1958-67 HUMBER SUPER SNIPE

WHY LARKIN LOVES IT – ‘Solid Rootes engineering magic in executive form, and a vehicle of true and extreme pleasure’

Who could not love one of these? All the wood and leather a human could ever wish for, combined with unlimited Rootes charm. These are fine machines, though arguably handling steered a little behind some competitors. If you were heading in a straight line on the motorway that didn’t really matter, though.

A six-cylinder engine of originally 2.6-litre capacity was allied to a three-speed gearbox with optional overdrive, or you could go for an automatic. The Super Snipe went through many refinements during its relatively long production run, with bigger engines, uprated brakes, power steering and anti-roll bars all being added to the mix. Extremely comfortable and credible straight-line performance meant these cars were among the most supreme motorway cruisers of their era.