My dad had 2 of these, 1959 & 1964. Always liked the fact that the driver’s side rear reflector was the fuel filler!

Fabulous condition, you're so lucky. As a Teddy Boy (1976~), then rockabilly myself, I had the same model (1961). I loved it so much. I saw it in a car garage parking area and immediately asked to swap it with my bright orange mk3 Cortina (in 1980). Alas, a few years later a coach clipped me, totally ripping my door handles to pieces (no replacesments to be found anywhere). Drove without & until the gearbox packed up and had no money to repair it. I also miss the dancing (living here in Japan). Thanks for sharing.

Correction folks, the Rootes Group who made Humber Hawks were taken over by Chrysler not British Leyland. My 1st video so hope you still enjoy this piece of British motoring history 😊

@GilTricker-th9tu

2 ай бұрын

Yes, that's right. I also had a Chrysler 180. I think, not sure though, that they also took over Hillman. Had Avengers twice!

A very very beautiful condition Hawk series one and very original, thanks for showing your car to us all Humber Hawk lovers❤❤❤❤❤❤

My one wasn’t so good at starting when hot. Fuel lines not sufficiently protected from heat. That said it was a delightful car to drive. Superb in every way, especially silence, smoothness and comfort.

These cars will get you there ! very understressed mechanicals , engine is from the Karrier truck and acres of space inside . My car is the Imperial and I will argue that it outclasses any BMW or Mercedes and even rides better than my beloved Daimler double six series 3 . Your Hawk is a fabulous car and a credit to you .

Very nice! I have a 1961 Humber Hawk Series II, cream and red. Here in NZ. My father bought it in 1964 and he was the first owner after the dealership. It was the showroom demonstration car at the dealership and my father bought it for a cheaper than new price that way, when the dealership had finished with it. He used it as a main car for 30 years before going into storage when he bought a Mk IV Zodiac. I inherited the Hawk in 2011 and I am working on putting it back on the road. I have known it all my life as it was the family car throughout my childhood and I loved it. Lots of memories. It always ran smooth and the engine is still healthy, never been reconditioned or changed. I believe the engine design came from the 30's and was originally a Hillman engine. They were used in the Hawks and Commer trucks. And the engines were converted to OHV in the 50's. I found that my engine has BSW nuts and bolts but the rest of the car has Imperial UNF. Perhaps because the engine design dates back further and they didn't change the nuts and bolts. I like how the doors close easily with a light finger push, with a nice sound. And I like the sprung bonnet hinges with no prop to get in the way

Lovely car you have there Stu. My dad had a series 1 Super Snipe (also with whitewalls) back in the fifties, I think he bought it new. It seemed very rakish, especially compared to the Hillman Minx he traded in for it. I have fond memories of riding in the back as a four year old, with no seatbelts! I agree with you about the wrap around rear window, it's very stylish. Sadly, they lost this feature on the later series, when the roofline was flattened out. (to give more rear headroom?) Humber were a great British marque. I wish you many miles of happy motoring.

@rockabillystu

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Stephen , thank you for the positive comments, the car is remarkable reliable for a 63 year old car. Column gear change is a bit clunky , but if you gently cruise along you get used to it. Happy new year

Most rock n rollers go for consuls ,crestas , l never really thought of a humber hawk as on ,but with those whitewall tyres and rap round windows looks very rock n roll

Beautiful looking car Stu. I've got a '77 TR7, as much as i love it, i've been thinking recently i'd love to have a '50's or '60's British saloon type car, been thinking Ford Corsair or Mk1 Cortina, but i've started really liking Humber's, especially the Super Snipe and Hawk. Out of the different models i've researched, this model is the 'one'. Love it, especially in black. So i'll be keeping my eyes peeled for a similar Mk1 coming up on Ebay, or wherever, and hope it comes up at a time when i can afford it.

Thats a real car mate, Just imagine the plastic cars we have now in 63 years time !

Really beautiful car that is. I love the Humber Hawk from that period. They were great as taxis, loved by their owners and well looked after by collectors alike.

A very nice motor indeed. Thanks for showing it to us.

had the pleasure driving one when i worked in garage thanks for sharing great car

That is an absolutely beautiful vehicle. I would love it on my drive. 👌👌👌

Great luxury car even today!

Had exactly the same model and year in the 80s, the only bad thing i remember about it was the terrible brakes, going down a steep hill and trying to stop it at traffic lights at the bottom was an unforgettable experience.

@bertiewooster3326

2 жыл бұрын

Your car had crap brakes these cars had powerful brakes!

Exceptional example at that time Rootes brothers copied the ways of US manufacturers the styling across the whole range was heavily influenced by the US and the American manufacturers every year they changed minor styling and interior details to have a new model in time for the Earls Court motor show. The OVH valve engine although an up date from the earlier side valve was an excellent very strong long lived engine with tremendous low speed torque and a decent enough power output.

My uncle had a two tone model; grey with a pearl roof; a very smart looking car.

Rootes cars were well made and dependable. Sadly missed. I think you made the right choice keeping it all black. This is a lovely example that looks nice and original.

Mut be one of the earliest. A wonderful example. The Rootes Group was financially crippled by a series of strikes at its Acton Stampings factory in 1960. It never prospered after that, and the British (Labour) government unloaded it onto Chrysler a few years later. Chrysler, although pleased to own a European car plant (as well as French Simca), never really knew what to do with it.

@rockabillystu

11 ай бұрын

Yes my Humber Hawk was registered in August , so must have been one of the first of the Series 1 Humber Hawks made. Sad about the British Motor Industry , it’s a real shame the Thatcher Government refused to subsidise or Nationalise it in one group , we lost so many famous makes, with a little investment they’d have made a comeback, like the Japanese & German marques

@paulsutton5896

11 ай бұрын

@@rockabillystu I am thrunsalmighty under an alias. Harold Wilson sold Rootes to Chrysler in 1967. He knew that the trades unions had made manufacturing impossible in the UK. Especially manufacturing motor cars. So I don't know what Mrs Thatcher (who was elected in 1979) could have done. Chrysler apparently did NOT know the state of British industry. Chrysler was a gullible sucker in this deal. The conglomeration which became British Leyland was no stranger to government subsidies. The money should have been used to rationalise the business. But instead, it allowed the militant unions to continue to wreck the company. This started in the 1960s (while BMC, Rover and Triumph) were doing quite well. (The Unions had already chased ship-building away to the far east). I remember those times. Night after night, we saw on our television screens that Longbridge or Cowley (BMC) was idle because of strikes. Or we saw the same thing at the Triumph plant at Speke in Liverpool - a new purpose-built factory, created in an area of unemployment with substantial subsidies (if I remember correctly). Do not forget that the unions were staffed by communists who wanted to see Britain run on the same lines as the Soviet Union. The ruination of British industry was their goal, (on instructions from Lenin). That was their ideology. By the time of the Thatcher government, they had achieved what they wanted. A lot of British industry was no longer viable. You and I have a sentimental attachment to the British motor industry. But Mrs Thatcher, although deeply patriotic, could not find the money to subsidise British car production indefinitely. And that is why we have lost so many of our cherished makes. You cannot regret the loss any more than I do.

Lovely motor

Does this car is available for sale looking at something superior, thanks again for your generous cooperation and support.

I Like It !!!!

Nice car mate, always loved the look of hawks. sounds a bit tappetty? Good choice not two toning a black one imo.

@rockabillystu

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for nice comments, going to change oil re tappets & found local garage with knowledge of older engines to give the car a good service👍

What are the gearboxes like on these cars - I am looking to buy one but never seen this type of transmission before, Love the look of the car!

@rockabillystu

9 ай бұрын

The column gear changes are easy to get used to , just a bit clunky sometimes. Very reliable car as long as oil & water checked & you run engine at least once a week

What always confused me why these Hawks had different type of body moulding even though series one 58🤔🤔🤔🤔❤️🍻

Renault convertable styling, and an obscure German car of the times, plus a bit of Peugeot and Mercedes, so not that USA really...

@rockabillystu

Жыл бұрын

Don’t know much about French cars although the Simca Vedette looked pretty rock n roll. The car Rootes modelled the Humber Hawk Series 1 on looks almost certain to have been the 1955 it had bench seats and column gear change too

@rockabillystu

Жыл бұрын

Have pictures of the 1955 Chevrolet , but couldn’t paste in my reply. Look up black 1955 Chevrolet you can see the similarities

@pstotto

Жыл бұрын

@@rockabillystu I know the 55 Chevy well, I was admiring the car whilst I was very stoned so I was seeing lots of different influences from my large memory of vehicles. :-)

@pstotto

Жыл бұрын

@@rockabillystu I've since had a look at this video in similar conditions and I stand by my original description of it having French and German design traits, mostly and particularly seeing it minus the roof as as convertible. There's a bloke who has made a video of the 66 Humber Hawk saying its style cues come from American cars but not quite the 66 Firebird Camaro or Corvette. I look at the 55 Chevy and it's what it's not as much as what its roots are as a muscle car.