1. Phase 1 Vanguard estate.
The collection of Phase 1 Standard Vanguard saloons in the vintage photo gallery is coming together quite nicely, but until now no period shots of the Vanguard estate car had turned up. This snapshot from the 1950s shows a family with their Phase 1 Vanguard estate, presumably just before, or after, a day trip out with their handy motor-car. Note the sunvisor fitted to this example, and a distinct lack of shine to the paintwork. The estate version of the beetleback Phase 1 was introduced in 1950.
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If more old photos of the estate version turn up, I'll add them in here. If you have any memories of driving, or perhaps travelling in, a Vanguard like this in years gone by, it'd be interesting to hear from you. A photo of a later estate, in LHD guise, can be seen on the Vanguard Phase 3 estate page.
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In 1994 I came across a part-dismantled Vanguard estate up on blocks - it soon disappeared, did it go for scrap or go on to be restored?? A photo of it can be seen here.
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2. A slightly modified 1949 Phase 1 estate.
David Hunt, of Severn Beach, sent over several photos of early Vanguards, and amongst them was this photo of his father's modified Phase 1 estate. It was registered BFB 845, a Bath-area registration that dates the car to 1949. Anyone who knows their Vanguards will spot the modifications that had been made to this example, as David describes...
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"This was one of Dad's, and whilst I drove both ZJ [a saloon] and BFB, the car was my main one. Dad ALWAYS resprayed his cars, and he was good at it despite his being a plumber and decorator by trade. He did all his own bodywork repairs, panel beating and what have you. He built our first television set using blueprints, and he built two caravans, and .... well he did everything, AND WELL. He loved chrome, so all his cars were re-chromed and in the case of the Vanguards, you will note the grille has every other bar removed for easy cleaning. The hub caps were a picture as well, and even the bonnet adornment was re-chromed."
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"The photo would almost certainly be in Scotland, probably the Isle of Skye, as Dad used to take an elderly couple on tours there each year, with a similar tour to Cornwall in the spring. The elderly couple decided once that the car was too small for them, so Dad bought an Austin Princess and used that. They only went once. It was "too big" !!! so he reverted to the Vanguards. Bear in mind, that in the 50's, there were no motorways, and Dad had to go via Herne Bay in both directions to pick up the lady's companion!! So quite a tall order carried out annually, until the gentleman died."
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Thanks for the photo David, it's always fun to have a background story and personal memories to accompany these old images that get added to the website.
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Return to Page 11 in the vintage car motoring gallery.
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