Originally a manufacturer of bicycles, Humber moved onto motorcycle production and then their first car in 1898 – although this was actually a three-wheeled tricar. The first conventional four-wheeler appeared in 1901. Always aiming for the upper end of the British automobile market, in 1929 Humber amalgamated with its partly-owned subsidiary, the Hillman Motor Car Company, which produced more mainstream vehicles – providing the joint operation with a wider market appeal. Humber's independence ended in 1931, when the Rootes brothers (who controlled Hillman) bought a majority shareholding in the amalgamated company. As part of the Rootes Group, Humber continued to produce quality vehicles, such as the four-cylinder Hawk and six-cylinder Super Snipe - luxurious saloons used as official cars and often chauffeur-driven. The Rootes Group problems with developing the Imp led to financial losses in the early ‘60s, which resulted in the acquisition of the company by Chrysler in 1967. The last Humber-specific models were produced in 1968, although the marque name continued to be used on re-worked Hillman models until 1976.