Real Road Test: 1965 Singer Vogue Series III - Rootes semi-luxury!
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- Time for a proper classic car! Yes, it's the Singer Vogue, based on the Hillman Super Minx but with a touch more class and timber. But what is this 1960s classic saloon like to drive?
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All cars had a soul in those days. You could spot one from miles away.
Now only a few newer cars do
@@natorusemporium645judging by the reaction to ULEZ, none since 2005.
Had these in Australia under the Humber badge were considered a bit up market
Australian Humber Vogue benefited from Twin Carburettors, Disk Brakes and Electronic Overdrive - Managed to beat a Citroen DS for a Class Division Win at Mt Panorama Bathurst
There's something about Rootes engines; they all have a nice rorty sound, the 1725 was a great engine, especially in Holbay tune. Even the Avenger you drove in NZ sounded great. More Rootes please Mr Hubnut!
My headmaster at primary school had one of these! Shout out Mr Kirman if you're still alive. For some reason it reminds me of my dads Hillman Minx that he had when I was a kid.
my dad had the humber sceptre for a while in the mid seventies , lovely car
My first car was a Vogue back in the mid 80s. Great car - went everywhere in it.
they were quite nice, I was selling these in 1965, and they were a bit of a luxury car, remember this was 1965
Nice to see a bit of Hitchin/Letchworth, if I knew you were in town I'd have bought you a cake 😁 We had a Gazelle back in the day.
At least he didn't miss the opportunity to vist the world's first roundabout whilst he was in LGC!
@@cambridgemart2075 my cousin lived in croft lane Letchworth. Great place. Rog
My Mum said that my Grandad had one of these and they felt like the poshest people on their estate in Willenhall
They could definitely look down their noses at those commoners in their Hillmans. 😁
I like the way the wood on the dashboard curves round to meet the door caps. An unusual detail in the 60's.
We had the Humber Sceptre when I was I child - beautiful car; the wraparound rear window as you say. No wood, but leather throughout and a dashboard full of dials and switches that wouldn't have disgraced the cockpit of a jet aircraft. Yes, it was originally designed to be a Sunbeam Rapier apparently, but sold as the Humber Sceptre.
There was an Arrow based fastback Rapier and Alpine, we had a Mk IV Rapier bought cheap years ago, it had overdrive on 3rd and top, it was like a 6 speed gearbox and great fun.
What a beautiful and classy dashboard. Very minimalistic. Nice sounding engine too.
I've had several Rootes Group cars, and they have all been lovely. Strangely, they have all been Singers, too: a Series IIIA Gazelle estate, an Arrow Vogue estate, and two Chamois. both estates had overdrive and they were all quite happy at Motorway speeds. I would be very happy to repeat the experience.
Any Rootes car was built and engineered better than anything wearing a BMC badge.
@Exlord Lucan it would have been a lot better if it was not rushed and built in a new plant by mostly unskilled workers. Govt's always ruin things when they get involved.
I have a 65estate for sale.
I think 'Car Driving in 2 Weeks' must have been popular as my dad had a copy. I knew it straight away from the cover.
A proper car, mechanical noise that tells you exactly what it's doing.
As an aside, just checked out Sunbeam Alpine prices, blimey.
exactly
I bought new as an export model a 1965 Singer Vogue estate. Lasted me for 16 years, probably because I had it undersealed as part of the factory construction. I also had factory option of overdrive on 3rd and top, which made it very easy to drive, especially on overtaking runs. I also bought as part of the original order a full workshop manual and did all my own maintenance.
My Uncle had one of these in the late 60s think it's the nicest looking of all the variants 😁
What an absolutely glorious vehicle! I like everything about it.
Another excellent review!
He always provides fascinating, yet simple reviews that are informative and yet neutral, letting the viewer make up their own minds. That's the reason I subscribed to his channel. As to the Rootes cars, well they were well-built and sprightly things. I live in Australia and my dad bought a '65 Hillman after deciding to off-load his old humpy Vanguard. It was a great car...ferried us everywhere BUT it had what my dad called "the British engine problem" which was that every thirty thousand miles you had to do a valve grind. The only reason dad surrendered the Hillman was because someone stole it and wrote it off. He then went out and bought a '63 Holden station wagon and, imho, it was the best car he ever owned. He put 200,000 miles on the thing and it never had its head off, didn't burn oil (but leaked a little from the rear engine seal) and all he had to change were the normal wear and tear items. In 1970 he decided he wanted to move upmarket so he traded the '63 for a brand new HT Holden Premier which was also a great car. And the '63? Well a house painter bought it for his work car and he put another 80,000 miles on the thing before it developed a cracked block.
@@tripsadelica There are many reasons why I watch HubNut, one being with some similar vehicles, the next the really unique that never made it to the US.
I think Ian might have done a review on a Nissan Figaro two years ago, because of him, and others, one showed up at a local car meet-up! Another is the Triumph Stag; I used to see it until this year, in town, usually at the local garage, where I took this photo which is my thumbnail!
And he used to be editor at a few classic magazines.
I subscribe to channels like HubNut for the reasons you listed as well as my own, and it is quite enjoyable!
A car very much of the era it just looks upright and proper nice family car of the day in my opinion ,......nice to see Ian 👍
Handsome little car and that retro green is gorgeous. I'd have a lot of fun tooling around in it.
Restoring an Audax at the moment. This was a treat. Love the green on green.
Thank you, sir.
Love the Singer Vogue ❤
I remember an elderly neighbour having one along with a Hilman Husky estate for moving her dogs around in.
I used to love going out in both but the Singer was her "special" car for days out.
Peace
Charlie 🇬🇧
I learned to drive in my father's 1966 D plate Hillman Super Minx 1725, bought new, and passed my test (first time!) in June 1967. We had 'fun' changing the gearbox layshaft bearing in the early 1970s using 'special tools' (lengths of wooden dowelling!). Lacking an input shaft mandrel to align the clutch, and having replaced the clutch plate (in those days clutch plates rarely lasted more than 40,000 miles) I decided that we should tighten the clutch plate bolts lightly, and wiggle it all together, then carefully pull it off again once aligned and torque down the bolts. It took a couple of attempts, but we succeeded! When the sills rotted, we bought some 'Sandipanels' and pop rivetted them on. NO! said the MOT man, so we had to get some welding done!!
My mother had a Humber Sceptre of this vintage (when it wasn't vintage, just old!). The main thing I remember about it was the amount of primary school children that could fit un-seatbelted in the back seat! ;-)
Always love a hooded headlight; little touch of Americana.
Hooded headlights are my Pantograph Wipers.
The little warning light lenses can be moved up and down. One position makes it brighter and the other dimmer.
That's superb.
Fascinating - I can remember pulling those out of dumped Rootes cars in the mid-70s as a kid, but never thought to see if they moved!
Beat me to it. I was going to say the exact same thing. Ah, childhood memories.
@@HowardLeVert theres a little rib across the lens that allows you to move it up and down. I used to play with the ones in my Dads Singer Vogue estate all the time.
@@HubNut please see if you can find any of these three cars to review. An Arrow body Humber Sceptre, a Honda Quintet and a Mitsubishi Celeste.
My Dad had a Singer Gazelle estate in the mid-60s. I remember being taken in it overnight from Nottingham, via Kettering, to collect my Grandma at around mid-night, and then on through Northampton all the way to Southhampton and on the ferry over to the Isle of White! My baby brother was in his carry-cot wedged up against the back of the back seat in the boot! All the luggage was on the roofrack! We were coming around a bend in Northampton and found red traffic lights against us and my Dad stopped so quickly that the roofrack carried on, bounced off the bonnet and landed in the road in front of us! Being a 3yr old and asleep I was startled awake by the noise and apparently cried for the next hour or so, until my Dad told me I would have to walk the rest of the way to the Isle of White if I didn't stop crying!! That is my first 'car memory'!
After the Gazelle my Dad got a Sunbeam Rapier, with the 1750cc engine and for another holiday, in 1969, we towed a caravan, a Sprite Major 4, to the Gower peninsula in South Wales with that. This became my Mum's daily driver in 1970 when my Dad got his first 'Firms Car' a gold MkIV Zodiac. She used the Rapier until around 73 when they replaced it with a bright red Mini 850, a real downgrade, in my youngish opinion.
Thanks HubNut for bringing back some lovely memories of my childhood!
Keep up the good work!
Jonty RP.
To confuse things more, in Australia these were badged as the Humber Vouge and for a short time Vouge Sports performance version. The Humber badge may have helped justify the premium price to Australian buyers. Sold enough to remember them and school yard discussions as to why they were worth the money. May have been more up spec than the Singer version.
In a similar way we did not have a Singer Gazelle but late in the piece a Hillman Gazelle.
Sunbeams also rare in Australia as time went on.
Rootes Australia seemed wanting to concentrate on just the popular, for a while, Hillman and Humber brands.
In 1962 [I think it was] Chysler acquired the Rootes Group along with all of its overseas operations. Rootes cars were sent out to Chrysler Australia in CKD form and assembled at its Port Melbourne factory. That meant Chrysler's Australian arm was not only building/ assembling/ selling its own 6 cylinder Valiant but the Hillman Minx, the Super Minx, the Imp, the big Super Snipe and the Vogue along with 4 and 6 cylinder Simcas from France [ Chrysler also owned Simca] Inevitably Chrysler Australia had to rationalise its product range resulting in the Simcas being axed and the Rootes offerings being restricted to Hillman and Humbers. The Hillman Gazelle was an amalgamation of Hillman bits, the body was the Audax body, the dash and instrumentation came from the Super Minx and the engine was the twin carbie Alloy headed motor from the Rapier specially imported. The Vogue Sports came before the Gazelle and had the Rapier motor, it was for the Vogue Sports that the Rapier motor had originally been brought in and the Gazelle came about because Chrysler Australia needed to use up its stocks of the Rapier motor. The Vogue Sports carried a higher price tag than the standard Vogue and did not sell in the numbers expected by Chrysler Australia.
@@EVISEH "Chrysler Rootes Australia", as the receptionist had to answer the phone.
@@EVISEH Australian Humber Vogue benefited from Twin Carburettors, Disk Brakes and Electronic Overdrive - Managed to beat a Citroen DS for a Class Division Win at Mt Panorama Bathurst
@@satanslittlehelper3 That would have been quite an achievement, the Vogues were quite heavy in weight and only had a 1.6 motor to lug around that weight. I had a Series 2 Vogue with the iron head motor. Took ages to get to 60mph but once there would happily cruise there all day.
My Dad had one for 8 years and we loved it.
Interesting fact for those that are interested. Coventry City FC were founded as Singers FC. They were the works football team. Of course they only made bicycles at that point.
My Dad was Rootes. He had an old Minx. We had a newer Minx in the early 1970s- it was a stop gap after the Sunbeam Rapier with overdrive that Dad loved. We got it shortened in Bridgwater - on our way to a family holiday at Butlins, Minehead. Still drove it home but that was its last journey. Someone ran into the back of us at speed and pushed us in to the back of the car in front that had also stopped. The other car sped past us - as if the 2 had been racing.
After that 2nd Minx, he got the chance to have a Ford Rep's Granada Mk1 - it was down hill all the way after that one ! It had a boil-up on the motorway resulting in a cracked cylinder head + other issues.
I hate to disappoint you but even the Humber sceptre only had vinyl seats. I remember the sweaty sensations from my teenage years in my parents car.
Those Solex carbs had a problem with petrol leaks on a gasket thats probably why its swapped.
That they do, I’ve had a problem with mine on my singer gazelle around the throttle spindle and have just upgraded to a Weber since had no issues
Growing up in Maidstone, where Rootes had their largest showroom, in the 70s there were many, many Rootes vehicles around, including my Dad who had a Singer Gazelle for a few years. I agree that Rootes cars need more recognition and love! Great video.
In the 70's we had a Commer PB van to transport our dirt bikes to the moors. The woeful 1500 3 bearing crank motor got quite knocky. We bought from a scrapyard a 1725 5 bearing car motor, installed over a weekend, it transformed the van. With the short van gearing and Town & country tyres it would wheel spin everywhere in the wet when provoked.
Rewind to the 60's when I was about 10-11, I used to drive my fathers PB pickup around the docks of Plymouth of a saturday afternoon as there was no one else there. Had a few moments when the narrow front track axle got me stuck on the rail lines, I had to man (boy) handle it on to my desired course back to my dad.
Wow! My dad had an A reg automatic Singer Vogue in blue. We drove all the way from London to Cornwall in summer 1970 collecting the Esso World Cup football coins as we went. Great holiday and fond memories.
Blast from the past for me. My grandad had one this colour and took us kids many miles in it. I remember the sticky vinyl! I think in summer we took a towel to sit on. And it was big excitement if we hit 70 mph down hill on the newly opened M4. Happy days. He loved it and so did we, but living near the seaside the salt air accelerated the rusting and it lasted him less than 10 years.
Happy memories. Never been in a Super Minx Vogue but my Dad had a Green Arrows Singer Vogue. He had a white Arrows Hillman Minx but the neighbour lady drove me to school in a Metallic Green Super Minx Estate, which I knew was older but looked classier with Metallic paint which few cars had in 1972. Dad ordered a Peugeot 504 Family Estate In 1975 but delivery was taking so long that he was one day away from finalising the deal on a 1975 Humber Sceptre Estate in Metallic Green when the 504 turned up. Yes the 504 was Metallic Green. Every one of them had vinyl seats. Possibly the Sceptre would have been leather, never found out. We were Rootes people.
I used to laugh at people who kept cars like this going, but I get it now I am older. Takes a special kind of person that I think you grow to become.
I remember going on a trip down the South Island in my brother's Singer Vogue Estate in the 1980's. It has seen better days; the floor pan in the passenger side footwell had some small holes due to rust and you could see the road through it. Driving along back road NZ forestry tracks at 50-60 mph, coming over crests and hitting possums, with bits of possum spraying into the cabin as a result. Very comfy car over long distances and handled the forestry roads really well. Fantastically enjoyable trip actually.
Those Carnivorous Possums in New Zealand are cross bred with Drop Bears
This is the first car I remember. My Father had one in the mid 60's. It was in the same colour as the one in the review. I have a vague recollection of the engine not starting, but luckily it came with a crank handle that you could put in the front and manually turn the engine over when things got desperate. That rolling sensation and the airy light feeling were definitely the positives of being in a Singer Vogue as a 4 year old
The original carburettor on the alloy head Vogue, Rapier, Sceptre and 1592 Alpine was the Solex 32 PAIA. It was a twin choke with vacuum operated secondary choke. The best thing about it was that it was quite light. You could throw it a long way. The Weber 28/36 DCD from a Cortina GT was a straight substitution fit and transformed the running. Nice cars the alloy head Rootes range, The iron head cars were glacial in comparison.
I’m surprised that 1970s Sunbeam Rapier Fastbacks aren’t worth a lot more money than they are. They are beautiful cars designed by Roy Axe I believe
to be fair hubster , the peddles were designed with winkle pickers in mind not hiking boots !!
also
imagine seeing that beauty coming towards you on the road , what kind of smile does it put on faces ???
Those warning lights roll to give two levels of illumination ! Don’t forget my Alpine is still ready for your test drive Ian!
Cheers. May have got lost in email account changes. If you haven't mailed ian@hubnut.org in the past two months, please do so again.
@@HubNut I was about to say when the tab is down its for night to give less dazzle, I had a 1966 Humber Sceptre MK II with the same feature
Thanks for this video of the model I spent my early childhood travelling in during the late 1960s. CPT521B, I've never forgotten.
I bought one of these (second hand) back in 1971 when I was a young aircraft technician in the RAF.
It certainly brings back memories of wonderful times - girls in hot pants, parties and a carefree life.
Many years ago all of our family cars were from the Rootes Group.
Humber Sceptre, Sunbeam Rapier, Singer Vogue estate, Sunbeam Alpine.
All very similar mechanically, but so individual in terms of trim and styling.
Clever stuff really.
Sceptre was always our favourite, it was relatively luxurious and had the Laycock de Normanville overdrive unit..oh that deliciously delicate stalk on the steering column!
My Dad had a Vauxhall Velox with a ribbon speedometer and it was always fascinating as a small child.
My father had one of these although in Australia it was called a Humber Vogue Sport. The Humber part of the name relates to the Humber Super Snipe and the headlights and grill looked similar. Inside was real wood trim and I think the gear stick was in a console. I remember my father telling me that the front track was wider than the rear so it would corner better. Our family of 5, 2 adults and 3 children would cram into it and drive from Melbourne to Brisbane for our holidays with the rellies. He had this car for a while and in that time I bought a second hand Mazda RX2 which was faster than his so not to be outdone he traded it on a Chrysler Valiant 770 2 door with 318 v8. Thanks for the memories.
Always liked the look of Rootes cars from the 50s/60s, the interiors always strike me as being more interesting than those in rival BMC products too 👍
The estate version of this was the car I learned to drive in (my dad's car). By the time it was replaced in about 1975, much of the bodywork had been replaced by fibreglass. No synchro on 1st gear meant either coming to a complete stop when going slowly uphill in traffic or hearing a terrible graunching noise.
A starter handle kept inside the boot for those days when the battery and starter motor combo failed to live up to expectations.
In pre-motorway years nobody ever cruised at 70mph and this was a good solid car, went on forever.
Lovely! Reminds me of my 1964 singer Gazelle, albeit the vogue is in much better shape...
This Gazelle sounds familiar 😉
I owned one of these in NZ
Bought it new and I still think about that car with great affection. Mine had 9the 1725 cc engine. Now living in Colombia with a W124 300E Mercedes.
Thats a great car like something from a 1960s Miss Marple movie, please more Rootes cars, Sunbeam V8, Super Snipe and Hillmann Imp :-)
I had one! The best £35 pound I ever spent. Did have a bit of tin work but I love the styling both inand out . Now better watch the vid........
That engine has an alloy rocker cover. If my memory serves me right, the alloy rocker cover was on the 1725. The 1500cc engine had a pressed steel one.
Lovely, my dad had a green Singer Vogue just like that, but it was an auto. Later traded it for a Humber Sceptre. They all vinyl. Remember burning my legs in shorts in the summer in them.
Great to see you back me old HubNut
Was about to say you ended in Letchworth :) lovely old place
Knew croft lane in the 60s.rog.
That sluggish starter motor sound reminded me of getting a lift to school in a friend’s parents’ Super Minx, though that usually had a knackered battery and it was always a gamble on whether it could be bump started before we ran out of hill!
Ah.. This is great Ian.. My Uncle owned one of these.. JUK 744D.. so one of the very last in production. I have great memories of weekend trips with my Mother and 2 Aunts... He kept it immaculate until the day he sold it.. It's probably responsible for my years of my love of 'ordinary / extraordinary' car ownership.. All the best mate.. Jon
17:56 that driver's eye view is that of a 89 year old little old lady that sits at the level of a six year old, stairing out through the steering wheel. With other road users seeing just the forehead and curled hair as she potters about the streets.
Not quite. But I agree with the imagery. Well spotted!
That's a lovely car, I love the twin headlights and rear lamps.
As a previous Hillman Imp and Avenger Tiger MK1 owner I was a big fan and years later I used to visit the Coventry factory's as a sales rep. Those were the days of Hunter export kits to Iran.
Oh that's lovely. My dad was a Rootes car man (after a fall out with the local ford garage) spent my childhood in them. Handbrake on the right hand side, all comes flooding back 😂 more please Ian if poss & thanks 👍
It's a beautiful car. 84 hp from a 1960s 1.6 OHV engine is quite impressive
Top video once again Mr. Hubnut. Was called Humber Vogue in Australia. We actually had a model called the ‘Sport’ which had a 1750cc engine. A friend has one he is rightly very proud of.
Count Arthur Strong will be getting jealous. I really am.
That 1965 car has had seat belts fitted after market. I 'helped' my dad fit some to his 1965 Cortina, using a Black and Decker drill which was made of cast metal :)
I've been wallpapering all day, so a Hubnut video has definitely cheered me up :)
I owned the 1966 1725 cc model, lovely car to drive, great gearbox, very slick, before the singer i had the Hillman minx, 1725 cc, with 13,000 miles on the clock, also a lovely car. 😀
My dear old dad had one of these in the 60's as one of his company cars. It was a silver estate model and I remember the day he bought it home and it had that lovely new car smell and thanks for reminding me about those green and blue warning lights that you could move up and down to make brighter or darker. Happy days.
What a beautiful Car. A British car wiv an American Twist going on, those Rear Wings are Fabulous.
Even if it Required Restoration that's a Magic Ebay Purchase.
The Owner must feel like the King of the Road..!
Great Review mr. HubNut, as always Detail, Detail and yet more Detail.
Love your work as I am sure you do too...! 🤗
Cheers from Oz. 😎
Great video. From what I remember the very final Vogues, as with the Minx and Gazelles (before all became Arrow cars) had the 1725 cc engines which were apparently as far as they could go without boring through the engine block. I think it started as a 1390 cc engine, although (I think) they had become 5 bearing instead of 3 bearing engines and eventually some had alloy heads and even twin carbs. The most powerful was of course the Sunbeam Rapier H120, a far cry from the humble beginnings of the small, cuddly little Hillman Husky of 1957. What Rootes needed, to keep up with the opposition were new, more modern engines, which oddly enough, the Hillman Imp came with; all alloy, overhead camshaft which loved revving. Apparently the original Imps (with only 800cc engines) being tested were so fast they had to be de-tuned or they'd have have out performed bigger more luxurious cars on offer, which at the time would never have done. Happy Days.
Have had the pleasure of the superminx,what a cracking little car no complaints
My late father's last car was an automatic Singer Vogue Estate in a darker green, the video brought back a lot of memories; I often wonder what became of "Ahab" AHB 997C
Getting a bit choked up watching this...So many fond memories have just overwhelmed me. Back in the early 80's my Grandfather was still driving his 'owned from new' 1966 Sunbeam Rapier with overdrive, which fascinated me! It was activated by a stalk on the steering column. My tiny child mind had never seen another car with this super power. At the same time a good family friend was driving a freshly restored Hillman Minx, his Dad had a beautiful mint condition 2 tone pearl grey and burgundy Singer Vogue called 'Pearl' Thanks to Elkie Brooks 1977 hit...'Pearls a Singer' Happy times...Awesome cars! Well worth burning the back of your legs on the vinyl seats on a hot summers day, when forced to wear shorts...haha!!!
My Dad had a D plate(? 1966) Super Minx Estate, 1725 cc.
It replaced his Austin Cambridge estate.
In turn, the Super Minx was replaced by the first in a number of Maxis he owned.
Dad had a Cambridge, I had a 1725 Super Minx, I loved em both ❤️❤️
My Dad picked me up from school in his new Arrow Singer Vogue . I was so excited! It looked fantastic in gold with those great rectangular headlights and the interior was properly luxurious (this was 1968,remember). I loved the little sliding covers over the warning lights so you weren't distracted at night ( I was only 8!) . Loved that car.
In Australia these were badged as Humbers. Humber being Roote's premium brand in Australia. Nice solid vehicles, with leather seats Polished Walnut burr dash and door cappings. From experience, cars equipped with the iron cylinder head motor were not particularly fast but would cruise all day at 100km / 60 mph. They were in quite a luxury car. The only fault they had was a constantly leaking front timing chain cover, an affliction which all of Rootes four cylinder engines suffered from due to Rootes insistence on using an oil slinger instead of a rubber ring seal where the crankshaft exited the time chain cover. Still the resultant oil leak did cause quite a number of Rootes cars to survive long-term as the oil tended to be blown back under the floor-pan providing excellent rust proofing in the process.
That's how the bonnet of your car should open even my modern car still have the Old stick to old bonnet open great video 👊
Sunbeam Holbay Rapier Fastback 1725cc with overdrive
I had a white one106hp with an orange stripe and twin carbs with Rostyle wheels and vinyl seats! 👍
Here on the USA side of the pond, Hillman Minxes used to be fairly common up through the '70s. But I've only seen 4 of the 'Super-Minx' family in rhe past 50 years. First was the mid '70s, when I acquired a very rusty '62 Super-Minx convertible for $50, and proceeded to patch and repair it as best I could with almost non-existent parts support. I found the Super-Minx to be quite peppy and sporty, compared to the old-fashioned, underpowered Mercedes 'Ponton' 180 I had at the time.
In between I also spotted a pair of Super-Minx estates, one with an automatic gearbox.
Finally, it was during the mid '80s. after I bought a '67 Sunbeam Alpine, and needed an upper front A-arm and spare wheel. Both donated by a Humber Scepter in a wrecking-yard. I recall the Scepter was the same color as this, but with the wrap-around back-glass, and I had read that Scepters came with overdrive.That was going to be my next prize, since my Alpine didn't have overdrive - but discovered someone had beat me to it, as the entire gearbox was missing from the Scepter. Oh well, somehow my Alpine survived without overdrive for 12 years!
Totally with you on wrap around rear window Ian 🇬🇧
I had a 64 Humber Sceptre around 1975, it had a 1750 cc engine the same as fitted in the Commer Vans of the day, with overdrive. I was in the UK from Germany on leave and picked it up from Jalopy Corner in The Birmingham Evening Mail and Despatch, for £20, drove it around for 2 weeks and got £10 from the scrapper. So £5 a week, cheaper than car hire. I drove it on my insurance that I had on my Celica in Germany, and always made sure that any car I got for leave had a month tax and MOT.
Nice drive, leather bench seats similar configuration to that Vogue.
My sister worked in the office of Rootes on Coventry Road, Small Heath or Balsall Heath.
Good video. In the 1960's MG's motto was "Safety Fast!" Singer's motto should have been "Safety Last!" The 1957 Pontiac's also had the easy-to-read ribbon speedometer.
We had a black Humber Sceptre. As a kid it reminded me of the Batmobile with those rear fins . I remember the dash looking class and that round Jensenesque back window . Rust ended its days 😪
I had a 1958 Hillman Minx back in 1972. It was so poverty spec that it had no oil filter, and the starter was operated by a pull cable, rather than fit a solenoid. Although they had a name for rotting out the rear spring hangers mine survived several MoT tests.
I had a 1962 Singer Gazelle 1600cc with overdrive, it was a great comfortable easy to drive car with the only problem being rust !! I had to replace both front wings and the car was only 7 years old.
Lovely color scheme. I can see why the Owner chose that Car to restore. I have two Singers here @ Home.....lovely Sewing Machines they are too..Lol.
Now this takes me back to when I were a lad. My father replaced his Austin A35 (cream bodywork, red leather bench seats, column gear change) with a Singer Gazelle in 1966. He liked it so much (particularly its 1725cc engine) that he replaced with another one three years later. When he came to replace that one he was bitterly disappointed to be told that "They don't make them any more, sir." The search for a suitable replacement was the longest that I can recall. He eventually settled on a Simca 1501, a lovely, roomy car but with bodywork no thicker than cigarette paper.
You mention the Sunbeam Alpine, I got a MKIII complete with a hard top s/h in 1970. Super little car at the time, and one of the few sports cars you could do some serious courting in courtesy of the fully reclining seats. Mine, like a lot of others, was very prone to rusting, especially in the front and rear wings despite it only being a few years old. Happy days!
The first time I ever came across the Singer name was when I was 16 as a college friend had an early Vogue (with the amazing curved glass rear window :-) ) that he shared with his Dad. I was well impressed with it and over the following years learned about so many other cars that had disappeared from the roads that were built in the glory days of the British motor industry. As always a very detialed and interesting video celebrating a great car
my sister had a pale blue Alpine wire wheels oh as a 9 year old I loved it!!
Took my driving test in Letchworth! Many a dinky roundabout
The very first car I ever rode in.
My parents brought me home from hospital in one when I was born.
I remember these from my childhood. Nice styling and a lovely car
The warning lights need flipping up to brighten, the little lenses flip up for daytime use, I had them in my 1965 Singer Gazelle
My Dad had one just like this, even the same colour, Rootes Silver Moss, on a C-plate. He told me it was very economical. The video really brought back memories such as the fur trim round the doors and the linear speedometer. I really liked this car when I was about 5 years old, still do. His definitely had round mirrors at the front of each wing mounted on spring bases so they would not break but go back if hit by something. They were out of reach and I remember him sitting in the car while his dad adjusted the mirror for him. I don't expect you could see much with them right down the front. Maybe on your test car they went in the resto. There was also a telescopic aerial on the top of the wing, which you could reach to put up/down even when driving! We were on holiday in it once when a wasp got in the car so I got out of the back window (it was stationary!). You couldn't do that with a modern car!
Great video, love Rootes Group cars. So much obsession with BMC, Ford and Vauxhall but Rootes cars were just 'right' somehow. Very British and they clearly cared about quality but with just the right amount of transatlantic flair added to the mix.
Very true Paul, a sad loss in the Talbot/Peugeot years