AUTOBODY NOTES

Landaulet body by Thrupp and Maberly.

HISTORY

Seven special landaulet-bodied Humber Pullmans were built to be used on a tour of the Commonwealth by King George VI of England. The tour was cancelled due to the king’s failing health but one of the Humbers was acquired by the royal family of Tonga and used by the then monarch, Queen Salote. It was later sold and went to Australia. The present king and Queen Salote’s grandson, George Tupou V, had fond memories of riding in the car as a child, so located it and bought it back, sending it to Auto Restorations for a complete restoration to original specification. Air conditioning was added to make the car more comfortable in the Tongan climate. The finished car was used by King Tupou at his coronation in 2008.

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL: A MESSAGE FROM THE KING’S PRIVATE SECRETARY

The following message came from David Dunkley, the King’s private secretary:

“We took the car to His Majesty and he is very pleased with the finished restoration work. He specifically asked me to pass on his appreciation to you and your firm for the quality of the work you have completed. I have attached a photo of HM with a friend of his standing by the Humber in the grounds of his Villa.”