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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé - Reverend

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Created on June 1, 2023

Text:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

49

Bonhams

1

Archiv

4

Bruno von Rotz

49

Bonhams

1

Archiv

4

Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - the English counterpart to the Mercedes-Benz 230 Cabriolet B

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - The high body conceals the 4.80 m length well

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Looks like a small sports two-seater, but is actually a large convertible for four people

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - discreet in black and gray. A narrow red trim line on the edge of the body echoes the color of the interior

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - The rear was nowhere near as magnificent as the front

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Compared to other cars of its time, the soft top is very low

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - The trunk is unlocked with a square key

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - off to the summer residence in the Cotswolds

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - off to the summer residence in the Cotswolds

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - This is what English country roads often looked like in the thirties

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Casual not just for the photo: the convertible can actually be easily steered with one hand

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Casual not just for the photo: the convertible can actually be easily steered with one hand

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Humber Täterä: two mighty horns trumpet the way ahead

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - indicators and reversing lights are concessions to modernity

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - additional headlights were already considered a sporty feature in the thirties

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - additional headlights were already considered a sporty feature in the thirties

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - It is still a pleasant car on the highway today

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - It is still a pleasant car on the highway today

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - contemporary testers praised the roadholding at 90 km/h

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - contemporary testers praised the roadholding at 90 km/h

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Anyone strolling along at 70 can drive the 1.8-tonner in a very relaxed manner

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Anyone strolling along at 70 can drive the 1.8-tonner in a very relaxed manner

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Modern: 18-inch wheels on luxury cars are commonplace again today

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - hood deception: of the six ventilation flaps on each side, only the middle four can be opened

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Very restrained emblem on the radiator grille

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Mighty radiator grille and free-standing headlights on a bridge

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Flaps in the hood provide better cooling on hot days

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - The barb of the trim also serves as a handle for opening the air flaps

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Spare wheel not very easy to maintain

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Wire-spoke wheels are hidden behind the hubcaps. The black dot is the valve of the tire

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - In the distorted reflection of the headlights, the fenders and hood once again appear more expansive than they actually are

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - delicate chrome fittings on the massive car

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Classic: chrome storm bar on the soft top

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Illuminated indicator with automatic reset

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - from 1934 the radiator grille was slightly swept back and tilted backwards

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Large three-spoke steering wheel with thin rim. The upper toggle switch operates the indicators, the lower one the freewheel

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - No, the instruments are not mirror-free. Who cares?

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Practical but ugly: fire extinguisher and digital speedometer are retrofitted

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - The long shift lever grows directly out of the gearbox and is easy to operate

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Up close and personal: Driver and passenger sit close together in the 1.27 m wide cockpit

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - The mechanical speedometer does not move continuously, but jumps in small steps like a clock

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Leather door catch strap

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Like a living room cupboard: brass hinge in the wooden door frame

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Door panels made from three different materials

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - chrome-plated lever for opening the doors, naturally made of metal

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Good for the center of gravity: the 56 hp six-cylinder engine sits low in the chassis

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - You never know: Flathead six-cylinder with six spark plugs in the head and six spare plugs on the bulkhead

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Indomitable, but no Gaul: thanks to "Startix", a stalled engine starts up again immediately

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - carburetor with catch plate for possible fuel leaks. The clamp of the air hose should of course be positioned differently

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Humber Snipe 80 Four Light Saloon (1935) - offered as lot 215 at the Bonhams Amelia Island sale on March 5, 2020

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Humber Snipe 80 Six Light Saloon (1935) - Snipe means "snipe" in German.

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Humber Pullman Limousine (1935) - Exceptionally long wheelbase of 3.35 meters

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Humber 16/60 Foursome Drophead Coupé (1935) - Elegant convertible from the 1930s.

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Humber Humberette (1900) - The Humberette already had a single-spoke steering wheel in 1900, as it reappeared in Citroën's DS series in the 1950s.

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Summary

Humber was something like the English Mercedes-Benz of the interwar period. For those with a feel for technology and who are not driven by the hectic pace of modern life, the quality cars from Nottingham still offer a pleasant driving experience today. In this article, we present the Humber 16/60 from 1935 and take a look back at a time when country roads were still built like country lanes and cars were still built like furniture.

This article contains the following chapters

Modern six-cylinder
Optical illusion
Then and now
Unconditional quality

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

A turn of the delicate metal handle and the large wooden door opens. You stride upright into the saloon, step onto thick carpeting and finally take a seat on a heavy, patinated leather armchair, while your gaze wanders over antique furniture made of solid wood. This car is a little different from most others. You don't just get into a Humber 16/60 - you enter it like an old English country estate. It exudes a dignity that rolls off any modern hustle and bustle and is inevitably transferred to the driver. Like Opel and Peugeot, Humber also started out manufacturing bicycles. And just like the two pioneers from Germany and France, the brand from Beeston near Nottingham soon felt called to do more than just transportation. The single-cylinder, three-wheeled "Forecar" presented at the Stanley Cycle Show in London in November 1896 - basically a two-wheeled park bench with half a motorcycle on the back - was followed in 1900 by the Humber 4 1/2 HP "Humberette", the first four-wheeled automobile, and the brand's first six-cylinder in 1908.

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