Perhaps prompted by concern that the Snipe was outgrowing the wishes of the market place, the 1938 Snipe was the smallest-engined Snipe to date, with a wheelbase reduced to 114 inches, but the total length was still 175 inches, reflecting the more streamlined shape which the body, the same as on the Hillman 14, had now acquired. The six-cylinder side-valve engine of 3180 cc propelled the car to a claimed top speed of 79 mph (127 km/h), reflecting a power-output reduction to 75 hp.

1938 changes for the 1939 models saw a new cross braced chassis and hydraulic brakes. The Snipe and its sister model become more firmly differentiated from one another, since the Humber Pullman continued to be offered with the older, more powerful 4086-cc engine.

2706 were made.

1940–45

Civilian availability ended in 1940 when the factory was largely given over to production of the ’Ironside’ Reconnaissance Car, though Humber saloons based on pre-war designs continued to be built for government use.

1945–48

Before the end of 1945, Humber had announced its post-war model range. Four cars were listed, which closely resembled the Humbers offered just before the war. At the top of the range was the Humber Pullman. The other three models shared a body which, while smaller than that of the Pullman, nevertheless sustained the Humber tradition of offering a lot of car for the money. These were the four-cylinder Humber Hawk and the six-cylinder Humber Snipe and Humber Super Snipe.

The six-cylinder engine of the 1945 Snipe was a side-valve unit, of only 2731 cc. The engine block dated back to the Humber 18 of 1935. Maximum power output and speed were stated respectively as 65 hp and 72 mph (116 km/h). For customers who remembered the Snipe as a more powerful vehicle, the car could also be specified with the 4086-cc 100-hp engine which had been fitted in the 1930s and which was still the standard power unit in the 1945 Humber Pullman. Fitted with this engine, the car was branded as the Humber Super Snipe. When the Humber range was upgraded for 1948, the Snipe was withdrawn, leaving only the Hawk and the Super Snipe listed, alongside the larger Pullman.

1240 were made.

Humber Catalogue for 1930

“Such Cars As Even Humber Never Built Before”

‘	NEW SEASON’S MODELS & PRICES	‘
Humber	“Snipe” Touring Car	£495
Humber	“Snipe” Six-Light Weymann Saloon	£535
Humber	“Snipe” Saloon	£535
Humber	“Snipe” Four-Door Weymann Coupé	£545
Humber	“Snipe” Drop-Head Coupé	£565
Humber	“Pullman” Landaulette	£775
Humber	“Pullman” Limousine	£775
Humber	Cabriolet de Ville	£1,095
	(Coachwork by Thrupp & Maberly)

• Humber 16–60 1933–35
• Humber 12 1933–37
• Humber 16 1936–40
• Humber Pullman 1930–54

1930-1967 Humber Pullman

Humber Pullman Humber Imperial
Post war Humber Pullman
Overview
Manufacturer	Rootes Group
Production	1930-1940 1945 – 1954 1964 – 1967
Body and chassis
Related	Humber Snipe
Chronology
Predecessor	Humber 20/65hp

The Humber Pullman is a four-door limousine that was introduced by the British Humber company in 1930 as a successor to the Humber 20/65 hp and long-wheelbase version of the Humber Snipe.

In 1939 an ungraded version was launched badged as the Humber Imperial, but postwar the car reverted to the Pullman name. Between 1948 and 1954 the car was offered with a central partition (for chauffeured use) as the Pullman, but without a partition was badged as the Humber Imperial for owner-drivers.

The Pullman / Imperial was not offered for sale to the public during the Second World War; the factory’s limited output were used as staff cars. It returned to the market in 1945 and remained in production till 1954. At the present time only eight units of this vehicle are still extant.

Before World War II

Snipe 80 1934 with landaulette body
by Thrupp & Maberly

The 1930 car came with a 3498cc straight six cylinder overhead inlet side exhaust valve engine and a claimed power output of 80 hp (60 kW). The classic limousine style body featured rear- hinged doors and in some respects resembled the Humber Snipe 80 with which it shared its engine, but the Pullman was longer and wider. For this heavy car Humber claimed a top speed of 73 mph (117 km/h). As well as the limousine, Landaulette and Sedanca de Ville bodies were available. Humber, the manufacturer lost its independence in 1931 when the Rootes Group acquired a majority share holding in it. A coupé was added to the body range in 1935 for one year only.

A rebodied Pullman with two-piece V windscreen appeared in 1936, sharing the 132 in (3,353 mm)^[2] wheelbase of its predecessor, but with the overall length of the car increased to 196 in (4,978 mm).^[2] Engine size was now raised to 4086cc while claimed power was 100 hp (75 kW). The power increase was also evident from the claimed top speed which now edged up to 75 mph (121 km/h). The chassis gained independent front suspension, and hydraulic brakes were fitted in 1940. As well as the factory body options, some cars were supplied in chassis form to independent coachbuilders, especially Thrupp & Maberly.

In 1939 the Pullman was joined by the Humber Imperial or Snipe Imperial which shared the engine with the Pullman, but was built on the 4 in (102 mm) shorter Snipe chassis and correspondingly brisker, with an advertised top speed of 81 mph (130 km/h). The car nevertheless remained spacious, and was favoured for use by British government ministers during the 1940s. Four and Six-light saloons and drophead coupé bodies were available. Civilian availability ended in 1940 when the factory was given over to production of the ’Ironside’ Reconnaissance Car. However, production of the newly introduced “razor-edge” Pullman continued throughout the war for the government and the military.

After World War II

The Pullman re-appeared in 1945 with seven-seat limousine and landaulette bodies, to be replaced in 1948 by a reworked and lengthened version on a lengthened chassis and designated the Humber Pullman Mk II. From 1948 the car was available with or without a partition between the front and rear of the cabin. The version with a division retained the Pullman name, while for the mechanically identical owner-driver version the Humber Imperial name was now revived. The headlamps were no longer standalone but fitted into the wings.

The Mark III version introduced in 1951 was little changed from the Mark II, apart from being even longer and having an all-synchromesh gearbox. At 212 in (5,385 mm) the Mk III Humber Pullman was the same length as the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud which would emerge from Crewe in 1955. A total of 2200 Mk II and III Pullmans, and 1526 Imperials, were manufactured.

In 1953 more power was offered for the Mark IV Pullmans and Imperials, still with straight six cylinder engines, but now of 4139cc with overhead valves, and published power output of 113 hp (84 kW) or 116 hp (87 kW). Production ended in 1954.

• 
• 
• 

  1949 Humber Pullman Mk II and inside

  

  1949 Royal Tour Fleet of Humber Pullman Cars

  

  1954 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to the crowds from a Humber car during their visit to Brisbane

Imperial revival

1966 One of the last Humber Imperials

1964-67 Humber Imperial, the luxurious version of the Humber Super Snipe Series V

After 1954 the Pullman name was removed from the listings, but in 1964 the company revived the Humber Imperial name for a top-of-the-line Humber Super Snipe, distinguished by a slightly lower different-shaped coupé-like vinyl-clad roof. Automatic transmission was standard and there was a more luxuriously appointed interior. The range of large Humbers, including the Imperial, was withdrawn by Rootes in 1967.

• Humber Imperial 1938–67
• Humber Hawk 1945–67

1945-1967 Humber Hawk

Humber Hawk
Overview
Manufacturer	Rootes Group
Production	1945–1967
Assembly	United Kingdom Port Melbourne, Australia
Chronology
Predecessor	Hillman 16 (1936-37) six-cylinder; Hillman 14 (1938-40) four-cylinder; Humber 16 (1938-44) six-cylinder
Successor	No Successor

The Humber Hawk is a four-cylinder automobile which was produced from 1945 to 1967 by the British-based Humber car company, part of the Rootes Group.

Humber Hawk Mk I & II

Humber Hawk MKI & II
Overview
Production	1945–1949
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon
Powertrain
Engine	1944 cc Straight-4 side-valve
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	114 inches (2896 mm)
Length	178 inches (4521 mm)
Width	69 inches (1753 mm)

The Hawk was the first Humber car to be launched after World War II, but was not really a new vehicle, being heavily based on the designs of the pre-war six cylinder 1936-37 Hillman 16 & Hillman Hawk & the four cylinder Hillman 14 (1938-1940). It replaced the six-cylinder Humber 16 (1938-44) which itself was a rebadged version of the Hillman 16 (1936-37).

The engine dated back to the early 1930s, when it was first used in the Hillman 12 and was a 1944 cc, side-valve, four-cylinder unit and it drove a live rear axle through a four-speed gearbox with centrally located floor change.

The four-door body was mounted on a separate chassis and was of the six-light design (three windows on each side) with a sunshine roof as standard. Suspension was independent at the front using a transverse leaf spring, and at the rear the axle had half-elliptic springs.

The Mark II version of September 1947 was not even a facelift, the main difference being a column gear change with a control ring fitted to the gearbox making it impossible to crash the syncromesh gears. The engine was given a new water jacket, the petrol tank received a breather to prevent air-locks and provision was made for a car-radio and retracting aerial. There was no change to the car’s external appearance.

Top speed was around 65 mph (105 km/h).

Humber Hawk 1946 rear view

Humber Hawk Mark III to V

Humber Hawk Mark III-V
Overview
Production	1948–1954 production 10,040 (III) 6,492 (IV) 14,300 (V)
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon Limousine (Mk V only)
Powertrain
Engine	1944 cc Straight-4 side-valve (Mk III) 2267 cc Straight-4 side-valve (Mk IV & V)
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	105.5 inches (2678 mm)
Length	174 inches (4420 mm)
Width	70 inches (1778 mm)
Height	64.75 in (1,645 mm)

The Mark III Hawk was a completely new car and was first shown at the London Motor Show in October 1948, but it still retained the earlier engine (side-valves, 1944 cc, 56 bhp at 3800 rpm) and transmission albeit with new rubber mountings. The new body was styled by the Loewy Studio and the separate headlights of the old model were gone, along with the separate front wings. The chassis was new, with coil-sprung independent front suspension replacing the previous transverse leaf spring. The body was now an integral component of the car’s structure. The rear axle was also a new design with hypoid gearing. The body could be finished in a wide range of colours, both as two-tone and metallic. The metallic finishes would be offered on all the Hawks until the model’s demise in late 1967/early 1968.

When compared with the prewar style body with vestigial running boards the car’s weight was less by 3 cwt or 336 lb (152 kg) and the new flush-sided body gave room for the front bench seat to be three inches (75 mm) wider. The rear seat was a full five inches (125 mm) wider. Overall the car was six inches (150 mm) shorter and one and a half inches (40 mm) lower. Despite the lower height the new hypoid back axle allowed more head room in the rear seat.

Mark IV

In the early spring of 1951 the Mark IV version arrived with a larger, 2267 cc engine incorporating, as before, an aluminium cylinder head and with a 58 instead of 56 bhp output. However at mid range speeds around 15 percent more power was generated. The Mark IV also used larger, 15-inch wheels. The steering was now more highly geared and was commended by commentators for its lightness when manoeuvering the car in a confined space despite 53% of the car’s 2996 (British) pounds (1358 kg) being carried by the front wheels.

Humber Hawk February 1954 rear view

A 2267 cc Mk IV car tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1951 had a top speed of 71.4 mph (114.9 km/h) and could accelerate from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 30.0 seconds. A fuel consumption of 24.2 miles per imperial gallon (11.7 l/100 km; 20.2 mpg_-US) was recorded. The test car cost £850, including taxes.

Mark V

The Mark V Hawk announced in September 1952 was given a larger clutch, larger rear shock absorbers, a strengthened body-frame and other minor mechanical changes. A new treatment was given to the car’s front. It was also available as a “luxury touring limousine”. A lowered bonnet line and wrap-around bumpers with over-riders distinguished this model from the Mk IV

Humber Hawk Mark VI and VIA

Humber Hawk Mark VI-VIA
Overview
Production	1954–1957 production 18,836 (Mk VI) 9614 (MkVIA)
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon estate
Powertrain
Engine	2267 cc Straight-4 overhead valve
Transmission	4-speed manual with optional overdrive
Dimensions
Wheelbase	105.5 in (2,680 mm)
Length	181 inches (4597 mm) (saloon)
Width	72 inches (1829 mm)
Height	65 in (1,651 mm)
Curb weight	27.75 cwt or 3,108 lb (1,410 kg)

The main change with the Mk VI, which was new in June 1954, was the fitting of an overhead-valve cylinder head to the engine. The rear of the body was slightly changed, which made the car longer. In 1955 an estate version with fold-down tailgate appeared.

The April 1956 Mk VIA was a fairly minor upgrade, with changes mainly to the interior. A de-luxe version was added to the range.

A replacement, slightly more powerful and with an entirely new body was announced in May 1957.

Mark VI registered 6 August 1954

Road test

The motoring correspondent of The Times claimed that any previous Hawk owner would be “astonished” by the Mark VI’s 20 per cent more powerful engine’s ability to effortlessly swing the car along at 70 mph. Cold starting was very good. The engine was not always so willing to start when cold. The tyres were inclined to squeal on not very sharp corners taken at any more than a modest speed.The brake lining area is now 40 per cent more than on the Mark V. The driver’s windscreen wiper is badly located.

A Mk VI estate car with overdrive tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1956 had a top speed of 79.7 mph (128.3 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 25.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 22.8 miles per imperial gallon (12.4 l/100 km; 19.0 mpg_-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1405, including taxes.

Humber Hawk Series I to IVA

Humber Hawk Series I-IVA
Overview
Production	1957–1967 production 15,539 (I) 6813 (IA) 7,230 (II) 6,109 (III) 1,746 (IV) 3,754 (IVA)
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon Estate car limousine
Powertrain
Engine	2267 cc Straight-4 ohv
Transmission	4-speed manual all-synchromesh Overdrive and automatic optional
Dimensions
Wheelbase	110 in (2,800 mm)
Length	185 in (4,700 mm)
Width	70 in (1,800 mm)
Height	61.5 in (1,560 mm)

The new Hawk announced in May 1957 had a completely new body with unitary construction which it would go on to share with the 1958 Humber Super Snipe. This was the biggest bodyshell for a saloon/estate car built in Great Britain at the time. The 2267 cc engine was carried over, though with modifications to the distributor mounting, and other details; and an automatic transmission, the Borg Warner D.G. model, was now available. The body was styled in Rootes’ own studios and featured more glass than previous models, with wrap-around front windscreen, which gave it a considerable resemblance to a base model 1955 Chevrolet 4-door sedan. The missing rear quarter-lights were returned in series IV. The estate version featured a horizontally split tailgate—the lower half opening downwards (to provide an extra length of luggage-platform if necessary) and the upper half upwards. The fuel-filler cap was concealed behind the offside rear reflector.

There were several revisions during the car’s life, each resulting in a new Series number.

The 1959 Series 1A had changed gear ratios and minor trim changes.

The Series II launched in October 1960 had disc front brakes, servo-assisted. The automatic option was no longer available on the home market.

The Series III of September 1962 had a larger fuel tank and bigger rear window. The export model automatic option was also dropped.

More significant changes came with the October 1964 Series IV. The roof was made flatter, the rear window smaller and an extra side window fitted behind the rear doors. Synchromesh was fitted to bottom gear. An anti-roll bar was fitted at the rear.

The final Series IVA of 1965 saw the automatic option re-introduced, this time being the Borg Warner Model 35.

Some “Series” cars are found with a floor-type gear change replacing the (good quality) standard column-mounted gearstick — these are later owner modifications resembling the original factory option, and the parts necessary for this were obtained from the Commer Karrier Walk-thru–type vans and light lorries which were also made by the Rootes Group at this time. All of the automatic transmission–optioned cars were fitted with the column-type selectors only.

A Series I car without overdrive was tested by the British The Motor magazine in 1957 had a top speed of 83.9 mph (135.0 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 19.7 seconds. A fuel consumption of 22.5 miles per imperial gallon (12.6 l/100 km; 18.7 mpg_-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1261, including taxes of £421.

In March 1967 Rootes announced that production of the Humber Hawk, along with that of the Super Snipe and Imperial had ceased. The announcement stated that the cars’ place in their range would be filled by Chrysler Valiants imported from Australia, although there is no evidence of the UK car market having been flooded by Valiants following the announcement.

After Hawk production ended, Rootes came to concentrate on sectors offering greater volume, no longer featuring as a UK provider of large family cars. It had, in particular, been unusual for UK manufactured cars of this size to feature a spacious station wagon / estate car version; and, following the demise of the Humber Hawk, the UK market for large estate cars quickly came to be dominated by the Volvo 145, introduced to the UK in March 1968, and its successors.

 

• Humber Hawk Series I Saloon

• 

  Humber Hawk Series I Estate

• 

  Humber Hawk Series I Estate

• 

  Humber Hawk Series II Saloon

• 

  Humber Hawk Series III Saloon

• 

  Humber Hawk Series IV Saloon

• 

  Humber Hawk Series IV Saloon

• Humber Super Snipe 1938–67

1938-1967 Humber Super Snipe

Humber Super Snipe
Humber Super Snipe Series II
Overview
Manufacturer	Rootes Group
Production	1938-1967
Assembly	United Kingdom Australia
Body and chassis
Related	Humber Hawk Humber Snipe Humber Pullman Humber Imperial

The Humber Super Snipe is a car which was produced from 1938 to 1967 by the British-based Humber car company, part of the Rootes Group.

Pre-war Super Snipe

Humber Super Snipe
Overview
Production	1938-1940 1500 (approx) made
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon Sports saloon Drophead coupé
Powertrain
Engine	4086 cc Straight-6 side valve
Dimensions
Wheelbase	114 in (2,896 mm)
Length	175 in (4,445 mm)
Width	70 in (1,778 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor	Humber Snipe

The Super Snipe was introduced in October 1938, derived by combining the four-litre inline six-cylinder engine from the larger Humber Pullman with the chassis and body of the Humber Snipe, normally powered by a three-litre engine. The result was a car of enhanced performance and a top speed of 79 mph (127 km/h) —fast for its day. Its design was contributed to by American engine genius Delmar “Barney” Roos who left a successful career at Studebaker to join Rootes in 1936.

The Super Snipe was marketed to upper-middle-class managers, professional people and government officials. It was relatively low-priced for its large size and performance, and was similar to American cars in appearance and concept, and in providing value for money.

Within a year of introduction, World War II broke out in Europe but the car continued in production as a British military staff car, the Car, 4-seater, 4×2, while the same chassis was used for an armoured reconnaissance vehicle, the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car.

Military operators

•  United Kingdom: British Army, Royal Navy, RAF

Super Snipe Mark I to III

Humber Super Snipe Mark I-III
Humber Super Snipe 1951 ex military
Overview
Production	1945-1952 production 3909 (Mk I) 8,361 (Mk II) 8,703 (Mk III)
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon drophead coupe estate car
Powertrain
Engine	4086 cc Straight-6 side valve (I to III)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	114 in (2,896 mm) (I) 117 in (2,972 mm) (I to III)
Length	180 in (4,572 mm) (I) 187 in (4,750 mm) (II) 191 in (4,851 mm) (III)
Width	69 in (1,753 mm) (I) 74 in (1,880 mm) (II & III)

In 1946, post-war civilian production resumed and the Super Snipe evolved though several versions, each designated by a Mark number, each generally larger, more powerful, and more modern, until production ended in 1957 with the Mark IVB version.

Mk I

The Mark I was essentially a 6 cylinder version of the 1945 Humber Hawk, itself a facelifted pre-war car. A version of the 1930s Snipe remained available, with the 1936-introduced 2731 cc engine. However, the standard Super Snipe engine was the 4086cc side-valve engine that had appeared in the Humber Pullman nearly a decade earlier, in 1936, and which would continue to power post-war Super Snipes until 1952. Throughout the years 1936 – 1952 the maximum power output of the engine was always given by the manufacturer as 100 bhp at 3400 rpm.

Humber Super Snipe Mark I (1946)

Mk II

early Humber Super Snipe Mark II 1949

The Mark II announced in mid-September 1948 was mostly redesigned in chassis and body. Now a full six-seater with a bench-type front seat it was given a wider track and a variable ratio steering unit. The gear lever was now mounted on the steering column. Like Humber’s Pullman the headlights were fitted into the wings and running-boards were re-introduced. The transverse-spring independent suspension, first introduced on the Snipe and Pullman in 1935, continued but with 14 leaves instead of eight.

The smaller-engined Snipe was discontinued. Early Mark II Super Snipes can be distinguished by round lamps below the head lamps.The left one was a fog lamp,and the right one was a “pass” lamp with a low narrow beam for passing cars when using dipped headlights. These were dropped in 1949 in favour of rectangular side lamps which were continued in the Mark III.

The Times motoring correspondent tested the new car at the end of 1948. The spare tyre was difficult to extract and the indirect gears, he thought, were not as quiet as they might be. Overall the finish reflected the excellent taste that distinguishes Rootes Group products

125 drophead coupés were made by Tickford in 1949 and 1950.

1949 drophead coupé by Tickford

Mk III

Humber Super Snipe Mark III 1952

The Mk III followed in August 1950. Easily identifiable by spats over the rear wheels it had a Panhard rod added to the rear suspension which limited sideways movement of the rear wheels and so permitted the use of softer springs. The 1950 car can be readily distinguished from the previous model by the simpler dome-shaped bumpers and the rectangular stainless-steel foot-treads on the running-boards.

A Mk III tested by The Motor magazine in 1951 had a top speed of 81.6 mph (131.3 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 19.1 seconds. A fuel consumption of 17.7 miles per imperial gallon (16.0 L/100 km; 14.7 mpg_-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1,471 including taxes.

Mk IV

Humber Super Snipe Mark IV
1955 example
Overview
Production	1952-1958 production 17,993 (IV)
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon
Powertrain
Engine	4138 cc Straight-6 ohv
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	116 in (2,946 mm)
Length	197 in (5,004 mm)
Width	71 in (1,803 mm)
Height	54 in (1,400 mm)

The all-new Mark IV Super Snipe announced mid-October 1952, Earls Court Motor Show time, used a Hawk Mk IV body shell lengthened by 6 in (152 mm) but with a 4138 cc 113 bhp (84 kW) overhead-valve engine also used in a Rootes Group Commer truck. Chassis and suspension components were uprated to take the greater weight and power of the Super Snipe, those parts ceasing to be interchangeable with those of the Hawk. From 1955, overdrive was available as an option, followed in 1956 by an automatic gearbox.

Shortly after the announcement a new silver-grey Humber Super Snipe driven by Mr Stirling Moss and Mr Leslie Johnson, the racing motorists, and two Rootes Group staff set off from Oslo and drove through 15 European countries coming into Italy from the East and finishing at Lisbon, Portugal. Accomplished in 3 days 17 hours and 59 minutes the run demonstrated the cars high speed reliability in far from ideal conditions.

In 1953 The Motor tested a Mk IV and found the larger engine had increased performance with the top speed now 91 mph (146 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 14.7 seconds. Fuel consumption had decreased to 15.5 miles per imperial gallon (18.2 L/100 km; 12.9 mpg_-US). The test car cost slightly more at £1,481, including taxes.

In 1957 “The Times” commented that the handsome vehicle, if somewhat dated, attracted favourable attention from passers-by and gave driver and passengers a satisfying sense of solidity and respectability. The two separate front seats were described as “enormous” and it was noted their backs might be let down horizontal for a passenger to sleep. The steering was found to be imprecise in its action as a whole and uncomfortably low geared for parking, power assistance would be an improvement. The car represented remarkably fine value for money.

New Super Snipe Series I to V

Humber Super Snipe Series I-V
series V registered July 1966
Overview
Production	1958-1967 production 6,072 (I) 7,175 (II) 7,257 (III) 6,495 (IV) 3,032 (V)
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon Estate car limousine
Powertrain
Engine	2651 cc Straight-6 ohv (I) 2965 cc ohv (II-V)
Transmission	3 speed manual Overdrive and automatic optional
Dimensions
Wheelbase	110 in (2,794 mm)
Length	185 in (4,699 mm) (I & II) 188 in (4,775 mm) (III to V)
Width	69.5 in (1,765 mm)
Height	62 in (1,575 mm)

Series I

In October 1958, a new Super Snipe was introduced and first presented to the public at the opening of the Paris Salon de l’Automobile. Confusingly, the designation returned to the Super Snipe I, but this time the variants were identified by a series number. The new car was based on the unitized chassis and body of the four-cylinder Humber Hawk, but with a new 2.6 litre, 2,651 cc, six-cylinder overhead-valve engine based on an Armstrong Siddeley design with bore and stroke of 82.55 millimetres (3.250 in) and near-hemispherical combustion chambers producing 112 bhp at 5000 rpm.

This engine was matched to a three-speed manual transmission with optional Laycock de Normanville overdrive on second and top gears, or Borg Warner DG automatic transmission. Power steering was available as an option. Also offered was a touring limousine model with glass partition.

The new car was smaller on the outside, but larger on the inside, with improved performance and the appearance of a reduced size 1955 Chevrolet 4-door sedan.

• 

  Series I front

• 

  Series I rear

Series II

After twelve months a Series II was announced with its engine enlarged to 3 litres, 2,965 cc, by increasing the bore to 87.2 mm (3.4 in). A new Zenith carburettor is now fitted and the engine’s output is now 129 bhp at 4800 rpm. A new eight-bladed fan improved engine cooling. Girling 11.5 in (292 mm) disc brakes were introduced on the front wheels with 11 in (279 mm) drums on the rear axle. A stiffer anti-roll bar was fitted to the front suspension.

A Series II with overdrive and power steering was tested by The Motor in 1960 and had a top speed of 94.7 mph (152.4 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 16.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 24.6 miles per imperial gallon (11.5 L/100 km; 20.5 mpg_-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1,601 including taxes. The basic car cost £1453.

• 

  Series II front

• 

  Series II rear

Series III

The styling of the Series III which Rootes Group announced in October 1960 is distinguishable by its four headlights and revised full-width grille. This Snipe was the first British car to fit two pairs of headlamps. The suspension of the car has been considerably modified along with the car’s floor structure which has improved the car’s high speed stability. The front of the car was redesigned to give a lower bonnet line. The nose of the car had also been lengthened by 3.25 inches (83 mm) to accommodate an additional pulley mounted on the front of the crankshaft so that air conditioning could be included as an option, principally for the North American market. Separate ducts are now provided for heating and cooling air to the passenger compartment. The engine received improved bearings and a changed lubrication system and it has been given better cooling with a quieter fan. Seats were redesigned to give more leg space for backseat passengers.

When tested by The Times complaints focussed on a perceived need for more logical grouping of instruments, a horn ring obstructing the driver’s view of the instruments and and an over-bright white choke warning light. To some extent the power steering lacked “feel”. In direct top gear a speed of 95 mph was obtained, less if overdrive had been engaged.

• 

  series III four headlights
  longer nose wider grille

Series IV

For the October 1962 Motor Show there were minor improvements. The rear window was changed to give the roof line an improved appearance. Engine output was now rated at 132.5 bhp (99 kW) bhp and the rear axle had been given a higher gear ratio. Manual gearbox cars received a new type of diaphragm clutch made by Borg and Beck and the petrol tank was enlarged from 12.5 to 16 gallons capacity. It can be distinguished by its revised rear-window treatment (doesn’t wrap around quite as much as earlier models), Snipe bird badge on grille, opening quarter-light windows in the rear doors, and other trim differences.

• 

  series IV front

• 

  Series IV rear

Series V

In October 1964 the final Series V version of the Saloon saw an upper body restyle, (also applied to the Hawk Saloon) with a flat roofline and rear window, six-light side windows and a larger, taller windscreen. The Estate body in both marques remained unchanged. Twin Zenith Stromberg 175CD carburettors were fitted along with a Harry Weslake tuned cylinder head, increasing the power to 137.5 bhp (102.5 kW), and synchromesh was fitted to all ratios in the gearbox—on the previous versions it had only been on the upper two. Major modifications were made to front and rear suspensions and they required less maintenance. Sound insulation was further improved.

Hydrosteer power steering was available as an optional extra, as was an automatic transmission (Borg Warner Type 35 on Series VA), and metallic paint finishes.The motoring correspondent of the Motoring and Driving Register (July 1967) had this to say of the car: “The Humber Super Snipe is an assured car for travelling comfortably from town to town and even on the new fast motorways. Yet its powerful engine allows it to handle the challenges of smaller lanes where the speeds rise and fall with each change of direction and each corner negotiated”.

• 

  Larger windscreen for Series V saloon

• 

  ’55 Chevrolet rear window

• 

  Older windscreen for Estate wagon

• 

  Split tailgate for Estate wagon

Humber Imperial

Intended to match BMC’s Rolls-Royce engined Vanden Plas Princess 4-litre R the Imperial shared the basic specification and performance of the Super Snipe and then had a vinyl roof, fully reclinable front seats, automatic transmission and hydrosteer power steering as standard, though a manual 3-speed transmission could be ordered. It also featured electrically adjustable rear shock absorber settings, a separately controlled rear passenger heater and optional West-of-England cloth-trimmed seats as well as many smaller amenities including individual reading lamps.

Humber Imperial 1964-67

The Rootes Group ceased production of the Series VA version in July 1967, by which time the group was under the control of the American Chrysler Corporation. The last of the big Humbers were assembled by Chrysler in Melbourne, Australia. Plans to introduce a V8 engine, and for the Chrysler 180/2L to be marketed as a Humber in the UK did not eventuate.

• Humber Sceptre 1961–67,1967–76

1963-1976 Humber Sceptre

Humber Sceptre
1964 Humber Sceptre MK I
Overview
Manufacturer	Rootes Group Chrysler (UK) Ltd
Also called	Sunbeam Sceptre
Production	1963 to 1976
Assembly	United Kingdom
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon 4-door estate car
Layout	FR layout

The Humber Sceptre is an automobile which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1976 by the Rootes Group and its successor Chrysler (UK) Ltd.

MK I (1963 to 1965)

Humber Sceptre MK I

The Humber Sceptre MK I, introduced in 1963, was a luxury car based on the Hillman Super Minx. It featured a unique roof, glass and upper/rear bodywork not shared with the Super Minx or the related Singer Vogue. The Sceptre was originally intended as a four-door replacement for the Sunbeam Rapier, but was launched as a Humber, while the Rapier continued in production with little modification until 1967. This resulted in the Sceptre being more sporty in character than traditional Humbers. The Sceptre was positioned at the top of the mid-range Rootes Group cars, above the Hillman Super Minx and Singer Vogue. It featured similar twin headlight styling to the Vogue and a more powerful 80 bhp version of the 1600 Minx engine. The high level of equipment included disc front brakes, overdrive, screen washers, reversing lamp, rev counter and a full range of instruments. Automatic transmission was made available later. A MK IA was introduced in 1964.^[2] Whilst the Super Minx and Vogue received revised six light styling in 1964, the Sceptre body continued unchanged until 1965 when it was replaced by the MK II. Production of the MK I and IA models totaled 17,011 units.

MK II (1965 to 1967)

Humber Sceptre MK II

The Sceptre MK II, introduced in 1965, featured revised front end styling and a twin carburettor version of the 1725cc engine. It was produced until 1967. Production of the MK II totaled 11,983 units.

MK III (1967 to 1976)

Humber Sceptre MK III Saloon

Humber Sceptre MK III Estate

The Sceptre MK III, introduced in 1967, was a derivative of the Rootes Arrow design and was the best-appointed version of this model offered by Rootes. It continued Humber’s tradition of building luxury cars and featured wood-veneer fascia, complete instrumentation, adjustable steering column, vinyl roof and extra brightwork on the wheel arches and rear panel. The MK III had a more powerful version of the 1725 engine with twin carburettors giving 87bhp. The manual-gearbox model featured either the D-type or the later J-type Laycock De Normanville overdrive, with the J-type fitted from chassis numbers L3 onwards starting in July 1972. As with all models in the Arrow range, an automatic gearbox was an option. A closer ratio G-type gearbox was fitted to later Sceptres, using the J-type overdrive. An estate car variant of the Sceptre was introduced at the London Motor Show in October 1974. It featured a built-in roof rack and a carpeted loading floor protected by metal strips and illuminated by an additional interior light. Washer and wiper were provided for the rear window, a rare feature on UK-market estate cars of the time.

The Sceptre was discontinued in September 1976, along with the Humber and Hillman marque names. From that time, all models in the Chrysler UK range were branded as Chryslers. Production of the MK III totaled 43,951 units.

Use of the Sceptre name by Peugeot

The name “Sceptre” reappeared in 1990 for some SRi versions of the Peugeot 205, 405 and 605. Peugeot had bought Chrysler’s European operations (which also included French carmaker Simca) in 1978 and rebranded the whole European Chrysler range under the reborn Talbot marque.

• Humber Vogue 1963–66 (Australia)

Hillman Super Minx

Hillman Super Minx
Hillman Super Minx Mk I
Overview
Manufacturer	Rootes Group
Also called	Humber 90 (New Zealand, South Africa)
Production	1961–66 (saloon) 1962–64 (convertible) 1962–67 (estate)
Assembly	United Kingdom Port Melbourne, Australia Petone, New Zealand
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon 5-door estate 2-door

ConvertibleRelatedSinger Vogue
Humber Vogue (Australia)
Humber Sceptre
Hillman MinxPowertrainEngine1,592 cc I4
(1961–65)
1,725 cc I4
(1965–1967)DimensionsWheelbase101 in (2,565 mm)Length165 in (4,191 mm))Width62.8 in (1,595 mm)Height58 in (1,473 mm)Curb weight2,239 lb (1,016 kg) (saloon)
2,368 lb (1,074 kg) (estate)ChronologySuccessorRootes Arrow

The Hillman Super Minx was a motor car from the British Rootes Group. It was a slightly larger version of the Hillman Minx, from the period when the long-running Minx nameplate was applied to the “Audax” series of designs. (The Minx underwent many changes throughout its history, and the Super Minx name was not used during production of non-Audax Minx designs.)

Announced in October 1961, the Super Minx gave Rootes, and particularly its Hillman marque, an expanded presence in the upper reaches of the family car market. It has been suggested that the Super Minx design was originally intended to replace, and not merely to supplement, the standard Minx, but was found to be too big for that purpose. An estate car joined the range in May 1962, and a two-door convertible in June 1962. The convertible never sold in significant numbers: the last one was made in June 1964, ahead of the introduction, in September 1964, of the Super Minx Mark III.

A cabriolet version was offered until 1964.

The car was powered by the Rootes 1,592 cc unit, which had first appeared late in 1953 with a 1,390 cc capacity. The original Super Minx had the cast-iron cylinder head version of the engine, though on later cars the cylinder head was replaced with an aluminium one.

Suspension was independent at the front using coil springs with anti-roll bar and at the rear had leaf springs and a live axle. Un-assisted 9 in (229 mm) Lockheed drum brakes were fitted. The steering used a recirculating ball system and was as usual at the time not power assisted. Standard seating, trimmed in Vynide, used a bench type at the front with individual seats as an option. A heater was fitted but a radio remained optional. The car could be ordered in single colour or two tone paint. The four-speed manual transmission featured synchromesh on the top three ratios from the start  and had a floor lever: “Smiths Easidrive” automatic transmission was option.

A car was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1962 and had a top speed of 80.0 mph (128.7 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 21.6 seconds. A “touring” fuel consumption of 27.9 miles per imperial gallon (10.1 L/100 km; 23.2 mpg_-US) was recorded. The test car cost £854 including taxes, which was then slightly less than the recently upgraded Austin Cambridge A60.

The first Super Minxes featured the 1,592 cc engine as used in the Hillman Minx, providing in this application a claimed 62 bhp (46 kW; 63 PS) of power.

Mark II

A year after the car was launched a Mark II version was presented, in October 1962, with greasing points eliminated, larger front disc brakes and a revised axle ratio. For buyers of the automatic transmission cars, 1962 was the year that the Smiths Easidrive option was replaced by the Borg-Warner 35 transmission.

Mark III

In 1964, with the launch of the Super Minx Mark III the Super Minx was facelifted, and the wrap-around rear window gave way to a new “six-light” design with extra side windows aft of the rear side doors.

Mark IV

The Super Minx was also available as an estate car.

Engine capacity was increased to 1,725 cc for the Super Minx Mark IV launched at the London Motor Show in October 1965. (The larger engine outlived the Super Minx, to be used in later models too.)

Related models

Singer Vogue after the 1964 facelift which saw the wrap around rear window replaced with a more modern “six-light” arrangement

The Singer Vogue version was also available as an estate car.

Unlike the Hillman and Singer versions, the Super Minx based Humber Sceptre (shown here in its final form) retained the panoramic wrap-around rear window till the model was replaced, in the Humber’s case in 1967, by a Hillman Hunter based successor

Like many other Rootes products including the Minx, the Super Minx was one of a badge-engineered series of models, sold under various marques.

The Singer marque was represented by the Singer Vogue which had first been announced in July 1961, four months earlier than the Hillman Super Minx. The range was joined in 1963 by a Humber: the Humber Sceptre.The Singer Vogue and Humber Sceptre names would be retained by the successor Rootes Arrow model range. The Humber Sceptre was developed as a four-door replacement for the Sunbeam Rapier, but morphed into a Humber shortly before launch, while the two-door Rapier based in the ‘Audax’ Minx continued unreplaced until 1967. The Sceptre nevertheless was able to be successfully promoted as a more sporty car than the larger traditional Humbers. Unlike the Hillman and Singer versions, the Super Minx based Humber Sceptre retained the same roof, with large panoramic windscreen and striking shallow wrap-around rear window with fins, until the model was replaced, in the Humber’s case in 1967, by a Hillman Hunter based successor.

The cars differed in subtle ways, with the Singer being positioned slightly above the Hillman and gaining such extras as quad headlights, and the Humber topping the range, commensurate with Humber’s traditional role as a producer of upmarket and luxury models. The styling of the Sceptre (as well as the Vogue) somewhat recalled previous, larger Humbers. The Sceptre marks 1 and 1A had a slightly different grille arrangement and front trim to the Vogue as well as a taller panoramic windscreen, sloping rear roofline and larger rear fins. . It had been intended that the Sceptre be a sports saloon until shortly before its launch as a Humber, hence its sprightly performance compared with other Humber models.

Nearly five years after its launch, a Singer Vogue Series IV saloon tested by the Britain’s Autocar magazine in August 1966, now with an advertised power output of 85 bhp (63 kW; 86 PS), had a top speed of 93 mph (150 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 25 seconds. An overall fuel consumption of 22.0 miles per imperial gallon (12.8 L/100 km; 18.3 mpg_-US) was achieved. The test car was priced by Rootes in the UK at £911 including taxes, at a time when the Austin 1800 was retailing for £888 and the Ford Corsair GT was offered at £925. The performance was felt to be lively, and the gear change, supported on the test car with an optional overdrive, ‘crisp’ with well chosen ratios. Comfort and fittings were also commended, but the fuel consumption and the tendency of the heavy brakes to fade when used hard disappointed the testers: this would presumably not have been an issue had the road test been of a Humber Sceptre which had its stopping power from a servo-assisted 10-inch (250 mm) front disc/rear drum arrangement.

The Humber was also, at launch, fitted with a high tune version of the 1,592 cc and, from September 1965, 1,725 cc oversquare engine producing 80 hp (60 kW) and 85 hp (63 kW) respectively. Early models with the 1,592 cc engine had twin single Zenith downdraught carburettors – later 1,592/1,725 cc engines used a Solex twin choke downdraught carburettor for simplicity. The twin Zenith carburettors had been hard to keep balanced. Other modifications included a water-jacketed inlet manifold, timing adjustments and stronger valve springs to eliminate valve bounce at high engine speeds. The later H120’s 107 hp (80 kW) engine is a straight swap for both of these units and looks almost identical – it provides a useful boost in power to an already swift automobile. The unique Sceptre interior featured full instrumentation, including a tachometer marked up to 6,000 rpm, and a four-speed floor-mounted transmission with self-cancelling overdrive (with column-mounted control and indicator) on third and fourth gear for a total of six separate ratios in standard form. The lockout could be removed on first and second gears, and this was often done by Rootes in cars used for competitions such as rallying. In addition, the Sceptre was from the beginning provided with servo-assisted braking control and, unusually in 1963, 10-inch front disc-brakes. The Marks 1 and 1A were not available with an automatic option – although this was rectified with the Mark II cars, using a three-speed unit with automatic kick-down. This was a cheaper option than was usual at the time due to the deletion of the Laycock De Normanville overdrive fitted to the Manual cars.

There was a Singer variant of the smaller Minx as well (the Singer Gazelle) but no equivalent Humber version of the Minx, (except for the Humber 80 version of the Minx released in New Zealand, as is Humber 90 to the Super Minx) which would have been uncharacteristically small for the Humber marque; conversely there was a sporty Sunbeam version of the Minx (the Sunbeam Rapier) but no Sunbeam version of the Super Minx.

In addition to assembling the Super Minx, Rootes Australia produced variants of the Singer Vogue from 1963 to 1966 as the Humber Vogue and Humber Vogue Sports.

At least six Humber Sceptre development mules were built with the same engine as the Sunbeam Tiger – a 289 cui Ford V8 unit – Sadly this was not proceeded with as it would have made for a very capable sporting saloon which would have had few rivals in its class. At least one of these original cars survives.

Replacement

The Super Minx saloon and its Singer relatives were replaced by the Rootes Arrow range when the Hillman Hunter and Singer Vogue were launched at the London Motor Show in October 1966. However, the Hunter was initially offered only as a saloon and accordingly the Super Minx estate car remained in production until April 1967.

Humber catalogue for 1930

“Such Cars As Even Humber Never Built Before”

‘	NEW SEASON’S MODELS & PRICES	‘
9/28	Touring Car	£240
9/28	Fabric Saloon	£280
9/28	Saloon	£295
16/50	Imperial Touring Car	£410
16/50	Humber Touring Car	£425
16/50	Imperial Saloon	£435
16/50	Humber Saloon	£465
16/50	Six-Light Weymann Saloon	£465
16/50	Four-Door Weymann Coupé	£475
16/50	Drop-Head Coupé	£495
20/65	DualPurpose Car	£475
20/65	Saloon	£525
20/65	Limousine	£725
20/65	Landaulette	£725
Humber	“Snipe” Touring Car	£495
Humber	“Snipe” Six-Light Weymann Saloon	£535
Humber	“Snipe” Saloon	£535
Humber	“Snipe” Four-Door Weymann Coupé	£545
Humber	“Snipe” Drop-Head Coupé	£565
Humber	“Pullman” Landaulette	£775
Humber	“Pullman” Limousine	£775
Humber	Cabriolet de Ville	£1,095
	(Coachwork by Thrupp & Maberly)

Surviving cars

There is a thriving club, and many of these upmarket cars survive today.

The world’s largest collection of Humber cars can be viewed at the Marshalls Post-Vintage Humber Car Museum in Hull. It includes 21 Humber cars dating from 1932 to 1970 on permanent display, plus 24 unrestored cars.

When Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother visited Western Australia in the 1950s, a Humber was shipped over for her. It was left in a paddock, and was rediscovered and verified in 2002. It has since been restored and is currently privately owned.

See also

• Humber Motorcycles
• Humber (bicycle)

BERLIET Vénissieux (Lyon) France 1899-1978

Berliet Automobiles, Buses, Trucks, Vénissieux, (Lion)France 1899 – 1978

Automobiles M. Berliet

Traded as	Automobiles M. Berliet SA (1917-1942) Berliet & Cie (1942-1944) Automobiles M. Berliet (1949-1974)
Fate	Merged with Saviem into Renault‘s RVI division in 1978
Successor	Renault Véhicules Industriels , now Renault Trucks
Founded	1899
Founder	Marius Berliet
Defunct	1978
Headquarters	Vénissieux, France
Key people	Paul Berliet (son of founder)
Products	Automobiles, buses, military vehicles, trucks
Parent	Citroën (1968-1974) Renault (1974-1978)

Berliet was a French manufacturer of automobiles, buses, trucks and other utility vehicles, based in Vénissieux, outside of Lyon, France. Founded in 1899, and apart from a five-year period from 1944 to 1949 when it was put into ‘administration sequestre’ it was in private ownership until 1967 when it then became part of Citroën, and subsequently acquired by Renault in 1974 and merged with Saviem into a new Renault Trucks company in 1978. The Berliet marque was phased out by 1980.

for buses you go to:

http://myntransportblog.com/2013/10/30/buses-berliet-lyon-france-i/

http://myntransportblog.com/2013/10/30/buses-berliet-france-ii/

what follows now is the history about the cars and the trucks:

Early history

A racing-model Berliet driven by Jean Porporato in the 1908 Targa Florio race

Berliet 20HP Closed swing-seat tonneau 1903

Berliet 40HP Tourer 1904

Marius Berliet started his experiments with automobiles in 1894. Some single-cylinder cars were followed in 1900 by a twin-cylinder model. In 1902, Berliet took over the plant of Audibert & Lavirotte in Lyon. Berliet started to build four-cylinder automobiles featured by a honeycomb radiator and steel chassis frame was used instead of wood. The next year, a model was launched that was similar to contemporary Mercedes. In 1906, Berliet sold the licence for manufacturing his model to the American Locomotive Company.

Before World War I, Berliet offered a range of models from 8 CV to 60 CV. The main models had four-cylinder engines (2412 cc and 4398 cc, respectively), and there was a six-cylinder model of 9500 cc. A 1539 cc model (12 CV) was produced between 1910 and 1912. From 1912, six-cylinder models were made upon individual orders only.

First World War

The First World War led to a massive increase in demand. Berliet, like Renault and Latil, produced trucks for the French army. The military orders placed major demands on the factory’s capacity, necessitating major investment in production plant and factory space.

Berliet CBA at the Verdun Memorial museum. The CBA became the iconic truck on the Voie Sacrée, supplying the battle front at Verdun during 1916. It continued in production till 1932.

In 1915 a 400 hectare site was purchased between Vénissieux et Saint-Priest in order to build a new principal factory.

The Berliet CBA became the iconic truck on the Voie Sacrée, supplying the battle front at Verdun during 1916. 25,000 of these 4/5 ton Berliet trucks, originally launched in 1914, were ordered by the French army. During 1916 40 of them were leaving the plant each day. Under license from Renault, Berliet were also producing shells and battle tanks at this time. The number of workers employed increased to 3,150.

By 1917 the value of annual turnover had multiplied fourfold since the start of the war, a new legal structure was deemed appropriate. The company became the Société anonyme des Automobiles Marius Berliet.

Between two wars

After the war the manufacturer reoriented part of its production back to passenger cars, but Berliet nevertheless found themselves with excess capacity, as the army was no longer buying all the trucks the factory could produce, and overall output halved.

Shrinking the range

Marius Berliet responded to the outbreak of peace by deciding to produce just a single type of truck and a single type of car, which represented a departure from his pre-war market strategy. The single truck on which Berliet focused was the 5 ton CBA that had served the nation so well during the war.

An ill-judged short-cut

The passenger car to be produced, exhibited on the Berliet stand at the 15th Paris Motor Show in October 1919, was the 3296cc (15HP/CV) “Torpedo” bodied “Berliet Type VB” of modern appearance. Marius Berliet was not one to miss a trick: rather than devote time and engineering talent to developing a new car for the new decade, he obtained and copied an American Dodge. The Dodge was famously robust, and the Berliet copy was well received in March 1919 when it had its first public outing, locally, at the Lyon Trade Fair. The headlights were mounted unusually high and the simple disc wheels were large, giving the car a pleasing “no nonsense” look. Particularly attractive was the price of just 11,800 francs in October 1919. Unfortunately, however, the Berliet engineers failed to ensure that the steel used in the car’s construction was of the same quality as the North American steel used for the Dodge, and this resulted in series problems for the early customers of the “Berliet Type VB” and serious reputational damage to the company.

Bankruptcy and recovery

The factory had been set up to produce the “Berliet Type VB” at the rate of 100 cars per day which would have been an ambitious target under any circumstances. The rapid drop-off in demand for what at this stage was the manufacturer’s only passenger car model that followed the quality issues plunged the business into financial difficulties, with losses of 55 million francs recorded in one year. Survival was in doubt, and Berliet was placed in judicial administration in 1921. Marius Berliet himself had held 88% of the share capital, but was unable to pay off all the company’s creditors and the firm therefore fell into the hands of the banks. Berliet was nevertheless able to retain operational control. During the ensuring decade, supported by a sustained recovery in demand that in turn reflected an effective model strategy after 1922, Berliet was able to pay off his debtors and, in 1929, to regain financial control over the business from the banks.

A full range for 1925

By the middle of the decade the manufacturer was again exhibiting a full range of automobile models at the 1924 October Motor Show, although at this stage they all featured four cylinder engines including even the 3958cc “4-litre” with its impressive cylinder dimensions of 95 x 140 mm. The range for 1925 was as follows:

• “Type VI”: Launched 1924 with a 1,160cc (7HP/CV) ohc engine. Wheelbase 2,800 mm (110.2 in)
  Listed prices Oct 1924: 16,260 francs (bare chassis), 21,500 francs (Torpedo), 25,500 francs (berline/saloon/sedan)
• “Type VRC” with a 2,603cc (12 HP/CV) sidevalve engine. Wheelbase 3,060 mm (120.5 in)
  Listed prices Oct 1924: 20,600 francs (bare chassis), 26,500 francs (Torpedo), 34,000 francs (berline/saloon/sedan)
• “Type VM” with a 3,296cc (16 HP/CV) sidevalve engine. Wheelbase 3,150 mm (124.0 in)
  Listed prices Oct 1924: 24,800 francs (bare chassis), 33,000 francs (Torpedo), 41,650 francs (berline/saloon/sedan)
• “Type VRK / 2½-litre” with a 2,480cc (16 HP/CV) ohv engine. Wheelbase 3,350 mm (131.9 in)
  Listed prices Oct 1924: 30,000 francs (bare chassis), 46,500 francs (Torpedo), 48,500 francs (berline/saloon/sedan)
• “Type VK” with a 3,958cc (18 HP/CV) ohv engine. Wheelbase 3,585 mm (141.1 in)
  Listed prices Oct 1924: 48,500 francs (bare chassis only)

From 1925 the manufacturer was producing its own car bodies.

Pushing up market

New six-cylinder models followed in 1927. By October 1928, just twelve months before the Wall Street Crash crystallized a savage downturn for the western economies, three of the four cars offered for 1929 on the Berliet stand at the Paris Motor Show, were powered by six cylinder engines. The range for 1929 was as follows:

• “9CV”: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine. Wheelbase 2,800 mm (110.2 in)
• “10CV”: 1.8-litre 6-cylinder engine. Wheelbase 2,900 mm (114.2 in)
• “11CV”: 2.0-litre 6-cylinder engine. Wheelbase 2,900 mm (114.2 in)
• “20CV”: 4.0-litre 6-cylinder engine. Wheelbase 3,600 mm (141.7 in)

The largest of these, with its four litre engine, was still listed by the manufacturer in March 1929, but was only available “to special order”. However, by this time the manufacturer was also developing, for 1930, a “16CV” 2.8-litre six-cylinder model.

The 1930s

Berliet Dauphine 11CV (ca 1936).

In 1930 Berliet experimentally installed a diesel engines in one of their old CBA trucks, and in 1931 a batch of diesel powered Berliet GD2s was produced.

From 1933, only four-cylinder models (1600 cc and 2000 cc) were offered. The last Berliet sedan, first exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in October 1933 but launched, now with a name, only Summer 1934, was the Berliet Dauphine 11CV powered, by a 1,990cc (11CV) engine. For 1939 Berliet stopped producing car bodies and the last few hundred Berliet Dauphines, produced in the first half of 1939, used the body of a Peugeot 402 with a custom made Berliet hood/bonnet and radiator grille.

Second World War and aftermath

Berliet GLR

Regular passenger car production ceased in 1939 and after World War II, the company produced trucks only, with buses added to the range later. However, more than 20 brand-new sedans were in the factory when the Germans requisitioned it in June 1940, and these were immediately put into service. After the liberation, from late 1944 to early 1945, about 50 sedans were assembled from parts on hand, and in 1946, the last 15 sedans were completed by the Geneva agents. The company was given back to the family in 1949, but to Marius Berliet’s son Paul as following the founder’s death earlier that year. The Berliet GLR truck became the first new post-war product.

In his 1975 book, Vichy France: old guard and new order: 1940-1944, Robert Paxton contrasted the fate of the Berliet truck factory in Lyon, which remained in Marius Berliet’s family possession, despite his having manufactured 2,330 trucks for the Germans. — and the fate of Louis Renault‘s factories, which had also been seized — suggesting that the Renault factory might have been returned to Louis Renault and his family, had he lived longer. Marius Berliet, who died in 1949, had however “stubbornly refused to recognize legal actions against him after the war.”

As it happened, Renault’s were the only factories permanently seized by the French government.

Berliet manufactured the largest truck in the world in 1957, the T100 with 600 hp (447 kW) and 700 hp (522 kW) from a Cummins V12 engine. It was designed in 10 months at the factory in Courbevoie, outside of Paris, with a second built in 1958 and two further T100s built in 1959.

Citroën, Renault and demise

In August 1967, it was reported that Berliet had been taken over by Citroën, Berliet share holders receiving Citroën shares in return for their Berliet stock. In 1966, Berliet’s final year as an independent, they had produced approximately 17,000 units. Following the take-over the merged company stated that Citroën-Berliet would command 58% of France’s market for commercial vehicles above 6 tons. Citroën itself had been owned by Michelin since 1934 following a cash crisis of its own.

By this time, Michelin owned both Citroën and Berliet. However, after the 1973 oil crisis, Michelin decided to divest itself of these two companies in order to concentrate on its tyre business. Thus, in 1974 Berliet was sold to Renault, while Citroën was sold to Peugeot. Renault then proceeded to merge Berliet with Saviem to form Renault Véhicules Industriels in 1978.

After the merger, the Berliet name was phased out and another French marque came to an end by the late 1970s, with the last Berliet bus in production, the 1971 PR100, continuing to be sold as a Renault until 1993. Other products that survived the merger include the 1973 VXB-170 4×4 armoured personnel carrier for the French Army and others.

FIAT Trucks, Ambulances, Hearses and Firebrigade equipment, Turino Italy

Fiat trucks

Media in category “Fiat trucks”

1911 Fiat 15

Fiat 15
Descrizione generale
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Tipo	Autocarro
P.T.T. veicolo singolo	2,5 t
Inizio produzione	1911
Altre caratteristiche
Dimensioni e pesi
Lunghezza	4545 m
Larghezza	1740 m
Altezza	2.650 m
Altro
Altri tipi	Fiat 15 bis Fiat 15 ter

Fiat 15 ter
Due Fiat 15 ter autocarro ed uno in allestimentoomnibus in Libia.
Descrizione
Tipo	autocarro leggero
Progettista	Carlo Cavalli
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Data impostazione	1909
Data entrata in servizio	1911
Data ritiro dal servizio	1940
Utilizzatore principale	Regno d’Italia
Altri utilizzatori	URSS
Altre varianti	Fiat 15 bis Fiat 15 ter
Dimensioni e peso
Lunghezza	4545 mm
Larghezza	1740 mm
Altezza	2650 mm
Peso	3,950 t
Propulsione e tecnica
Motore	Fiat 53A a benzina, 4 cilindri in linea, 4398 cm³
Potenza	40 hp a 1400 giri/min
Trazione	4×2
Prestazioni
Velocità max	40 km/h

Il Fiat 15 è un autocarro militare leggero prodotto dalla Fiat Veicoli Industriali ed impiegato dal Regio Esercito nella Guerra italo-turca e nella prima guerra mondiale. Fu prodotto su licenza dalla russa ZIL come F-15.

Story

Nel 1909 il Regio Esercito richiese un autocarro leggero multiruolo, per trasporto di personale e materiali. Carlo Cavalli della Fiat Veicoli Industriali progettò così il Fiat 15. L’autocarro entrò in servizio nel 1911 e venne massicciamente impiegato nella Guerra italo-turca. Nel 1911 entrò in produzione la versione Fiat 15 bis, detto anche Libia perché destinata all’impiego in questa colonia, sostituita nello stesso ruolo, nel 1913 dalla Fiat 15 ter. Questa versione venne prodotta su licenza in 6.285 esemplari dalla russa AMO/ZIL, che lo denominò F-15. Durante la prima guerra mondiale, alla sua produzione per le forze armate si affiancò quella del Fiat 18.

Il telaio dell’autocarro civile fu impiegato, tra gli innumerevoli allestimenti personalizzati delle tante carrozzerie, anche per l’allestimento di autobus ed autopompe per i corpi dei pompieri civici.

Technics

Ambulanza del Regio Esercito su Fiat 15 ter.

L’autotelaio è su 4 ruote a razze, le anteriori sterzanti e le posteriori motrici e gemellate. Il motore, anteriore, è sul Fiat 15 un Fiat Brevetti 15/20 da 3053 cm³ quadricilindrico a benzina, innovativo per la presenza di una pompa per il carburante in luogo dell’alimentazione per gravità. Il Fiat 15 bis mantiene la stessa motorizzazione, mentre il Fiat 15 ter monta un motore a benzina Fiat 53A da 4398 cm³ più potente, con la velocità che passa da 35 km/h a 40 km/h e ruote a disco d’acciaio.

Impiego in combattimento

Autoblindo Fiat Arsenale basata sul Fiat 15 bis.

Il Fiat 15 fu il protagonista assoluto della prima motorizzazione delle forze armate italiane ed il Regio Esercito acquisì tutte le versioni dell’autocarro in molti allestimenti, tra i quali autoambulanza, autofficina, autofotoelettrica ed autopompa. Accanto all’uso come mezzo logistico, l’Italia fu il primo paese ad impiegare il mezzo a motore direttamente in combattimento. Infatti il Fiat 15 bis venne usato come base per la costruzione della autoblindo Fiat Arsenale, impiegata nella guerra italo-turca insieme alla Bianchi. Dopo la Grande Guerra, sull’autotelaio del Fiat 15 ter venne prodotta dalle acciaierie di Terni la blindo Fiat-Terni Tripoli, che trovò impiego in Tripolitania durante la riconquista della Libia nelle squadriglie autoblindo dei Cacciatori d’Africa; durante questa campagna le squadriglie di vennero motorizzate anche con numerosi autocarri armati Fiat 15 ter (definiti al tempo “carri armati”), protetti artigianalmente con lamiere blindate ed armate con tre mitragliatrici Schwarzlose con 15.000 colpi, condotte da un equipaggio di 4 uomini.

1912-fiat-arsenale-libia

1911-1920 Fiat 18

Fiat 18
Fiat 18BL civile.
Descrizione generale
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Tipo	Autocarro
P.T.T. veicolo singolo	3,5 t
Inizio produzione	1911
Fine produzione	1920
Altre caratteristiche
Dimensioni e pesi
Lunghezza	5550 m
Larghezza	1750 m
Altezza	2880 m
Massa a vuoto	3,82 t
Altro
Versioni	Fiat 18A Fiat 18M Fiat 18BL Fiat 18BLR Fiat 18BC Fiat 18P

Fiat 18
Fiat 18BLR del Regio Esercito
Descrizione
Tipo	autocarro pesante
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Data entrata in servizio	1911
Data ritiro dal servizio	1940
Utilizzatore principale	Regno d’Italia(Regio Esercito, Regia Marina, Regia Aeronautica)
Altri utilizzatori	Francia  Regno Unito  URSS
Esemplari	>20.000
Altre varianti	Fiat 18BL Fiat 18BLR Fiat 18BC Fiat 18P
Propulsione e tecnica
Motore	Fiat 64CA a benzina, 4 cilindri in linea, 5.654 cm³
Potenza	38 hp a 1300 giri/min
Trazione	4×2
Sospensioni	balestre
Prestazioni
Velocità	25 km/h
Note	dati riferiti al modello18BL
Il Fiat 18 è un autocarro militare pesante prodotto dalla Fiat Veicoli Industriali ed impiegato dal Regio Esercito nella prima guerra mondiale.

Story

Il Fiat 18 fu sviluppato e prodotto dalla Fiat a partire dal 1911, ma il vero successo per questo autocarro arrivò durante la Grande Guerra, quando il modello Fiat 18BL divenne la spina dorsale della logistica italiana, specialmente durante le offensive del 1916. L’autocarro costituiva il normale complemento medio-pesante dell’autocarro leggero Fiat 15 ed insieme a questo fu il protagonista della motorizzazione delle forze armate italiane. Le forze armate, oltre che la versione 18BL, impiegarono il Fiat 18BLR (la R sta per rinforzato), il Fiat 18DC ed il Fiat 18P (la P sta per pesante), impiegati, oltre che come trasporto truppe e materiali, anche con gli allestimenti ambulanza chirurgica, carro fotoelettrica, cassonato porta-munizioni, trattore d’artiglieria e laboratorio fotografico al seguito delle squadriglie da ricognizione.

Prodotto in oltre 20.000 esemplari, conobbe enorme successo anche in campo internazionale, venendo utilizzato da Gran Bretagna, Francia ed Unione Sovietica. Il mezzo ebbe larga diffusione anche sul mercato civile, per i modelli 18A, 18M e BL erano prodotti come autotelai semplici che venivano poi allestiti dalle numerose carrozzerie. La versione autobus da 25 posti era particolarmente diffusa tra le autolinee.

Nei primi anni trenta il Regio Esercito sostituì il Fiat 18 con il Ceirano 50 CM, ma alcuni esemplari risultavano ancora in servizio nelle colonie italiane nel 1940 allo scoppiare della seconda guerra mondiale.

Technics

L’autotelaio su due longheroni in lamiera d’acciaio, è a due assi a trazione posteriore, con sospensioni a balestre semiellittiche. Le ruote sono in acciaio fuso, con semipneumatici in gomma piena. Il motore è un quatricilindrico a benzina Fiat 64 nelle varie versioni, tranne che sul Fiat 18P che monta un Fiat 53A. Il cambio è a quattro marce (più retro). Un albero cardanico trasmette il moto al differenziale e questo, tramite duecatene protette da carter, alla corona dentata delle ruote.

Il Fiat 18BL, che è stato in assoluto il modello militare più prodotto, era dotato di cassone telonato con sponde di legno, lungo 3,5 m e largo 1,75 m da 3,5 tonnellate di portata. Il posto di guida era protetto da una capoteripiegabile in tela impermeabile ed era dotato ai lati di rastrelliere per gli attrezzi da zappatore. Il passo di 3,65 m e la carreggiata di soli 165 cm, con un raggio di sterzata di 6,8 m, rendeva il mezzo maneggevole anche sulle strade di montagna che caratterizzarono il fronte italiano. La capacità di traino di 5 tonnellate ne permetteva l’utilizzo anche come trattore d’artiglieria.

Il modello Fiat 18BLR era la versione con balestre rinforzate, ruote di diametro minore e telaio accorciato, utilizzata per i trasporti pesanti e come base per l’autocannone da 76/40 R.M. della Regia Marina.

Fiat 611 C

Fiat 611
Fiat 611 C; sul cassone il cannone campale da77/28 ed i serventi ascari
Descrizione
Tipo	autocarro fuoristrada
Progettista	Fiat
Costruttore	Fiat
Data impostazione	1929
Data entrata in servizio	1930
Data ritiro dal servizio	1939
Utilizzatore principale	Regio Esercito
Dimensioni e peso
Lunghezza	5,575 m
Larghezza	1,812 m
Peso	6,064 t (a pieno carico)
Propulsione e tecnica
Motore	Fiat 122B, 6 cilindri da 2516 cm³ a benzina
Potenza	46 hp a 2600 giri/min
Trazione	6×4
Prestazioni
Velocità su strada	44 km/h
[1]
voci di veicoli militari da trasporto presenti su Wikipedia

Il Fiat 611 C fu un autocarro impiegato dal Regio Esercito italiano nel periodo tra le due guerre mondiali. Fu il progenitore dell’innovativo Fiat Dovunque 33.

Story

Un Fiat 611 C durante le prove con i cingoli installati. Sulla sponda sono visibili le rastrelliere con i moschetti dei serventi.

Alla fine degli anni venti, il Regio Esercito, alla ricerca di un autocarro fuoristrada, acquistò due modelli 6×4 inglesi: un Morris type D ed un Garner a cabina avanzata. I due mezzi dettero ottimi risultati su tutti i tipi di terreno, anche nelle prove di traino di cannoni campali. L’Ispettorato del materiale automobilistico emanò quindi le specifiche per un mezzo di questo tipo, che avrebbe dovuto avere 3 t di peso a vuoto e 2 t di portata, un raggio di sterzata di 6 m, trasmissione cardanica, passo massimo di 1,5 m ed ingombro trasversale massimo di 2 m, 35 km/h di velocità, pendenza superabile del 35% e capacità di traino di 2,5 t a 10 km/h.

La Fiat rispose al bando sviluppando nel 1929 il modello denominato Fiat 611, ispirato al Morris, dal quale differiva soprattutto per la cabina chiusa. I prototipi furono testati nel 1930 in Tripolitania italiana; durante questi test vennero smontate le portiere della cabina ed i parabrezza. Il modello definitivo, denominato Fiat 611 C (Coloniale), incorporò queste modifiche adottando una cabina di tipo aperto. Il mezzo fu acquistato dal Regio Esercito ed assegnato ai Regio corpo truppe coloniali della Tripolitania e della Cirenaicaper il trasporto del cannone da 77/28 in versione portee.

Nel 1932 la Ansaldo realizzò, sul telaio del 611 C, l’autoblindo Fiat 611, realizzata in 10 esemplari, cinque armate di cannone e cinque di sole mitragliatrici, per Corpo delle guardie di pubblica sicurezza.

I veicoli furono impiegati nella guerra d’Etiopia, quando 50 esemplari furono inviati in Somalia italiana. Il Fiat 611 C rimase in servizio nei Regi Corpi Truppe Coloniali almeno fino al 1939, quando furono sostituiti dal SPA Dovunque 35.

Technics

Il Fiat 611 era un autocarro a tre assi; i due assi posteriori, a ruote gemellate, erano motori. Il treno posteriore disponeva di un doppio ponte, di un doppio differenziale e di quattro semiassi. Sugli pneumatici tipo Artiglio potevano essere installati dei cingoli polivalenti. Le sospensioni anteriori erano costituite da balestre semiellittiche longitudinali, mentre sui due assi posteriori le balestre erano ellittiche. Il telaio era costituito da due longheroni in lamiera d’acciaio stampata e chiodata ed era dotato di campana di traino regolamentare. La cabina aperta era di tipo arretrato.

Bibliografia

• Nicola Pignato, Gli Autoveicoli del Regio Esercito nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale, Storia Militare.

Voci correlate

• Fiat 611 (autoblindo)

• Fiat Dovunque 33

• SPA Dovunque 35

1934-1937 Fiat 618

Fiat 618
Descrizione generale
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Tipo	autocarro
P.T.T. veicolo singolo	4 t
Inizio produzione	1934
Fine produzione	1937
Altre caratteristiche
Dimensioni e pesi
Lunghezza	4,7 m
Larghezza	1,94 m
Altezza	2,5 m
Massa a vuoto	2,1 t
Altro
Versioni	Fiat 618 Coloniale

Il Fiat 618 fu un autocarro leggero italiano prodotto dalla Fiat V.I.

Prodotto dal 1934 al 1937, non eguagliò l’enorme successo del suo predecessore, il Fiat 621. L’autotelaio è su due assi, con le ruote anteriori direttrici e le posteriori motrici e gemellate, mentre il motore è il Fiat 118 dellaFiat 518 Ardita.

Fu prodotto per il mercato civile in numerosi allestimenti, tra i quali degno di menzione è quello della Viberti Fiat 618 Cinemobile. Prodotto per l’Istituto Luce nel 1936 in pochi esemplari, montava, incorporati nella carrozzeria della furgonatura, un apparato sonico “Balilla” del 1935 ed una versione apposita del proiettore cinematografico “Victoria 5” da 35 mm della milanese Cinemeccanica. Fornì anche la base per l’allestimento diautopompe per i Vigili del Fuoco, come quelle della carrozzeria Bergomi. La versione militare coloniale del mezzo entrò in produzione nel 1935 e servì fino alla seconda guerra mondiale. Come il Fiat 621, anche il 618 fu prodotto su licenza in Polonia dalla Polski Fiat come PF 618 Grom.

Caratteristiche tecniche

Fiat 618C del Regio Esercito.

• motore: Fiat 118A
• 4 cilindri in linea a benzina, raffreddato ad acqua, 1944 cm³ – 43 CV
• trazione: 4×2 posteriore
• velocità max: 65 km/h
• lunghezza: 4,7 m
• larghezza: 1,94 m
• altezza: 2,5 m
• passo: 3,05 m
• carreggiata: 1,54 m
• peso a vuoto: 2,1 t
• portata: 1,25 t
• PTT: 4 t – peso a vuoto: 2,1 t
• autonomia: 300 km su strada

Fiat 618C

Il Fiat 618 Coloniale o semplicemente Fiat 618C è la versione militare dell’autocarro. Fu messo in produzione nel 1935 in vista della Guerra d’Etiopia, che lo vide impiegato sia sul fronte nord che sul fronte somalo con più di 1300 esemplari. In tale contesto emersero problemi di surriscaldamento del motore, a quali la casa madre pose rapidamente rimedio, per arrivare, durante le manovre addestrative del 1938 in Libia italiana, ad essere giudicato non adatto all’impiego coloniale a causa di deficienze del motore, dei rapporti del cambio troppo alti e quindi di una velocità eccessiva. Trovò invece impiego proficuo, in più di 2000 mezzi, durante la guerra civile spagnola con il Corpo Truppe Volontarie. In questo teatro, oltre che come trasporto truppe e materiali, anche come trattore per il cannone d’accompagnamento 65/17 Mod. 1908/1913 ed il controcarro tedesco 3,7 cm PaK 36. Fu anche un’occasione per sperimentare sul campo alcuni allestimenti particolari, quale quello contraereo, ottenuto installando una mitragliatrice St. Étienne sul cassone, oppure quello carro soccorso, per il recupero di mezzi immobilizzati. Tra le versioni poi effettivamente utilizzata dal Regio Esercito e dalle altre forze armate, la versione ambulanza e quella autobus 16 posti per il trasporto del personale.

Fiat 618C autoambulanza.

Oltre che dall’esercito, il 618, nelle varie versioni, venne adottato anche dalla Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, dalla Regia Guardia di Finanza, dal Corpo degli Agenti di Pubblica Sicurezza e dalla Regia Aeronautica; per quest’ultima fu realizzato anche nelle versioni autogrù soccorso aerei ed autopompa. Uscito di produzione nel 1937 in favore dello SPA CL39, era comunque ancora in servizio durante la seconda guerra mondiale. Un esemplare del Fiat 618 Coloniale si può osservare presso il Museo storico della motorizzazione militare presso la Città militare della Cecchignola.

Polski Fiat 618 Grom

La licenza per la produzione di modelli Fiat concessa nel 1932 all’azienda polacca Państwowe Zakłady Inżynierii (PZInż), fu estesa nel 1937 ai modelli Fiat 621, Fiat 508, Fiat 518 Ardita ed appunto al Fiat 618, prodotto comePolski Fiat 618 e conosciuto come FP 618 Grom (Tuono). In particolare, la PZInż produceva le versioni speciali per le forze armate, mentre i mezzi per il mercato civile erano prodotti dalla compartecipata Polski Fiat. Anche questa versione polacca vide vari allestimenti, tra i quali quello autobus ad 11 posti, ambulanza 6×4 e stazione radio furgonata.

1929-1939 Fiat 621

Fiat 621
Descrizione generale
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Tipo	Autocarro
P.T.T. veicolo singolo	da 4,4 a 7,4 t
Inizio produzione	1929
Fine produzione	1939
Altre caratteristiche
Dimensioni e pesi
Lunghezza	5.780 m
Larghezza	2.070 m
Altezza	2.620 m
Massa a vuoto	2,96 t
Altro
Note	dati del 621 L

Il Fiat 621 fu uno dei primi autocarri prodotti dalla Fiat V.I.. Venne presentato nel 1929.

Story

Con una portata media di 2,5 t – il Fiat 621 conoscerà un successo mai uguagliato. Verrà infatti fabbricato non soltanto in Italia, ma anche in Polonia e Russia in quasi 50.000 esemplari in varie versioni fra cui unaelettrica, a gasogeno e anche semicingolata dotato di un motore Fiat benzina 6 cilindri di 2516 cm³ e 45 cv con valvole laterali.

Il Fiat 621 sarà il primo autocarro venduto con una cabina chiusa. Poco dopo appare il Fiat 621P, il primo autocarro a 3 assi con una portata di 3500 kg. Molte altre versioni seguirono fino al 1939. Sarà il primo autocarro ad essere regolarmente importato in Francia.

Caratteristiche tecniche del Fiat 621L del 1930

• Motore Fiat 122A
• 6 cilindri benzina di 2516 cm³ – 45 CV
• velocità max: 56 km/h
• PTT: 4.8 t – peso a vuoto: 2,96 t
• autonomia: 400 km su strada, 340 km in fuoristrada.

Le fabbricazioni estere

1936 Polski Fiat 621 con allestimento antincendio.

Oltre che in Italia dove verrà fabbricato tra il 1929 ed il 1939, il Fiat 621 è stato prodotto in altri paesi, presso fabbriche Fiat:

• Polonia: dalla Polski Fiat di Varsavia, tra il 1935 ed il 1939, data in cui le forze armate tedesche requisirono la fabbrica. Il Polski Fiat 621 sarà il camion di base delle forze armate polacche prima della seconda guerra mondiale. Ne furono fabbricati più di 9.500 esemplari. Ne venne anche prodotta la versione 621 PN in combinazione 6×2, con i due assi posteriori semplici.
• Russia: una nuova fabbrica fu appositamente edificata nei pressi di Mosca per la fabbricazione dell’autocarro Fiat. Si hanno poche informazioni affidabili sul volume realmente prodotto.

Le varie versioni italiane

Fiat 621 P.

1931-1936 Fiat 632

Fiat 632
Descrizione generale
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Tipo	autocarro pesante
P.T.T. veicolo singolo	9-10 t
Inizio produzione	1931
Fine produzione	1936
Sostituito da	Fiat 666
Altre caratteristiche
Dimensioni e pesi
Lunghezza	6,85 m
Larghezza	2,30 m
Altezza	2,94 m
Massa a vuoto	5,1 t
Altro
Altri tipi	Fiat 633
Della stessa famiglia	serie 600

Fiat 633GM a gassogeno.

Il Fiat 632 fu un autocarro pesante italiano prodotto dalla Fiat Veicoli Industriali dal 1931.

Story

Dal 1906, la Fiat studiava la motorizzazione diesel, in collaborazione con l’ingegnere tedesco Rudolf Diesel. Per quanto ci fossero stati utilizzi di questo motore sia in campo navale che aeronautico che ferroviario, bisognerà aspettare il 1929 per vedere il primo autocarro con un motore diesel, il Fiat 621N. Nel 1931 la casa di Torino introduce il suo primo autocarro diesel pesante, il Fiat 632N (N sta per Nafta). Il mezzo è basato su un autotelaio su due assi, il primo con ruote singole direttrici, il secondo con ruote gemellate motrici. Sarà prodotto in due serie successive, la N e la N1. Nella N, una cabina arretrata, rustica e dalle linee spigolose, ospita il motore diesel Fiat 350 a 4 cilindri ad iniezione diretta di 5570 cm³ a valvole in testa da 55 hp a soli 1800 giri/min. Di questo primo modello veniva offerta anche la versione 632RN (Ribassato Nafta) con pianale abbassato per l’allestimento di autobus.

Nel 1933 viene lanciata la serie N1, caratterizzata da una cabina leggermente ridisegnato ed una versione più evoluta del motore, la Fiat 350C, sempre 4 cilindri in linea da 5570 cm³, ma con un incremento di potenza a 60 hp a 1800 giri/min. La versione 632RN veniva offerto alle carrozzerie specializzate per l’allestimento degli autobus.

La serie successiva lanciata nel 1934, chiamata Fiat 633N, incorpora modifiche più significative, con una cabina e un frontale ridisegnato con linee arrotondate e calandra a forma di scudo. Questo modello servirà come base per una versione militare, il 633NM (Nafta Militare), lanciato nel 1935, disponibile anche a benzina, il 633BM (Benzina Militare), ed a gassogeno, il 633GM (Gassogeno Militare). Il 633 rimase in produzione fino alla fine del 1939, quando verrà sostituito dal nuovo modello con cabina avanzata Fiat 666.

Fiat 633 NM

Fiat 633NM
Fiat 633NM (diesel) del Regio Esercito
Descrizione
Tipo	autocarro pesante
Equipaggio	2
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Data entrata in servizio	1934
Utilizzatore principale	Italia
Sviluppato dal	Fiat 632
Altre varianti	Fiat 633GM Fiat 633BM
Dimensioni e peso
Lunghezza	6,85 m
Larghezza	2,20 m
Altezza	2,94 m
Peso	5,25 t
Propulsione e tecnica
Motore	Fiat 350C 4 cilindri in linea da 5570 cm³
Potenza	59 hp a 1800 giri/min
Prestazioni
Velocità max	30 km/h
Autonomia	380 km su strada
Scheda su Italie 1935-1945

Il Fiat 633 rappresentò per le forze armate italiane una vera e propria innovazione della flotta italiana. Il primo ordine del Regio Esercito per 100 esemplari diesel 633NM risale al 1934. Un altro lotto di 200 veicoli a gassogeno, i Fiat 633GM, fu consegnato durante la prima metà del 1935.

Durante la seconda guerra mondiale il Fiat 633NM trovò impiego in particolare durante l’occupazione dei Balcani tra il 1941 e il 1943.

Tecnicamente si distingue dal 633N civile per la calandra squadrata e le ruote a disco invece che a raggiera, montanti sia semipneumatici “Celerflex” che pneumatici “Artiglio”.

1931-1939 FIAT 634

The FIAT 634N (“Nafta”= diesel) is the military variant of the civilian FIAT 632 heavy truck manufactured by Italian manufacturer FIAT from 1931 to 1939.

It was used by the Regio Esercito units to transport troops or supplies.

Specification

The 634N was initially launched with the Fiat 355 engine, a 6-cylinder 8.3-litre (8312 cc) diesel engine producing 75hp. In 1933, the engine was upgraded to the Fiat 355C unit, a slightly larger 8.4-litre (8355 cc) engine producing 80 hp.

Height: 3.24 meters

Length: 7.43 meters

Width: 2.40 meters

Maximum Speed:40 km/h

Maximum Payload: 7,640 kg

Autocarro blindato Fiat 626 NM

FIAT 626
Type	Medium Truck
Place of origin	Italy
Service history
In service	1939-1945
Used by	Italy France (700) Germany (3,300) Bulgaria(100)
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1938
Manufacturer	FIAT
Produced	1939-1948
Number built	10,000
Variants	FIAT 626 N FIAT 626 NL FIAT 626 NLM
Specifications
Weight	approximately 3 tonne (6,000 lb)
Length	6.21 m
Width	2.18 m
Height	2.675 m
Crew	1 driver and 1 or 2 passengers with 21 passengers (maximum)
Suspension	4×2 (later models 4×4)
Operational range	340 km (210 miles)
Speed	65 km/h (40 mph)

The Fiat 626 was an Italian medium truck that met specifications for the Italian army and air force for military operations prior to World War II. The Fiat 626 NLM operated in Italian North Africa (1940–1943), Italian East Africa (1940–1941), the Balkans (1940–1944), France (1940–1944), and Soviet Union (1941-1943/44).

In 1939, the 626 was the first FIAT truck with the advanced cabin and it replaced the models 621 and 633.

The initial version of the 626 for civilian use was the 626N (“N” for Nafta, the Italian for diesel). This was followed by a slightly longer wheelbase version the 626NL (from Nafta Lungo – “diesel long”). The military version for the Italian Army and the Italian Air Force was the 626NLM (for Nafta Lungo Militare)

A reliable workhorse, the FIAT 626 became the standard Italian medium truck and operated on all fronts.

France ordered 1,650 trucks; 700 had been delivered by the time Italy declared war on June 10, 1940. After the Italian armistice with the Allies in September 1943, the FIAT 626 was used by German forces. By 31 January 1945 3,000 had been produced for German use. In 1941, 100 trucks were purchased by the Bulgarian army after Bulgaria became an ally of Germany and Italy. The Bulgarian Army still used the vehicles in 1944-1945, after the country signed an armistice with the Allies’ and participated in the war against Germany.

Production finished in 1948, after 10,000 Fiat 626 had been produced at FIAT’s Turin assembly lines.

1939-fiat-626-autotreno-radio-960

1939-fiat-626nm

FIAT 626 autobus

1939-fiat-626nm

1939-fiat-626nm

1939-fiat-626nm inside

1939-48-fiat-626-nlm-autoambulanza

1939-48-fiat-626blm-dei-vigili-del-fuoco

1939-48-fiat-626blm

1939-48-fiat-626tnl

1939-48-fiat-628n

1940-fiat-626nl-idroschiuma-dei-vigili-del-fuoco

1940-1948 Fiat 666

Fiat 666
Descrizione generale
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Tipo	autocarro pesante
P.T.T. veicolo singolo	12,2 t
P.T.T. veicolo combinato	22,2 t
Inizio produzione	1940
Sostituisce	Fiat 626
Fine produzione	1948
Altre caratteristiche
Dimensioni e pesi
Lunghezza	7,095 m
Larghezza	2,35 m
Altezza	2,85 m
Massa a vuoto	6 t
Altro
Altri tipi	Fiat 665
Esemplari prodotti	8000

Fiat 666NM
Un Fiat 666NM-RE.
Descrizione
Tipo	autocarro pesante
Equipaggio	2
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Data entrata in servizio	1940
Utilizzatore principale	Regio Esercito Regia Aeronautica
Altri utilizzatori	Wehrmacht Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana
Sviluppato dal	Fiat 666N
Altre varianti	Fiat 666BM
Dimensioni e peso
Lunghezza	7,095 m
Larghezza	2,35 m
Altezza	2,85 m
Peso	6 t
Capacità combustibile	135 l
Propulsione e tecnica
Motore	diesel Fiat 366, 6 cilindri ad iniezione diretta, 9365 cm³
Potenza	105 hp a 2000 giri/min
Trazione	4×2
Prestazioni
Velocità max	48 km/h
Autonomia	390 km su strada, 350 km fuori strada
Pendenza max	25%
Gli Autoveicoli del Regio Esercito nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale, Nicola Pignato, Storia Militare.

L’Autocarro Unificato Fiat 666 fu un autocarro pesante italiano prodotto dalla Fiat Veicoli Industriali.

Story

Un Fiat 666NM-RE Trasporto quadrupedi degli Alpini in Russia.

Il 666, come il corrispondente medio Fiat 626, fu prodotto dal 1940 come autocarro “Unificato”: dal 1937 infatti per legge il Ministero della Guerra imponeva a tutte le case costruttrici di autocarri civili delle caratteristiche standard per quanto riguarda peso, numero degli assi, velocità e portata, al fine di semplificare la logistica in caso di requisizione da parte delle forze armate. Il 626 ed il 666, che sostituirono sulle linee di montaggio rispettivamente i Fiat 621 e Fiat 632, furono i primi autocarri della casa torinese con cabina avanzata, ovvero con il motore totalmente contenuto all’interno della cabina. Il telaio era a longheroni su due assi, con ruote anteriori direttrici e posteriori gemellate motrici, interasse di 3,85 metri e carreggiata di 1,84 metri; il motore diesel Fiat 366 a 6 cilindri da 9365 cm³ sviluppava 105 hp a 2000 giri al minuto ed era caratterizzato dall’innovativa disposizione su guide che permetteva una semplice e rapida sostituzione dal frontale. Il cambio era a 4 marce avanti ed una retro con riduttore. Esteriormente differiva dal Fiat 626 solo per le dimensioni, per la forma del parabrezza e del cassone. Il cassone, da 6260 kg di portata (il doppio del 626), poteva trasportare 20 soldati equipaggiati.

Il mezzo fu prodotto dal 1940 al 1945 nelle versioni diesel 666N (Nafta) civile e NM (Nafta Militare) per le forze armate. Nel 1943 venne omologata la versione a BM a benzina per uso militare, ma gli eventi armistizialiimpedirono l’entrata in produzione.

La versione civile, disponibile anche come telaio per l’allestimento di autobus, ebbe enorme successo, venendo prodotto anche nel dopoguerra come Fiat 666N7, per un totale di 8000 esemplari.

Impiego militare

Il Fiat 666 venne largamente acquisito dalle forze armate italiane: la versione N-RE per il Regio Esercito e quella N-RA per la Regia Aeronautica vennero acquisite in diversi allestimenti, quali quello Autobus, Autofficina, Autocisterna, Autopompa, Trasporto quadrupedi, portacarri con rimorchi Viberti e Bartoletti. Dopo l’Armistizio di Cassibile vengono prodotti 79 NM per i tedeschi che occupavano gli impianti Fiat nel nord-Italia. Tra gli esemplari in dotazione alle forze della Repubblica Sociale Italiana, esistono prove di almeno un 666 blindato artigianalmente dall’arsenale di Piacenza, dotato di torretta armata con una mitragliatrice pesante Breda-SAFAT da 12,7 mm ed in dotazione alla Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana

Fiat 665NM

Un Fiat 665NM, riconoscibile dai parascocca.

Nel 1941 viene sviluppata la versione militare a trazione integrale del Fiat 666NM diesel. Il mezzo mantiene la massima comunalità con la versione a trazione posteriore e entrerà in produzione per le forze armate nel 1942. Dopo l’armistizio, 2 esemplari verranno prodotti per la Wehrmacht.

Da questo modello, nel 1942 fu realizzata la versione trasporto truppe blindata, denominata Fiat 665NM protetto o scudato, impiegato contro i partigiani jugoslavi prima ed in Italia settentrionale poi.

Fiat 6640A

Fiat 6640 AMDS, Fiat 6640A, Fiat 6640G (depending on the year)
Overview
Manufacturer	Fiat Veicoli Industriali, later Iveco
Assembly	Italy
Body and chassis
Class	Amphibious utility vehicle
Layout	front-engine RWD / 4×4
Powertrain
Engine	inline 6 diesel, 5499 cc, 195 hp
Transmission	5×2 forward speeds ;PTO propellor drive
Dimensions
Length	862 cm
Width	250 cm
Height	305 cm
Curb weight	6,450 kg

The Fiat 6640A is an Italian wheeled amphibious armoured vehicle produced from the early 50s to the 80s for the Italian government. The 6640A carries a crew of two, protected by 4 mm thick armour, and is powered by a six-cylinder diesel engine providing a top speed of 90 kmh.

1949-1952 Fiat 680 

fiat 680-n-pub-carrosse-viberti-barilla

fiat 680-rnu

1952-1988 Fiat 682

Fiat 682
Descrizione generale
Costruttore	Fiat Veicoli Industriali
Tipo	Autocarro
Inizio produzione	1952
Sostituisce	Fiat 680
Fine produzione	1988
Sostituito da	Fiat 684
Altre caratteristiche
Altro
Altri eredi	Fiat 619
Concorrenti	Lancia Esagamma
Porte	2

Il Fiat 682 è il primo vero camion e trattore per semirimorchi versatile, prodotto dalla Fiat Veicoli Industriali dal 1952 al 1988.

Il contesto

Nel 1952 l’Italia adotta un nuovo codice della strada ed impone nuove prescrizioni; così alla fine dell’anno la Fiat sostituisce con un nuovo modello il 680N in produzione dal 1948, conservandone il propulsore ma con una manciata di cavalli in più.

Telaio, cabina, cambio, differenziale sono invece di nuova progettazione. La sua linea rompe con le linee tondeggianti dell’epoca. Inizialmente presentato in versione autocarro di 14t, come lo vuole il nuovo codice stradale italiano, il Fiat 682 sarà declinato anche in versione 6×2 e trattore stradale. Il primo modello prodotto venne denominato “122” (prendeva il nome dai 122 mm della corsa dei pistoni del suo 6 cilindri) e restò in produzione un anno. Nel 1953 venne sostituito dal “125” (anche in questo caso prendeva il nome dai 125 mm della corsa dei pistoni del suo motore). Le differenze estetiche tra il 122 ed il 125 erano minime: i tergicristalli nel 122 uscivano dal parabrezza sdoppiato, mentre nel 125 uscivano dal tetto della cabina. Inoltre nel 125 vennero ricavate due prese d’aria a chiusura sportello nella parte anteriore.

Un Fiat 682 N2

Il Fiat 682N vero e proprio, con la cabina avente mascherina denominata “a baffo”, apparve nel 1954. Non era ancora dotato di servosterzo ed era equipaggiato con un motore denominato “Fiat 203” dalle caratteristiche record per l’epoca: 6 cilindri in linea di 10.676 cm³ e 140  CV a 1.900 g/min. Il Fiat 682, dopo la versione N conoscerà le serie: N2 (1955, motore potenziato a 152 cv e prima serie a montare il servosterzo. Ne furono costruite due serie. La prima era caratterizzata da una cabina con portiere ad apertura denominata “anteriore”, come la serie precedente; la seconda caratterizzata da una nuova cabina con portiere ad apertura denominata “controvento”, la stessa che venne montata sulla serie successiva), N3 (1962, con un nuovo motore potenziato di 11 548 cm³ avente una coppia massima a soli 900 giri al minuto e una potenza di 178 cv) e N4 (1967 che fu caratterizzato da una trasmissione più robusta rispetto al suo predecessore).

Fa parte della vasta famiglia di camion medi e pesanti degli anni ’60 dotati della cabina Fiat “Baffo” (639, 642, 643, 645, 650, 662, 671, 682, 683, 690, 693). Questo veicolo sarà prodotto per oltre 32 anni ed è il principale mezzo di trasporto ancora oggi in servizio in molti stati Africani. Venne affiancato nei listini Fiat europei per poter essere gradualmente sostituito dal modello 684 N, ma questo non riscontrò il successo del suo predecessore. (Il 619 N sostituirà il Fiat 683N). Dal 1974 le sigle degli automezzi Fiat abbandonarono la denominazione caratterizzata dalla prima cifra 6 e il successore del Fiat 684 fu il Fiat 160 NC.

Progettato per soddisfare le esigenze di tutte le missioni estreme, anche off-road, per carichi da 14 a 44 tonnellate, questo camion si è ritagliato una reputazione senza eguali in robustezza e affidabilità. In Africa, ci sono ancora tali veicoli, fabbricati localmente o importati dall’Italia con milioni di km di percorrenza effettuata.

Fin dalle sue origini fu disponibile nelle versioni autocarro 4X2 e 6X2 (gli allestimenti del terzo asse aggiunto non furono mai eseguiti dalla Fiat ma sempre da allestitori specializzati)

Come per tutta la gamma Fiat del tempo fino al 1974, la guida è a destra per il mercato italiano e a sinistra per l’esportazione, eccetto la Gran Bretagna.

Il Fiat 682 RN

Il Fiat 682 RN è un modello di autobus derivato dall’omonimo autocarro, dove R sta per “ribassato”. È stato sostituito nel 1956 dal Fiat 306, il primo autobus progettato ex novo come tale, e non come allestimento particolare della meccanica di un camion.

Il 682 RN era disponibile in versioni di linea e gran turismo. In particolare è stato carrozzato da diversi carrozzieri come, ad esempio, Barbi.

1952-1963 Fiat 642

Fiat 642
Un Fiat 642N65R
Descrizione generale
Costruttore	FIAT
Tipo	Autocarro
Inizio produzione	1952
Sostituisce	Fiat 640
Fine produzione	1963
Sostituito da	Fiat 643
Altre caratteristiche
Altro
Concorrenti	Lancia Esadelta
Porte	2

Il Fiat 642 è un camion prodotto dalla Fiat Veicoli Industriali dal 1952 al 1963.

Caratteristiche tecniche

Motore Fiat 364 – 6 cilindri di 6032 cm³ e 72 cv a 2200 g/mn.

Il Fiat 642 RN

Il Fiat 642 RN è un modello di telaio ribassato derivato dall’omonimo autocarro, infatti R sta per “ribassato”. Era spesso allestito come autobus. È stato sostituito nel 1958 dal Fiat 309, altro autobus progettato ex novo come il 306, e non come allestimento particolare della meccanica di un camion.

Autobus Fiat 642 RN

Il 642 RN era disponibile in versioni di linea e gran turismo. In particolare è stato carrozzato da diversi carrozzieri come, ad esempio, Barbi.

• 1951-1965 Fiat 615

  Fiat 615
  Overview
  Manufacturer	Fiat
  Production	1951–1965
  Body and chassis
  Class	Light Utility Truck
  Powertrain
  Engine	Diesel Fiat 305 – 1.901 cm3
  Transmission	4×2
  Dimensions
  Length	4.995 mm
  Width	1.924 mm
  Height	1.920 mm
  Chronology
  Predecessor	Fiat 1100ELR
  Successor	Fiat 616

  Fiat 615 was a model of Fiat light truck manufactured from 1951 to 1953 as a successor to the Fiat 1100ELR, with which was still built in parallel. It had a total weight of 3100 kg, and was available in versions stake or van bodywork, chassis and carrozable for transportation and as a tractocamioón. His cabin was the most Graned made by Fiat, and was inspired by the Model 640. At first I had a new petrol engine with 1395 cc and 29 kW (39 hp) at 3800 rpm to 1400 Fiat, and had a manual 4-speed transmission. a 1.5 ton truck was newly developed, which was offered from 1951 is a flatbed and chassis for special bodies. It was powered by the engine of a year earlier featured Fiat 1400s. The engine was already in the car Fiat 1400 just sufficient, with the 3.1 tons it had real trouble. Once in motion, the Fiat 615 was indeed 80 km / h fast, but he drank with forced driving the expensive fuel that it was a horror. There was a reason that the 1100 Fiat ELR far built until 1954. The somewhat weaker beast of burden was, with its 1.1 liter and 28/30 PS (at 4400 rpm ) and a little lame, but he had fully loaded a ton to move less weight, so he was more economical. He therefore retained its loyal following who forgave him mangelde liveliness out of habit, especially as it came with start-up to a peak of over 90 km / h and thus was significantly faster than the Fiat 615 with its maximum of 78 km/h. With high pressure, therefore a suitable diesel engine was developed by Fiat : a swirl chamber engine ( Ricardo System ) based on the 1.9 liter engine for the “big” Fiat in 1900 and the new SUV Fiat Campagnola.(This engine was a hubvergrößerte variant of the 1400 engine.)The new diesel engine (type 305) was later also available in either sedan 1400 from 1952 in addition to the Fiat 615 N ( N = Nafta = Diesel ) and one year in Fiat Campagnola and Fiat. Although the experiment of the Fiat 615 built 1.9 ltr . Gasoline engine proved to be stronger and faster drive spurt, confined themselves to the diesel, the Type 615 N. Only Steyr in Austria until 1958 offered the Fiat 615 as gasoline, as Steyr 260 with its own 50 hp 2 ltr . Gasoline engine from the car Steyr 2000. The Fiat 615 N was a very modern vehicle that in Italy, initially had no competition . The export ran well at the beginning, missing, or half-hearted development left the Fiat 615 N ( and especially its successor ) over the years become increasingly rare even in Italy. In Zastava in Yugoslavia, the Fiat 615 was built with a petrol engine under license. However, not as the beginning of the Fiat, with the 1.4 ltr . 4- cylinder engine, but with the much stronger torque 1.9 liter engine (type 105) with 47 hp at 3500 rev / min, as well as in the, also at Zastava built under license, Campagnola was used. It is unclear whether the successor (from about 1963, as Fiat 615 N1) only with the 1.9 liter petrol engine ( such as 615 B) has been built, with a diesel engine. In addition to the flatbed also special bodies themselves were made at Zastava, as was common in other Eastern European car factories (IFA, Csepel, Star, etc.).

  Fiat Ambulances

  

   

  FIAT Firebrigade

  

  FIAT Hearses

  Fiat Trucks

• IVECO esp

This was everything I collected about Fiat.

Buses have it’s own chapter.