The Rootes Group: Humber, Hillman, Sunbeam, Singer, Commer, Karrier

By Richard Loveys

The Rootes Group once dominated the British motor industry, and its legacy lives on in thousands of carefully maintained cars – most notably Hillmans, Humbers, Singers and Sunbeams. In this book, using beautiful images from the Rootes Archive Centre, Richard Loveys details the Group's history and leading car models, from its creation as a car dealership by William and Reginald Rootes, through its transition into motor manufacture, and expansion by taking companies over and developing their car and commercial vehicle ranges. It was a significant contributor to the war effort in 1939–45, producing large numbers of military aircraft and vehicles, and in its post-war heyday produced such icons as the Sunbeam Alpine and Hillman Imp.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Mar 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781784423384

Richard Loveys

Richard Loveys has been a Member of the Aston Martin Owners Club for over forty years and has owned two Aston Martins. He was active in helping run his local AMOC Area for some ten years, and became a Trustee of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust in 2008. The first fifteen years of his career were spent in car manufacturing and distribution.

Book preview

IN THE BEGINNING

THE ROOTES GROUP was established by William and Reginald Rootes, born in Kent in 1894 and 1896 respectively. Their father William started with bicycles and then motor cars. In 1897 car sales were added to the business, including de Dion, Humber, Napier and Panhard. Car hire was soon available. By 1904 William owned a New Orleans car that he had seen at a London Motor Show.

Young William was outgoing and practical but did not do well at school and was apprenticed to the Singer Motor Company in Coventry when he was sixteen. Singer was a thriving car manufacturer which used motor sport for publicity. William achieved excellent results, applying what he had learned from his father. In contrast, Reginald was an excellent scholar who benefited greatly from his time at school. He trained as an accountant and joined the Admiralty; he did well and showed potential for a successful career.

William’s employer was developing the new Singer 10, which was aimed at a wider market than before. William was involved and was also influenced by the company’s success in motoring competitions. In mid-1913 he decided to start his own business selling Singer cars rather than finishing his apprenticeship. William senior was not impressed and refused to lend him any money; sufficient funds were raised by selling his small chicken business and he ordered fifty cars, which surprised the company.

Singer competed actively at Brooklands (as did Hillman, Humber and Sunbeam), achieving good results. The publicity helped William to sell the fifty cars. He demonstrated real sales ability and trustworthiness. William took premises in Maidstone and his father joined him to sell cars. Young William joined the Royal Naval Air Service in the 1914–18 war; he was posted to Clement Talbot, which was building aircraft engines. He noticed that there was a high scrap rate and convinced the Admiralty that he could do better and, after demobilisation, established Rootes Maidstone to repair aircraft engines.

William Rootes senior’s premises at Hawkhurst in Kent, where the business started with the manufacturing and sale of bicycles.

After the war William and his father revived the dormant car business – and William persuaded Reginald to join them. They ran the company with their father as Chairman; he contributed capital, experience and contacts. The brothers had complementary personalities and skills; it was said that William was the engine while Reginald provided the brakes and steering.

William went to the USA in 1920 to find car manufacturers, as UK ones could not meet demand. He obtained the agency for General Motors. He and Reginald made regular working trips to North America. The brothers were eventually one of the biggest and most successful car distributors in the UK. The business continued to expand and a London showroom in Long Acre supplemented the Kent facility.

Additional premises were taken in New Bond Street. Rootes took over several independent car dealers, including Robins and Day in Rochester, and George Heath of Birmingham in 1924. There was a huge increase in the number of locations where the company operated and the variety of marques that it supplied, retail or wholesale.

In 1925 Rootes Ltd bought Thrupp and Maberly, which made high-quality bodies for chassis from companies such as Bentley, Daimler, Lagonda and Rolls-Royce. Soon afterwards a group formed to attempt to regain the world land speed record for Britain. The car, Golden Arrow, had its body built by Thrupp and Maberly and used a Napier engine. Henry Segrave drove it and raised the record to 231mph in 1929, watched by his friend William Rootes – a good example of the excellent personal connections that William had as a result of his hard work and likeable character.

Devonshire House, in Piccadilly, is opposite the Ritz Hotel. It became the Rootes headquarters in 1926 but is now an Audi showroom.

William (later Lord Rootes) saw opportunities to export British-manufactured vehicles and established a Chiswick depot; it soon had to be enlarged. A central base was needed, and this was found at Devonshire House. The prestigious building provided space for central administration, and home