Thomas Humber established a business bearing his surname in Sheffield, the UK during the late 1860s. It was briefly associated with Harry Lawson's British Motor Syndicate, manufacturing de Dion Bouton-type tricycles and motorcycles. They wisely severed ties with the H.J. Lawson empire and by 1898 had built its first motorcar independently. The early examples were manufactured in Coventry and then in Beeston near Nottingham. By 1901, engineering designer Louis Herve Coatalen had become an influential member of the Humber design staff and by 1903 single, twin, and four-cylinder cars were a part of Humber's sales catalogs. John Budge, another influential Humber staff member, joined the team in 1904 and helped improve the Humber product.

Thomas Humber passed away in 1910, but his company lived on and continued to establish a reputation for quality that would endure well into the 1930s. Humber acquired Hillman in 1928 and soon after, Humber was in turn acquired by the Rootes Group, which also acquired Humber-owned Hillman. Humber became associated with the luxury and expensive market segment while the Hillman was built in higher quantities, catering to the masses.

The Snipe 80 was built from 1930 through 1935 and was named after the 80-millimeter bore dimension of each of its engine's cylinders. Power was from an inline six-cylinder, seven-main-bearing side-valve engine displacing 3,498cc. The engine was rubber-mounted into an X-braced chassis equipped with Bendix brakes. Available gearboxes included a four-speed manual transmission and advanced de Normanville semi-automatic gearboxes, with the latter often replaced by more conventional manual gearboxes. Each of the five catalog body styles was mostly produced in-house. During the 1930s, Humber contracted Captain Molyneux, who according to period Humber advertisements, added stylistic flair and eye-catching color combinations intended to appeal to the growing numbers of female automobile buyers.

For 1934, the Snipe and its sibling, the 16/60 which had a 2,276cc engine, both received extensive restyling.

by Dan Vaughan