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A famous Humber racer in retirement
An interesting series appeared in the Autocar of 1910 and 1911 under the heading: Famous cars in retirement. Cars and especially racing cars often received a second life because of their outstanding performances: maybe not enough for the real work anymore, but still enough to impress in daily life. A nice example is this Beeston Humber, which raced with number 31 and with W.G. Tuck at wheel in the Tourist Trophy of 1908. The car didn't finish because of ignition problems. Already as a racer with its 'meat safe' bonnet and water reservoir behind it the car lacked the regular Humber looks, but after the make-over it had become completely unrecognizable. The Autocar commented on the new bonnet that it had 'a distinct individuality', but without a clue the modified car would have been an enigma for any identification specialist. Another interesting fact was that the current owner in 1910 was the designer of the forerunners of the 1907 Rover TT winner as well as of the 1908 Deasy TT racers. His name: Edmund W. Lewis.
Words and pictures: Ariejan Bos