1968 Humber Sceptre Saloon *Sold £4,400*

Description

• MoT’d until 13th June 2024
• Part of a private collection
• Current ownership for 16 years
• Manual gearbox with overdrive

Sixty years ago Rootes Group introduced the Humber Sceptre to the masses. The Sceptre was marketed at the top end of their mid range cars and featured sporty styling along with a high level of equipment, including overdrive, disc front brakes and rev counter. In 1967 the MKIII continued with Humber’s tradition of building luxury cars with features including wood veneer, vinyl roof and extra brightwork on the wheel arches.

This Humber Sceptre saloon was first registered on 9th January 1968 in Port Glasgow, Scotland. It has the 1725cc engine with twin Stromberg carburettors and a four speed manual gearbox that has overdrive on 3rd and 4th gears. Finished in an attractive dark blue with a black vinyl roof and black vinyl interior, this Humber is still in very good condition having been restored by the fifth owner in the early 1990s.

The exterior of the car is very presentable. You’ll see from the extensive photo gallery that there are some stone chips to the paintwork, a few minor cracks, scratches and rust spots. On close inspection there is micro-blistering to the top section of the near side rear door. The front nearside wing rear edge next to the door shows some signs of paint bubbling. There is a small dent at the rear of the car, just above the top of the bumper and a small ding on the boot. The vinyl roof is in good condition with one small bubble.

The brightwork is in great condition with very minor scuffs on the front bumpers corner undersides, wheel trims are in nice order and all lamps present well with no cracks.

Mechanically the car is good, gear changes are smooth and the engine performs well, especially following a very recent tune of the carburettors (new carb kits were installed last summer). There is a stainless steel exhaust.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay and engine are very clean. The boot area is very smart with black carpet and original tool kit and jack (contained in an original bag).

Step inside, the interior is a delight with a fine headlining and seats that only have a few small marks on them. Some of the wood trim veneer has cracked with age. The dashboard has a few cracks and is somewhat warped due to sun/heat damage. Carpets are in good condition as are the door trims.

In 2007 the vendor purchased the Humber on a whim when he saw it perched on a small hillock in Tytherleigh, Devon with a ‘for sale’ sign on it. Since his acquisition of the car, it has always been kept in dry storage and any work required has been done. This has included

• Refitting one rear mudguard
• Replacement of the front brake hoses
• New spark plugs and leads
• New distributor cap, rotor arm, points and thermostat
• Overhaul of the rear brakes
• Replacement hoses and fan belt
• Replacement of the front seat belts as the originals had frayed.

A fairly comprehensive history file is present, with a Rootes Owner’s Instructions book for the Sceptre, a Dealer directory as well as many service bills, old log books, tax discs and MOT certificates. The current mileage of just over 69,000 appears to be correct as evidenced by MOT certificates going back to 1994 (mileage then of 55,312) and the fact that the fourth owner of the car gave up driving due to an industrial accident in 1973 and put the car in his garage until his death in 1992.

Last summer the car was used for local runs by the vendor and was also taken to the first Rootes Group meeting at Gaydon.

Our View

What a lovely Humber! The 30 year old restoration has held up very well indeed. This Humber Sceptre is ready to be enjoyed as is or is an ideal candidate for light improvement to take it to the next level. Happy bidding.

Vehicle Location: Bracknell, Berkshire RG42 it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor.

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