Standard 8 saloon.
Even as a fan of the small Standards of the 1950s, I have to agree with the sentiment often expressed in the 1950s that the diminutive Standard 8 was a fairly prosaic, back-to-basics, motor-car. They drive well, have four fair-sized doors, and benefit from an easily accessible and reliable 803cc engine, but their lack of brightwork and very basic specification - especially on the earliest examples - led to them having a slightly dour appearance. The first 8s didn't even have an opening rear bootlid, access to the boot area was via a folding rear seat. Wind-up windows were a luxury afforded to owners of the later Standard 8s (mid-1955 onwards) and the 10s only, examples from 1953 & 1954 had to make do with sliding door windows only. As a result, many owners decided to "dress up" their 8s to give their cars' appearance a much-needed shot of glamour.
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Clearly the owner of this black Standard 8 decided that his or her car needed sprucing up with various accessories of the period. Wing mirrors were a common aftermarket fitment, less common though was the steel exterior sunvisor shown on this example. A radio aerial mounted on the driver's side wing points to this car's owner enjoying music while at the wheel. Auxiliary lamps and at least one motor club badge have also been fitted, in a bid to brighten up the Standard's minimalist front end styling. I'm pretty sure that the suction rear-view mirror is also non-factory. The sliding door windows and split folding rear seat, can also be made out.
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In 1955, the Hotspur comic featured a Standard 8 on its cover, describing it as a "modern marvel" along with other creations such as the Hawker Hunter jet fighter (see this page for more details).
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Other British vehicles of the day in the background of this photo include a Ford 100E (registration TRY 864) and a Mk1 Cortina (634 CJU), also built at Ford's Dagenham plant. Further away, beyond the pedestrian crossing, are examples of Flying Standard 8/9/10, a Vauxhall Victor F-Type, and a Thames 400E van. A three-wheeled Reliant Regal, or possibly its Supervan cousin, heads in the direction of the people who appear to be attending a wedding.
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A parked Standard Eight in Falmouth.
The year is 1958 and the location is Falmouth. A four-door "Eight" is shown parked at the kerbside outside an electricals shop; it's registered OHP 813 so hails originally from Coventry, coincidentally the place of its birth in 1953. It may well belong to a holiday-maker, which would probably explain the fitment of a roof-rack on this example. A number of other vehicles are parked behind the Standard, closest being an early-ish Austin A40 Van.
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More Standards to be found on OCC.
Various Standard 8s, 10s, Vanguards, plus a smattering of earlier models, can be found across the site (try the site search at the foot of this page). Quite a few period photographs of the slightly glitzier "10" have been added to OCC over the years. This page features a 10 used in club competition for example, while over here there are various 10s pictured both in the UK and in Australia.
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Return to Page 19 in the photographic archive, or visit the main index here.
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