Irrational desires: The Humber Sceptre

[Aston Martin]

My parents had a Sceptre in the early 90's, after which they had a 604 which was an ex-French ambassadors and got about 3 yards to the gallon.

[timolloyd]

Count me in as a founder member of the support group. My Grandfather bought one of these second-hand in 1968-ish. It is family folklore. The tales, when compared with its Herald 12/50 predecessor, make it sound like a rocket ship.

 

I can recount vivid stories of its acceleration, its oily bits and its sheer luxuriousness compared with BMC/BL chod of the same era.

 

And it’s led to a life-long fascination with Humber cars.

 

All of which is a long winded way of saying: following this with interest!

[MorrisItalSLX]

I forgot to ask the one thing I wanted to ask: were these sold in Australia? I can't quite get my head round the weird Antipodean Rootes ranges and I haven't yet seen any proof these made it over there. It seems like it would be a good place to find one considering the lack of rust thing. You could probably spend the sipping costs on having a UK one welded up quite easily.

 

They were not produced here to the best of my knowledge, but there are some here: https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/blackwood/cars-vans-utes/1967-humber-scepter/1184191531

 

Wikipedia Page on Rootes Australia

 

Also, I have now decided I want need a Super Snipe.

[Eddie Honda]

Also, I have now decided I want need a Super Snipe.

I'd go for broke and get an Imperial.

 

 

optional cloth trim and PLAH!

[STUNO]

A customer of mine in Sydney in the late 60's had a Vogue, but as far as I know there were no Sceptres sold. Rootes was a very minor player in Oz by that time.

The Sceptre was not sold in NZ but the Vogue was reasonably common. I have seen a couple of Hunter based Sceptres here, assumedly private imports.

I have had an aching want for a series 1 or 2 for many years.

[garethj]

Humber wasn't the 'sporty' brand in the line-up, for a start, and nor did it build 'small' cars. In hindsight, the Sceptre was one of the first signs that a policy based solely on badge-engineering might lead to manufacturers building a range of un-categorisable cars with very little to distinguish one from the other.

 

The other way of looking at it was they were producing the business model that has led to the Porsche Cayenne / VW Touareg / Audi Q7 / Bentley Bentayga / Lamborghini Urus.  How many "premium SUVs" does one car group need FFS?

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

The closest I've gotten to a Mk1 was as a 5yr old as my primary school teacher rolled in one..... red mono with cream interior. Obviously made such an impression I still see it clear as day. It was parked outside my folks place daily. Loved that thing.....

 

Dad had a hunter based model as a spares car after he was hit by a drunk driver..... engine came in handy when he blew it 3 months later too. He was on with getting it back together cos he loved the thing, but some local scrote torched the block of garages it was in.....

 

They rot like buggery though don't they?

[Asimo]

Infuriating that I didn't buy these instead of BMC Farinas back then. What was wrong with me?

The Mk2 for me as well; those front indicator / sidelights and that fabulous rear end......

[carlo]

Add me to the Sceptre fan club, though also prefer the Mk I, looks more imposing and 'British' if that makes sense.  Super Snipe has always been one of my favourite cars.

 

Think the Peugeot lineage helps!

[Six-cylinder]

The problem with the Sceptre is how common they are, I have seen three just today!

[Guest Hooli]

The third one is the same colours as the one I nearly got years ago.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

These things were impossibly glamorous to me when I was a nipper, my primary school head had a Super Minx in red, my first teacher had a Minx with Ford Rostyles and an uncle had a Vogue estate , so to me seeing a Sceptre was the equivalent to car mad 6 year old today seeing an Audi RS7 or summat. Those red seats and all of that chrome, I didn't even realise that the roof line was lower until I was in my teens.

Later , I wondered why Rootes didn't fit the V8 from the Tiger into the Sceptre, it's well known they put Chrysler 318's into half a dozen Snipe/ Imperials, but a V8 Sceptre would have created the British Muscle Car at a time there was nothing between the Lotus Cortina or Mk2 3.8.

What it did, was be the basis of the Sunbeam Venezia ( sp?) , of which , Touring built a couple of hundred examples.

Now, one of those with 260 or 289 burbling away...

[captain_70s]

Spotted today:

 

[Tetleysmooth]

I hope the OP doesn't mind, but could I expand this thread to 'cars you've always wanted, but never had'.

 

In my case, as already stated, I've always wanted a Humber Sceptre, pre Arrow.

But, the car I've always wanted, which comes top of the list, is a Wolesley six one ten / 6110.

I'd say in joint first place would be an Austin Princess 4 litre R.

 

The closest I got to either of the above, was an Austin A55 Farina.

[Tetleysmooth]

 

 

Beautiful, the pair of them.

[Talbot]

The front end styling of the MK1 looks too much like this:

 

[lesapandre]

princess 4 ltr r.jpg

 

wolseley 6110.jpg

 

Beautiful, the pair of them.

The VP 4.0 litre puts out 170 bhp...so no slouch - let down thought by the woolly steering. Ok to drive - minimal MPG. Lovely inside.

[colnerov]

The front end styling of the MK1 looks too much like this:

 

 

 Why has he put "do not tailgate" on the front of the car.

[Guest Hooli]

So he can read the reflection off the boot lid in front when he forgets?

[Amishtat]

Fairly sure I remember reading somewhere (possibly the Rootes Group book by Graham Robson) that there was one V8 Sceptre created at the factory. The story stuck in my mind as one of the development drivers got caught speeding in it but went to court and was let off after turning up with some Rootes boffins who had evidence* that a Sceptre couldn't go as fast as the copper was alleging. Someone here must have heard of this too surely?

[wuvvum]

I had a Mk2 back in 2002 - it was local and dirt cheap in the Practical Classics classifieds.  Never got it on the road as it turned out to be far more rotten than I had (naïvely) anticipated, but it was a nice place to sit and make "broom, broom" noises.  SPU585D was the reg - probably long dead now.

 

 I wasn't expecting great things from it but was very pleasantly surprised with it.

This has been my experience with pretty much every Rootes Group vehicle I've owned.

[Skut]

Fairly sure I remember reading somewhere (possibly the Rootes Group book by Graham Robson) that there was one V8 Sceptre created at the factory. The story stuck in my mind as one of the development drivers got caught speeding in it but went to court and was let off after turning up with some Rootes boffins who had evidence* that a Sceptre couldn't go as fast as the copper was alleging. Someone here must have heard of this too surely?

I've read that somewhere as well. Possibly a Classic Cars article on Roy Axe at Rootes. I always thoughts it was an Arrow Sceptre and i remember a top speed of something like 130mph.

[Inspector Morose]

Now that I'm back home, I can dig this photo of my 1967 Sceptre series 2. An auto fitted with the 1725cc engine and twin choke Webber carb. Needless to say, it went rather well but was a problematic child with numerous spontaneous FTPs for no reason.The solution? Drive it to Grenoble to see a Uni chum who was on student exchange there the time. From problem child, turned into a paragon of reliability all the way there and back, only reminding me who's boss by blocking a jet as it came off the ferry at Dover. I drove it back on full choke and reached home about 2 in the morning where My friend and travelling companion and I opened a bottle of the cheapest champagne over the bonnet, waking up everyone in the street.

 

Would I have anther? Oh yes! If only for that wonderful dash and adjustable,telescopic steering column.

 

[Squire_Dawson]

 

Now that I'm back home

 

Thought you left the Wartberg at Saabnut's?!

[barrett]

So naturally the week after I buy a car, this fantastic Sceptre comes up for sale. It's local and looks great but I'm not sure I will have the time to go and have a look before the auction ends. I'm gonna have a long hard look at my finances and see what I might be able to gamble on it. I have a feeling it'll be expensive, though...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1966-Humber-Sceptre-Mk-11/183297331634?hash=item2aad5f51b2:g:Kf8AAOSwDD1bNm1o

 

 

Edit to add, how many times can one write 'look' in a single post?

[wuvvum]

Not nearly as many times as the average millennial says "like" in a single sentence.

[lexi]

There were plenty around when I passed my test. Those small clock binacles were the biz.They were more than what I could afford, so my first car was a somewhat related dumpy shaped, Hillman Minx with the 5 bearing engine and starting handle. Never liked the box shaped Hunter or Sceptre. An older friend had the Super Snipe..........super envy more like, when I put my Minx next to it!

[barrett]

Well, fuck. Turns out dreams can come true.

[chaseracer]

You bought it? 

[barrett]

I think I might have