Top 10: ‘Dead’ British marques
Listing every British marque that’s been killed off over the years would be a depressing task, with so many previously successful brand names having long since disappeared into the history books. Classic fans still revere them, but for most motorists they’re now distant memories from a bygone era.
Featured here are some of the best-known, best-selling brands that have disappeared over the decades, each one having played a major role in the history of Britain’s motor industry. Don’t forget to let us know which marques you miss the most – whether they’re featured here or saved for next time.
Paul Guinness, Contributor
Humber (1896-1976)
Although Humber had existed as a successful maker of bicycles since the late 1880s, it wasn’t until 1896 that the first cars were built, consisting of a single prototype and nine production versions. Humber went on to be a successful automotive company, and by the 1920s had acquired commercial maker Commer and car manufacturer Hillman. Rootes Group acquired a controlling interest in 1931, however, and would remain the owner of Humber until the Chrysler takeover of ’67.
Humber produced some gloriously upmarket machines in the post-war years, bearing names like Hawk, Snipe and Imperial, though the 1960s saw the name also used on poshed-up versions of smaller Hillman saloons. Final car was the 1967-76 Hunter-based Sceptre MkIII, the only Humber still on sale by the ’70s.
cfc2000 on 14 August 2017
The Hindustani in India and the Paykan in Iran kept these models alive for many decades longer. I always rather liked the Hillman Hunter - a fairly decent car as I remember.Add a comment