Humber Hawk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Humber Hawk | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Rootes Group |
| Production | 1945-1967 |
The Humber Hawk was a large four cylinder saloon produced by the British based Humber car company, part of the Rootes Group.
Contents |
[edit] Humber Hawk Mk I & II
| Humber Hawk MKI & II | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1945-1949 [1] |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon |
| Engine(s) | 1944 cc Straight-4 side valve |
| Transmission(s) | 4 speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 114 inches (2896 mm)[2] |
| Length | 178 inches (4521 mm)[2] |
| Width | 69 inches (1753 mm)[2] |
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 pre-war Hillman 14. 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 a very mild facelift, the main difference being a column gear change.
Top speed was around 65 mph (105 km/h).
[edit] Humber Hawk Mark III to V
| Humber Hawk Mark III-V | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1948-1954 production 10,040 (III) 6492 (IV) 14,300 (V)[1] |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon Limousine (Mk V only) |
| Engine(s) | 1944 cc Straight-4 side valve (Mk III) 2267 cc Straight-4 side valve (Mk IV & V)[1] |
| Transmission(s) | 4 speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 105.5 inches (2678 mm)[2] |
| Length | 174 inches (4420 mm)[2] |
| Width | 70 inches (1778 mm)[2] |
| Height | 64.75 in (1,645 mm) [3] |
The Mk 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 and transmission. The new body was styled by the Loewy Studio[1] 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. The rear axle was also a new design with hypoid gearing.
In 1950 the Mark IV version arrived with a larger, 2267 cc engine and larger 15 inch wheels.
The 1952 Mk V had a new treatment to the front and was also available as a luxury touring limousine"
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. [3]
[edit] Humber Hawk Mark VI and VIA
| Humber Hawk Mark VI-VIA | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1954-1957 production 18,836 (Mk VI) 9614 (MkVIA)[1] |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon estate |
| Engine(s) | 2267 cc Straight-4 overhead valve [1] |
| Transmission(s) | 4 speed manual with optional overdrive |
| Wheelbase | 105.5 in (2,680 mm)[2] |
| Length | 181 inches (4597 mm) (saloon)[2] |
| Width | 72 inches (1829 mm)[2] |
| Height | 65 in (1,651 mm)[4] |
The main change with the Mk VI was the fitting of an overhead valve cylinder head to the engine. The rear of the body was slightly changed making the car longer and in 1955 an estate version with fold down tailgate appeared.[1]
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 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. [4]
[edit] Humber Hawk Series I to IVA
| Humber Hawk Series I-IVA | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Production | 1957-1967 production 15,539 (I) 6813 (IA) 7230 (II) 6109 (III) 1746 (IV) 3754 (IVA)_[1] |
| Body style(s) | 4-door saloon Estate car limousine |
| Engine(s) | 2267 cc Straight-4 ohv |
| Transmission(s) | 4 speed manual Overdrive and automatic optional |
| Wheelbase | 110 inches (2794 mm) [2] |
| Length | 185 inches (4064 mm)[2] |
| Width | 70 inches (1778 mm)[2] |
The 1957 Hawk had a completely new body with unitary construction which it would share with the 1958 Humber Snipe. The 2267 cc engine was carried over and an automatic transmission 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 1955 Chevrolet.
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 VI. 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.[5]
The final Series IVA of 1965 saw the automatic option re-introduced.
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: following the demise of the Humber Hawk, the UK market for large estate cars quickly came to be dominated by the Volvo 145 and its successors.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Robson, G. (2006). A-Z of British Cars 1945-80. Devon, UK: Herridge. ISBN 0-9541063-9-3.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Culshaw; Horrobin (1974). Complete Catalogue of British Cars. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-16689-2.
- ^ a b "The Humber Hawk" (February 21 1950). The Motor.
- ^ a b "The Humber Hawk estate car" (April 11 1956). The Motor.
- ^ Sedgwick, M.; Gillies.M (1989). A-Z of Cars 1930. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-38-9.
[edit] External links
- Humber Enthusiasts Group of New South Wales, with lots of scanned brochures.
- Some more brochures.
