The Standard Vanguard is a car which was produced by the
Standard Motor Company
The Standard Motor Company Limited was a motor vehicle manufacturer, founded in Coventry, England, in 1903 by Reginald Walter Maudslay. For many years, it manufactured Ferguson TE20 tractors powered by its Vanguard engine. All Standard's tract ...
in
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
, England, from 1947 until 1963.
The car was announced in July 1947, was completely new, with no resemblance to the previous models, and, designed in 1945, it was Standard's first post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
car and intended for export around the world. It was also the first model to carry the new Standard badge, which was a heavily stylised representation of the wings of a
griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon ( Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and ...
.
In the wake of World War II, many potential customers in the UK and in English-speaking export markets had recently experienced several years of military or naval service, and therefore a car name related to the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
carried a greater resonance than it would for later generations. The name of the Standard Vanguard recalled HMS ''Vanguard'', the last of the Royal Navy's
battleships
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type o ...
, launched in 1944 amid much media attention; permission to use the name involved Standard in extensive negotiations with senior Royal Navy personnel.
The Vanguard was first exhibited to the public at the
Brussels Motor Show
The European Motor Show Brussels is an auto show held biennial in the city of Brussels, Belgium. The number of visitors is around 600.000. The show is organized by FEBIAC and is scheduled by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Aut ...
in February 1948. It began to come off the assembly lines in the middle of 1948 but all production was allotted to the export trade. An estate car and a utility pick up version were announced in September, and then a 12 cwt delivery van. Aprons were fitted over the Vanguard's rear wheels from September 1949.
In 1950, the Vanguard and the Triumph Renown were the first cars to be fitted with a Laycock de Normanville overdrive. The Laycock overdrive operated on the second and third gears of the three-speed transmission, creating, in effect, a five-speed gearbox.
In
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...
, Standard marketed the Standard Ten saloon as the Vanguard Junior.
Vanguard Phase I
Chassis and running gear
The car used a conventional chassis on which was mounted the slab sided body. Suspension was independent at the front with coil springs, and a live axle and leaf springs at the rear. Front and rear
anti-roll bars
An anti-roll bar (roll bar, anti-sway bar, sway bar, stabilizer bar) is a part of many automobile suspensions that helps reduce the body roll of a vehicle during fast cornering or over road irregularities. It connects opposite (left/right) whee ...
were fitted. The brakes were cable driven with 9-inch (228 mm) drums all round, and to make the most of the interior space a column gear change was used initially on the right of the steering wheel then later on the left.
Engine
The same wet liner engine was used throughout the range until the advent of the Six model in 1960, and was an overhead-valve unit of bore and stroke with single Solex downdraught carburettor. The
compression ratio
The compression ratio is the ratio between the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber in an internal combustion engine at their maximum and minimum values.
A fundamental specification for such engines, it is measured two ways: the stati ...
was 6.7:1. Wet cylinder liners were fitted. The engine was essentially the same as that made by Standard for the
Ferguson TE20
The Ferguson TE20 is an agricultural tractor designed by Harry Ferguson. By far his most successful design, it was manufactured from 1946 until 1956, and was commonly known as the ''Little Grey Fergie''. It marked a major advance in tractor de ...
tractor, with some changes for automobile use.
Transmission
At first, the transmission included a three-speed gearbox with
synchromesh
A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear change ...
on all forward ratios, controlled using a column-mounted lever. The option of Laycock-de-Normanville overdrive was announced at the end of 1949 and became available in June 1950, priced for UK buyers at slightly under £45 including purchase tax. Laycock overdrives were cable operated on top gear until 1954 when an electric solenoid was added.
Broadening the range of available bodies
An
estate car
A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
joined the range in 1950 and, for Belgium only, some
convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
s were made by the
Impéria
Impéria Automobiles was a Belgian manufacturer of automobiles, active between 1906 and 1948. Its factory in Nessonvaux, Liège had a rooftop test track since 1928.
History
Impéria was a Belgian automobile manufactured from 1906 until ...
coach-building company.
Road test data
A car tested by ''
The Motor
''The Motor'' (later, just ''Motor'') was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903 and published by Temple Press. It was initially launched as ''Motorcycling and Motoring'' in 1902 before the title was shortened. From the 14 ...
'' magazine in 1949 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 21.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £671 including taxes.
Commercial
In line with the post-war British export drive, virtually the total output was exported for the first two years of production and only in 1950 did significant home market deliveries start. The Vanguard was intended to achieve export sales, with a particular focus on Australia. During the immediate post-war period, cars were in short supply, creating a "seller's market". Restricted availability of the Vanguard helped attract willing buyers.
Closer to home, in the slowly recovering West German market the Standard Vanguard recorded 405 sales in 1950, making it the country's third most popular imported automobile, in a list otherwise featuring much smaller cars from French and Italian manufacturers. In fact, the Vanguard sales in 1950 accounted for more than 70% of the British cars sold in West Germany that year, customers of other UK manufacturers having reportedly been caught out in the late 1940s by the lack of a dealer network and difficulties in obtaining replacement parts.
File:Standard Vanguard Saloon 1951 (7902270400).jpg, Standard Vanguard Phase I Saloon
File:1952 Standard Vanguard Phase l estate.jpg, Standard Vanguard Phase I Estate
File:1950 Vanguard Phase I Pick up (14109848297).jpg, Standard Vanguard Phase I Coupe Utility
File:Standard Vanguard Phase I van with weak pun on roof.JPG, Standard Vanguard Phase I Van
File:Imperia Standard Vanguard Convertible (16519977122).jpg, Standard Vanguard Phase I Convertible by Imperia of Belgium
Phase IA - 1952 facelift
The body was updated in 1952 with a lowered bonnet line, a wider rear window and a new grille featuring a wide horizontal chrome bar in place of the narrow, more closely packed slats of the original grille. This became known as the Phase 1A.
File:Standard Vanguard Phase IA 1952 rear.jpg, Standard Vanguard Phase 1A Saloon
File:Standard Vanguard Estate - Flickr - mick - Lumix.jpg, Standard Vanguard Phase 1A Estate
File:Standard Vanguard Phase 1A Pick-Up pic2.JPG, Standard Vanguard Phase 1A Pickup
Vanguard Phase II
The Swiss importer for the Vanguard was an energetic firm called AMAG, which later took on the Swiss Volkswagen franchise. AMAG themselves assembled the Swiss market Phase I Vanguards, and it was at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1953 that an extensive re-design was unveiled: the Phase II Vanguard was of a contemporary Ponton
three-box
The configuration of a car body is typically determined by the layout of the engine, passenger and luggage compartments, which can be shared or separately articulated. A key design feature is the car's roof-supporting pillar (car), pillars, design ...
" notch-back" design. Boot/trunk capacity increased by 50% in comparison to that of the Phase I, and visibility was improved with a further enlarged rear window. A new, extended, grille now encompassed the parking lights.
Mechanically there were few changes, but the clutch changed from cable to hydraulic operation and the engine compression ratio increased to 7.2:1. The previously fitted anti-roll bar was no longer used. Wider 6.00x16 tyres were fitted to improve road holding.
A car that was tested by ''The Motor'' magazine, without the optional overdrive, had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 19.9 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded.
In February 1954 Standard became the first British car maker to offer a diesel engine as a factory fitted option. The chassis was stiffened to take the weight of the heavier engine and performance suffered with about the top speed. Like the petrol engines, the diesel was a Standard-built "20C" engine developed for the Ferguson tractor. The diesels fitted to the tractor were restricted to 2200 rpm and developed , but road-going engines in Vanguards had no limiter and so produced at 3800 rpm. However, they retained the tractor's "Ki-Gass", de-compressor and over-fuelling systems, all of which had to be manually operated when starting the engine from cold. 1,973 diesel Vanguards were made.
In 1954 ''The Motor'' magazine tested the diesel version and recorded a top speed of acceleration from 0– in 31.6 seconds and a fuel consumption of . The test car, which had overdrive, cost £1099 including taxes.
For 1955, the Australian-built
coupé utility
A coupé utility is a vehicle with a passenger compartment at the front and an integrated cargo tray at the rear, with the front of the cargo bed doubling as the rear of the passenger compartment.
The term originated in the 1930s, where it wa ...
was given a re-styled tail which resulted in extra room in the cargo area. It also featured a new full-width rear window and improved cabin features. As the coupe utility variant of the Phase III style was not yet available, an updated Phase II utility was offered in 1956 with a mesh grille, two-tone paint and new interior trim.
Standard Vanguard Coventry (3854387415).jpg, Standard Vanguard Phase II Saloon
File:Standard Vanguard 1954.jpg, Standard Vanguard Phase II Estate
File:1954 Standard Vanguard Phase II Pickup (8431056995).jpg, Standard Vanguard Phase II Utility
File:SLM M026750 - Tillverkningen av 1953 års Vanguard vid ANAs sammansättningsfabrik i Nyköping.jpg, Assembly at AB Nyköpings Automobilfabrik in Sweden
Vanguard Phase III & Vanguard Sportsman
The Phase III, released to the market for the mid-October 1955
British International Motor Show
The British International Motor Show is an annual motor show held by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders between 1903 and 2008 in England, and as The British Motor Show since 2021 by Automotion Events.
Initially held in London at T ...
, was a radical change with the elimination of the separate chassis. There was an overlap in availability of the old model with the Phase II estate continuing into 1956.
UK fuel was no longer restricted to the 72 octane "
Pool petrol
Rationing was introduced temporarily by the British government several times during the 20th century, during and immediately after a war.
At the start of the Second World War in 1939, the United Kingdom was importing 20 million long tons of ...
" of the 1940s and early 1950s, and with the modest increases in available octane levels, the Vanguard's compression ratio was increased to 7.0:1. The engine with its single
Solex Solex may refer to:
* Solex (musician), Dutch musician
* Solex Carburetor, a French manufacturer of carburetors and the powered bicycle VéloSoleX
* Solex College, a former private for-profit college in Chicago, Illinois
* Solex Unit, a fictiona ...
downdraught carburettor now produced .
The front suspension was independent, using coil springs, and was bolted to a substantial sub-frame which also carried the
recirculating ball
Recirculating ball, also known as recirculating ball and nut or worm and sector, is a steering mechanism commonly found in older automobiles, off-road vehicles, and some trucks. Most newer cars use the more economical rack and pinion steering ins ...
steering gear. Semi-elliptic leaf springs were used on the rear axle. Lockheed hydraulic brakes with drums were fitted front and rear. The three-speed gearbox had a column change and the optional overdrive was operated by a switch on the steering column. A four-speed floor change became an option.
The new body was lower and had an increased glass area, making it look much more modern, and the old two-piece flat windscreen gave way to a one-piece curved design. The wheelbase increased by , giving much better passenger accommodation. A heater was now a standard fitting. Bench seats were fitted in front and rear with folding centre arm rests. They were covered in Vynide, with leather available as an option.
The car was lighter than the superseded model, and the gearing was changed to deliver better economy with performance virtually unchanged.
A car with overdrive was tested by the British magazine ''The Motor'' in 1956. It had a top speed of , could accelerate from 0– in 21.7 seconds and had a fuel consumption of . The test car cost £998 including taxes.
For 1957, the Australian-produced Phase III was given a facelift with a new mesh grille. In addition the sedan now sported fins on the rear guards.
Vanguard Sportsman
A performance model, the Vanguard Sportsman, intended to be badged as the Triumph Renown until shortly before launch, was announced in August 1956 with a tuned engine having similar features to the
Triumph TR3
The Triumph TR3 is a British sports car produced between 1955 and 1962 by the Standard-Triumph Motor Company of Coventry, England. A traditional roadster, the TR3 is an evolution of the company's earlier TR2 model, with greater power and im ...
sports car. These included an increased compression ratio to 8.0:1, twin SU carburettors, and improved pistons. However, the Sportsman's inlet manifold and carburettors sat at a different angle from those of the TR3, and its engine had the same 85 mm bore as the Vanguard's, not the 83 mm bore of the TR3. The final-drive ratio was lowered to 4.55:1 to give better acceleration, and larger drums fitted to the brakes. The standard version had a bench front seat but separate seats were an option.
Although sharing the same basic body shell with the other Vanguard variations, the Sportsman had design variations, including a squarer front grille, which gave the car a slightly higher, squarer appearance than the regular models.
Just 901 examples of the Sportsman model were made up to 1958. Sportsmans then became available to special order, and around another fifty (mostly estate cars) were built between 1958 and 1960. A small number were built before the Vignale makeover in 1958. ''Popular Classics'' magazine's test of a Sportsman in 1994 stated that a total of 962 were built.
A Sportsman with overdrive was tested by the British magazine ''The Motor'' in 1956 and it recorded a top speed of , acceleration from 0– in 19.2 seconds and a fuel consumption of . The test car cost £1231 including taxes.
File:Standard Vanguard Phase III (15733731208).jpg, Standard Vanguard Phase III Saloon
File:1957 Standard Vanguard Sportsman Sedan (25405655473).jpg, Standard Vanguard Sportsman
Standard Ensign and Ensign De Luxe
A basic model, the Standard Ensign, with 1670 cc engine, was announced in October 1957 restyled by Michelotti. The Ensign shared its body with the Vanguard Series III, but had a cheapened specification in various respects, including a mesh front grille and a simplified instrument panel and dashboard. Despite the generally lower specification, the Ensign was the first Vanguard-based car to have a four-speed gearbox. The gear lever was moved from the column to the floor, and overdrive was optional. Many were bought for company fleets and for the armed forces. Production ceased in 1961 with 18,852 examples having been produced. Production included 901 Mk II versions, produced only in 1961.
An Ensign De Luxe version followed in 1962 and 1963 with a larger 2138 cc engine. Unlike the smaller-engined original version, the De Luxe was also available as an estate car.
A 1670 cc Ensign was tested by the British magazine ''The Motor'' in 1958. It recorded a top speed of , acceleration from 0– in 24.4 seconds and a fuel consumption of . The test car cost £899 including taxes of £300.
In January 1960 a
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
d Ensign was announced, featuring the compact "P4C" 1.6 litre
four-cylinder
The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized.
Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...
engine produced by specialists
Perkins
Perkins is a surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon corruption of the kin of Pierre (from Pierre kin to Pierrekin to Perkins), introduced into England by the Norman Conquest. It is found throughout mid- and southern England.
Another derivation com ...
of
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
."News summary: Current events and recent announcements: New Diesel car" ''Practical Motorist'', January 1960 Claimed output was , with fuel consumption stated as "about 50 mpg" (5.6 L/100 km; 42 mpg-US).
File:1960 Standard Ensign 1.7 Rear (1).jpg, Rear view
File:1960 Standard Ensign 1.7 Interior.jpg, Interior
File:Standard Ensign estate February 1963 2138cc.jpg, Standard Ensign Estate
Vanguard Vignale
A face-lift of the Phase III was designed by Italian stylist
Giovanni Michelotti
Giovanni Michelotti (6 October 1921 – 23 January 1980) was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Triumph marques. He was also associated with ...
Triumph 2000
The Triumph 2000 is a mid-sized, rear wheel drive automobile which was produced in Coventry by the Triumph Motor Company between 1963 and 1977. It was introduced on 15 October 1963. It was styled by Giovanni Michelotti.
It competed with the c ...
. The compression ratio was 8.0:1, and twin Solex carburettors were fitted giving an output of at 4500 rpm. Externally the only differences from the Vignale were the badging but the interior was updated.
Australian production included
coupe utility
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
and van variants. Early in the model run the rear lights of the coupe utility were changed from a vertical to a horizontal layout with a different rear body side panel.
A Vanguard Six was tested by the British magazine ''The Motor'' in 1960. It recorded a top speed of , acceleration from 0– in 17.0 seconds and a fuel consumption of . The test car cost £1021 including taxes of £301.
File:1962 Standard Vanguard 6 (6429736339).jpg, Standard Vanguard Six Saloon
File:Standard Vanguard estate registered July 1961 2088cc.JPG, Standard Vanguard Six Estate
File:Standard Vanguard Pick Up - Flickr - mick - Lumix.jpg, Standard Vanguard Six Utility (later version with horizontal rear lights)
Replacement and end of Standard
Leyland Motors
Leyland Motors Limited (later known as the Leyland Motor Corporation) was a British vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company diversified into car manufacturing with its acquisitions of Triumph and Rover in 1960 and 1 ...
took over Standard-Triumph in 1960 and the prototype Triumph 2000 progressed with new money, the engine being used by the Vanguard Six from 1961 to early 1963. The six was lighter than the old four and was a development based on the Standard Ten unit.
Both the Ensign and the Vanguard were replaced in 1963 by the
Triumph 2000
The Triumph 2000 is a mid-sized, rear wheel drive automobile which was produced in Coventry by the Triumph Motor Company between 1963 and 1977. It was introduced on 15 October 1963. It was styled by Giovanni Michelotti.
It competed with the c ...
, and the Standard name disappeared from the British market after 60 years.
Vanguard Utility
In 1950, the Australian subsidiary of the Standard Motor Company introduced a
coupé utility
A coupé utility is a vehicle with a passenger compartment at the front and an integrated cargo tray at the rear, with the front of the cargo bed doubling as the rear of the passenger compartment.
The term originated in the 1930s, where it wa ...
version of the Vanguard Phase I. It was fitted with the same 2088 cc four-cylinder engine as used in the saloon. Utility versions of the Vanguard were produced in Australia over the following years, with production ending in 1964.
The Vanguard Utility was sold in the UK as a
pickup truck
A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...
. The main purchaser was the Royal Air Force, which had them in Phase I and II form. The Phase II commercials remained available until 1958, when they were replaced by the Phase 3. Around 50 phase 3 pickups went to
Welsh Water
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
and the workshop manual pictures a pickup with a body by Awson. A gown van and a breakdown tender are shown in the brochure.
Sales in the UK were modest, mostly due to stiff competition from the
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) was a UK-based vehicle manufacturer, formed in early 1952 to give effect to an agreed merger of the Morris and Austin businesses.Morris-Austin Merger Company Named. ''The Times'', Friday, 29 February ...
and from Standard's other commercial vehicles including the 5 cwt and later 7 cwt vehicles. With the discontinuation of the Vanguard Utility, the only commercial vehicle produced by the company was the
Standard Atlas
The Standard Atlas is a light van which was produced and sold under various names between 1958 and 1980, initially in Britain and Europe, and subsequently in India.
Standard Atlas, Standard Atlas Major and Standard 15/20 (1958–1968)
In 1958 ...
, and so that was the Vanguard Utility's replacement, but they did share some common parts.
Die-Cast models
*
Dinky Toys
Dinky Toys was the brand name for a range of die-cast toy, die-cast zamak zinc alloy scale model model car, vehicles produced by British toy company Meccano Ltd. They were made in England from 1934 to 1979, at a factory in Binns Road in Liverpo ...
Vanguard
The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force.
History
The vanguard derives fr ...