Just after launch, a Super Snipe was driven from Oslo to Lisbon through fifteen countries in under four days, with Stirling Moss behind the wheel for part of the run.
Median 96 hp across 238 similar cars
Lead trim: Super Snipe Mk IV 4.1 OHV six (113 bhp)
Humber Super Snipe Mark IV1952–1958
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Humber Super Snipe Mark IV yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactJust after launch, a Super Snipe was driven from Oslo to Lisbon through fifteen countries in under four days, with Stirling Moss behind the wheel for part of the run.
The all-new Mark IV Super Snipe, announced in mid-October 1952 at Earls Court Motor Show time (17,993 made), used a Hawk Mk IV body shell lengthened by 6 in but with a 4138 cc 113 bhp overhead-valve engine, also used in a Rootes Group Commer truck; chassis and suspension components were uprated so that those parts ceased to be interchangeable with the Hawk's. From 1955 overdrive was available as an option, followed by an automatic gearbox in 1956. Shortly after its announcement, Leslie Johnson, Stirling Moss and two Rootes Group staff drove a new silver-grey Super Snipe from Oslo to Lisbon through fifteen European countries in 3 days, 17 hours and 59 minutes. In 1953 The Motor tested a Mk IV at 91 mph and 0–60 mph in 14.7 seconds (15.5 mpg, £1,481 including taxes), and an automatic Mk IV tested in 1956 recorded a mean maximum of 97.0 mph and 0–60 in 14.8 seconds. Rootes also produced a pick-up version for export using the same 4138 cc "Blue Riband" engine. The page gives production as ending in 1958 in its infobox but in 1957 with the Mark IVB in its text, so the closing year is the infobox's.
Collectors Spotted in the Humber Super Snipe Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Humber Super Snipe yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Snipe Mk IV 4.1 OHV six (113 bhp) | 1952–1958 | 4.1 L Inline-6 | 113 hp | — | 14.7 s | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The Series III Super Snipe quietly made British motoring history — it was the first British car built with two pairs of headlights.
Just after launch, a Super Snipe was driven from Oslo to Lisbon through fifteen countries in under four days, with Stirling Moss behind the wheel for part of the run.
The postwar Super Snipe's independent front suspension wasn't new even in 1948 — it dated back to 1935, carried over with almost twice the leaf springs.
Built by dropping the big Pullman's four-litre six into the smaller Snipe's chassis — the mashup hit 79 mph, properly quick for 1938.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.
A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.
The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.
The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.
The Vigor was sold only with a five-cylinder engine, an unusual configuration Honda used to fit a longer engine transversely under a short hood.
The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.
This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.