The one-ton FV1600 series military cargo truck was, in our view, one of the finest examples of post-war British truck engineering, an incredible achievement by the Rootes Group and the MoS (Ministry of Supply). Fascinatingly, the group decided to market it under the Humber name to the British Army, giving its new 4 x 4 army truck a unique place in military history by marketing what would become known as the FV1600 series under the Humber name rather than its truck-type Commer banner.
Using a name that hadn’t been generally associated with tough trucks, the Rootes Group was following through from their lighter weight offerings to the British Military during World War Two. In 1939, the group produced the very well-respected and much-loved Humber Utility, a four-wheel drive staff car/personnel carrier, powered by Humber’s own 4.08-litre petrol engine. Producing around 85 bhp, it did great service in the Second World War and became known as ‘the Box’; some were later turned into convertible-types as the campaigns moved into hot or humid climates. It is said that these Humber staff cars had to be prised from the hands of officers whouse in later models.
