Description
just look at this! A Phase 1A Vanguard "Beetle back" in original black. She is 66-years-old and still proudly outdoing thousands of cars still in their infancy. The Vanguard must have been pure jet age stuff when it was launched amidst the post-war austerity of 1948. Car manufacturers were still re-hashing their pre-war designs at this stage, but Standard really pushed the boat out with this design!
Modelled largely on the American Plymouth, the Vanguard was an instant success although the bulk of the early models went all around the world as part of Britain's export drive. This made it extremely difficult to own a Phase 1 Vanguard in the UK as the bulk of them were exported. To give you just one example, in 1950 Germany imported cars from Britain, France and Italy (hard to believe after losing the war, but then they were not making any of their own!!). Anyway, in that year alone, the Vanguard represented a huge 70 per cent of all cars they imported.
Hence their rarity then - let alone now - in the UK. This is the Phase 1A which came with an improved front grille and larger rear window. It was at this point that Brits started to buy them at new. Standard were still major players in the British car market back then and, in fact, the company had originally chosen the Standard name several decades beforehand in an attempt to show that they were "flying
the Standard" for the industry. Indeed the model name Vanguard was also carefully chosen. The HMS Vanguard was the UK's last battleship to be built during the Second World War and this, remember, was in an era when people paid great attention to names, titles and stature. Mmm, all the stranger then that the Germans were so keen on our Standard Vanguard!
This magnificent old girl comes with that correct spec 2088cc engine as later famously used in Triumph TR2 and TR3 sports cars. Remember of course that the company was still actually trading as Standard-Triumph in those days. It was also the world famous engine which drove all those wonderful Ferguson tractors of the same era. This Vanguard, sitting so proudly and still built like a battleship herself with amazingly thick steel, is a pure time warp find. And yes, she drives and drives well. The engine has undergone a recent rebuild. Clearly she could do with some tlc to the body and so don't expect a show winner. But there's nothing to say that she can't be used and enjoyed as she is.
Rarity is the key. I have spotted another currently advertised, but that is for sale at 16k! Mine has had body and paint work over the years - doubtless over the decades - and would obviously benefit from some more now. But then she's not a 16k Vanguard. Her original leather seats appear to have lost some leather (to the front seat anyway - I can feel original leather on the rear seat base). This is from peeping beneath the leopard skin seat covers. It's not an easy task as the next owner will discover as they are fitted so firmly! I thought it wise to leave the period covers on. She has her original and removable rear spats too.
Here's a great opportunity to own an exceptionally rare classic. You may come across Wolseley, Riley, Austin, Morris etc from the same era. But the majority of them could be rotten, minus floors and not even able to run. This is far removed from that. The underneath is good, the engine bay unbelievably sound and the boot floor is all there and appears to be original.
Please keep everything in context when buying classic cars. This old girl is 66-years-old and is as rare as hens' teeth! If you want a motoring antique with no rust, no faults and probably no fun factor, then you will have to grit your teeth (not hens') and pay through the nose. If you want to enter into the spirit of the entire ethos, buy, use and improve a classic - especially such a rarity as this - then this may well be the car for you. It's warts and all car but, all the same, eminently loveable I would suggest! So please bear all this in mind. She has a rebuilt engine and can be used immediately. However she comes cosmetically challenged.
Not rotten I hasten to add as she has a tank-like chassis. Also I a probably painting too black a picture (pardon the pun with a black car!). She's not that bad at all for a 1952 car. So solid. In fact had it not been for a previous owner "clagging on" loads of that horrible stick on chrome strip stuff, she would be even better. It needed bubble gum remover to get rid of most of the gunk and, in the process, some areas of paintwork have lifted.
V5 states just 4 previous owners.
She drives well enough and feels strong. There's a slight blow from the front end of the exhaust. All four original jacking points remain in place.
Should you opt to purchase a classic car from me - classic meaning that it will be the equivalent of a motoring antique - then you are accepting that the vehicle will have had faults in the past and that, inevitably, there will be more to deal with in the future. Almost certainly and unless stated otherwise, the vehicle will have undergone some degree of restoration work and, again, it is more than likely it will need more at some stage during its life. I am a one-man enthusiast who enjoys unearthing these old girls and finding new homes for them. Viewing is highly recommended and then you can form your opinion of an aged vehicle just as I will have already formed mine. Modern-day life practically dictates that the majority of classic vehicles - and it is certainly the case with mine - are sold via internet advertising and with the added bonus of digital photographs. Extra and specific photographs will also be available on request. Should you choose to buy without viewing in person then please don't tell me a month later that the horn doesn't work, the full beam is faulty or that you have found some ancient repair of which I knew nothing. My terms therefore are that by buying from me you are accepting that, almost inevitably, classic vehicles will require further remedial work at some stage.
I accept all major debit cards and can also assist with delivery if required. Thanks for reading if you have managed to make it this far! Martin the details below)
