MCEME Secunderabad maintains a vintage Humber Super Snipe
The Super Snipe model was derived by combining the four-litre inline six-cylinder engineer from the larger Humber Pullman, with the chassis and body of the three litre Humber Snipe.
Hyderabad: Vintage cars have a timeless charm to them and a few iconic ones from the pre-independence era are still in use, though mainly in ceremonies and for vintage rallies. The Secunderabad-based Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME), has the distinction of maintaining one such legacy car, a Humber Super Snipe right from 1941.
Originally launched in October 1938, the Super Snipe model was derived by combining the four-litre inline six-cylinder engineer from the larger Humber Pullman, with the chassis and body of the three litre Humber Snipe. With a top speed of 79 miles per hour, it was one of the cars with the most enhanced performance at the time. Within a year of its introduction, World War II broke out in Europe and the car entered military service in the British Military. The same chassis was also used for an armoured reconnaissance vehicle and the Humber Light Reconnaissance Car.
The one at MCEME is a 1941 make, initially assigned with the number AB-11, later changed to AP-10 F 4566, after it was decommissioned from the military. The car was shipped to India in 1943 and post-Independence, was used by the then serving General, KM Cariappa OBE, who later became Field Marshal of the Indian Army.
In 1958, the car was declared unserviceable and in 1964, the car was taken by the 515 Army Base Workshop, Bengaluru where various repairs were carried out and was used by various commandants till 1976.
Since 1977, being a vintage piece and an elite model, it has been in the Mechanical Engineering Department of MCEME and was taken up for complete overhauling in 1994. The diligent technicians of MCEME and soldier craftsmen of Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering restored it and overhauled it and now it serves the Commandant, MCEME.
The car was pitched for the Vintage Car Competition on November 10, 1995 against big names and stars including a 1930 Rolls Royce, 1949 Buick Super and a 1921 Little Baby Austin but still came out one of the winners.
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