Standard 12 saloon.
Registered CPE 748, the two-tone car that features in the following old photos has been identified as a Standard. Although similar to the 10 I thought originally this might be an example of the Ten-Twelve Speed Saloon model, however I'm now advised that it is a 12hp De Luxe Saloon. The registration puts this example to 1935, and suggests an early life spent negotiating the highways and byways of Surrey during the mid/late 1930s.
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The first photo is a side-on view of the Standard, with a chap stood nonchalantly alongside the car, one foot on the nearside running board. In the background, a garage-cum-filling-station can be seen, with two petrol pumps outside. Frustratingly I cannot make out the name above the garage entrance. Several saloons, including an SS, are parked close by. Note the many oil patches on the ground close to the Standard, pre-war cars were (are) rarely entirely leak-free, especially once they've accumulated a few thousand miles beneath their crossply tyres.
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The location has been identified.
Peter Salt dropped me a line, late in 2014, having recognised the location of the above scene. The Google Streetview image (link) confirms that the Standard was parked in Torquay, Devon, for the photograph. The building that once was a garage, is now a shop, and the petrol pumps have long since been removed - although the plinth on which they were mounted, remains. Thanks for the update Peter.
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A rear view of the same car.
The second snapshot is a rear three-quarter view of the same car, its upright stance and distinctive boot profile clearly evident here. A lady and gent, with their pet dog, are stood with the car at a coastal location - quite possibly Devon once again. A member's decal for The Company of Veteran Motorists can be made out, affixed to the rear window. The minimal rear lighting typical of pre-war cars, is ably demonstrated by this car, which relies on a single stop/tail lamp for rearward illuminance. Note how the fuel filler cap is handily mounted, high up on the rear corner of the body.
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Return to Page 16 in the gallery of classic vehicles.
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