MY HUMBER'S UP
Two Royal limos included in unique sale of iconic British car collection
CARS used by the Queen Mother and Edward VIII are up for auction in a unique sale of vintage Humbers.
The Queen mum went to church in hers and the other was used by the King and mistress Wallace Simpson to conduct their notorious affair in secret.
Allan Marshall, 64, from Hull, who has spent 60 years collecting all 16 cars, said: “They’re like my family. It’s taken me decades to build up the best collection of Humber vehicles in the world. I’d love
see them sold as one lot and put on public display to be enjoyed by everyone.”
The Queen mum’s finger nails are believed to have made marks on the grab handles in his 1952 Super Snipe MKIII.
And the 1930s 80bhp Snipe, used by Edward and Mrs Simpson, was found in a scrapyard. Allan said: “They used it to get around London in secret. Thanks to its small back window you couldn’t see who was inside. It was made for privacy.”
The retired potato merchant has welcomed visitors from all over the world to see his collection. He said: “It’s not a museum but it’s got a five-star rating as one on Tripadvisor and is listed as one of the top 20 things to do in Hull.
“Celebrities including
Jools Holland and Stirling Moss have visited – and they were all amazed.”
The cars are to be sold by Hansons Auctioneers and could fetch £250,000.
The first Humber was made in 1898 in Beeston, Notts. Less than 1% of the vehito cles survive. Yet they were very popular and Sir Winston Churchill had five. Allan said: “Dad bought his first in 1960 for £90, a 1954 Pullman built for Baroness Rothschild. I remember the day I took out the back seats to deliver spuds to chip shops in Hull.
Rik Alexander, of Hansons, Derby, said: “I’m expecting worldwide interest.”