Standard Flying Twelve.
A number of classic Standards feature across oldclassiccar.co.uk, including the six-light Flying 12 saloon cars from the mid/late 1930s shown here.
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1. A set of four photos showing car registration CRL 882.
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The first of the four photos, shows this light-coloured 4 door saloon parked at a roadside, with its bootlid open to accomodate some luggage. Note how the registration plate hinges on the bootlid, so that when it is open the number is still visible to motorists behind. The factory sliding sunroof and front windscreen are slightly open too, so presumably it was a warm day. The car is parked on the righthand side of the road, so perhaps 'en continent' ...
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More clues as to the location of these photos is visible in this picture, which shows the same Standard again parked on the righthand kerb, with the screen still open slightly. In the background is an imposing building with 'Le Tourny' written in large letters at the top. Le Tourny is an area of the Dordogne in France, so it would seem that these pictures were taken during a trip across the Channel.
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This photograph from my collection shows the family tucking into a picnic, I'd guess while still in France, with the Standard Twelve in the background shade. The streamlined rear coachwork of the mid 30s Flying 12 is evident in this view. Later cars would be fitted with the curving waterfall grille, but in the mid 30s the 12hp Standards still had an upright affair.
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Surprisingly, I sourced another photo of the same car some 12 months after buying those shown above. It shows the same Standard Flying 12 saloon, registration CRL 882, parked at the side of the road with 2 ladies and a (frowning) gentleman, who also appears in the photo above. Again the car is parked on the 'wrong' side of the road, so the photo could well have been taken whilst on the foreign tour.
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2. Other Flying Twelve Standards.
Bill in Canada dropped me a note in 2009, looking for confirmation on the make and model of car shown below. Again, it looks like a Standard Flying Twelve, this one finished in black. Bill adds: "I found this picture in a family album, it was my dad's car and was taken around 1934 at Sandend in Banffshire, Scotland. The occupants are my mother, and I am the wee boy! The car was stored up on blocks in our garage in Keith, Banffshire during WW2 and sold shortly thereafter". Thanks to Bill for ok'ing it to be shown here.
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3. A late pre-war Flying 12.
To compare with the examples above, here is a photograph of a Standard Flying 12 sporting the later, waterfall-type grille. The style of bumper and the vents let into the bonnet side panel indicate a late 1930's example, although the hubcaps and wheels look more like those seen on early post-war cars. The registration is EON 545, a series hailing from Birmingham that came into being in December 1938. This would suggest that this car is a late pre-war example, dating to 1939 or thereabouts.
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Behind the Standard is another fine British car, an Austin Six.
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| (Please click the thumbnail to view full-size image.) |
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4. 1937/1938 Flying Standard 12.
The next photograph features another late-30s Flying 12, this one registered in the Hampshire area as CHO 232, a series introduced in July 1937. A lady is sat behind the wheel. The Standard looks tidy rather than immaculate, so was probably a few years old at the time of this photo.
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5. A post-war Flying 12.
Now for a snapshot of an early post-war Standard Flying 12. Differences when compared to the pre-war cars include the style of front bumper, and the deletion of the air vents in the bonnet side panels. The registration JYO 409 also confirms that this is a post-war example, as this series was introduced in London during June 1948.
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Coincidentally, bearing in mind the set of pre-war Standard 12 photos shown at the top of this page, this post-war 12 is also photographed in France. French favourites in shot include a Citroen 2CV Fourgonnette (van), and a Light 15. However rarest by a long shot is the low-slung roadster visible to the left, a Simca 8 Sport Convertible.
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5. A Standard parked at Chambercombe Manor, Ilfracombe.
This snapshot dates to August 1955 and was taken at the site of a "haunted farm" in sunny Ilfracombe. Parked to the left, obligingly under a "PARK HERE" sign attached to an old farm building, is a late pre-war Standard, either a Flying 12 or a 14. Given that the car is nudging twenty years of age, and has survived WW2, perhaps it can be excused its slightly battered front wing, wonky sills, and patched-up door bottoms. Evidently it had led a reasonably hard life. The exact location of this photograph isn't stated. However searching around online brings up references to Chambercombe Manor, which it seems has a history of paranormal activity. Photographs on the Manor's own site show some of the buildings in the centre of the image below, modified, but undoubtably the same buildings.
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Return to Motoring Photographs Page 2.
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A garage invoice from 1940, that features an illustration of a Flying Standard on it, may be seen on the Ivy House Garage page.
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