Humber Limited
Humber Limited was a British manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles, and cars incorporated and listed on the stock exchange in 1887. It took the name "Humber & Co Limited" because of the high reputation of the products of one of the constituent businesses that had belonged to Thomas Humber. A financial reconstruction in 1899 transferred its business to Humber Limited. From an interest in motor vehicles beginning in 1896, the motor division became much more important than the cycle division and the cycle trade marks were sold to Raleigh in 1932. The motorcycles were withdrawn from sale during the depression of the 1930s. Humber is now a dormant marque for automobiles as well as cycles. Following their involvement in Humber through Hillman in 1928 the Rootes brothers acquired 60 per cent of Humber's ordinary capital, sufficient for a controlling interest. The two Rootes brothers joined the Humber board in 1932 and began to make Humber the holding company for vehicle manufacturing members of what became their Rootes Group. By 1960 annual production was around 200,000 vehicles. Previous insistence on Rootes family control, however, may have led to under-capitalisation of the business. Building a brand new car, the Hillman Imp, proved beyond Humber and Rootes Group resources and their businesses were bought by the Chrysler Corporation in 1967. Ownership and control Private investors from incorporation and first listing in 1887 Amalgamation with Hillman 1928, Hillman newly controlled by Rootes brothers Rootes Securities acquires 60 per cent of Humber, Hillman is made a Humber subsidiary 1932 Chrysler Corporation acquires control of Rootes Motors (colloquially "Rootes Group") 1967 Wholly owned operating subsidiaries Commer (Commercial Cars Ltd) 1925 Hillman (merger 1929 — subsidiary 1930) Thrupp & Maberly 1926 — coachbuilders, ex Rootes Securities 1932 Clément-Talbot 1935 renamed Sunbeam-Talbot Sunbeam Motor Car Company 1935 trolleybuses only Karrier Motors 1934 British Light Steel Pressings 1937, merged with Thrupp & Maberly in 1939 Tilling-Stevens 1950 (partly owned until February 1964) Singer Motors 1956 (partly owned until February 1964) History 1887–1918 Cycle industry The cycle industry was consolidating in the late 1880s and partners Thomas Humber and fledgling company promoter T Harrison Lambert sold their Humber Cycles business to investors who added a number of other substantial cycle manufacturers and then floated the new combine on the stock exchange. Such was the public's recognition of Humber products and their high quality and reliability the whole new organisation was named Humber & Co Limited though Humber's was not the largest component. Thomas Humber agreed to manage the whole enterprise with its works in Coventry and Wolverhampton as well as Beeston. He retired in 1892 at the end of his 5-year contract. Humber expanded into Europe and in 1896 their subsidiary, Humber (France), joined with La Société des Vélocipedes Clément and La Société des Cycles Gladiator obtaining stock exchange listings in order to form "one of the largest Cycle monopolies in Europe" and with the intention of improving the position of Humber (France). The directors expressed the greatest interest in the