Beschreibung
JUST look at this! A Phase 1A Vanguard "Beetle back" in a delightful shade of period grey. She is 70-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.
I acquired her from a long term owner in Northern Ireland. The V5 states just one previous owner.
Body wise, I consider her to be amazing bearing in mind her vintage. Panels are in super condition with only the odd minor imperfection and a surface scratch on the nearside rear door. I am nit-picking now! So straight and strong. All four jacking points are there, as are the spats for the rear arches. They too are in excellent order. I have fitted one spat for my photo shoot so that you can see this wonderful girl with and without spats!
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. These Vanguards were built with a tank-like chassis.
Her interior is largely original I would say. The leather shows signs of patina but it is 70-years-old. There is a small hole to the edge of the bench seat where it sits up against the door.
She drives ever so well with a three-speed column change. I would suggest that she has been re-chromed too.
She has clearly had new sills recently and only the other week her electrics were all re-wired. Just a gem.
My classic cars are motoring antiques. Please do not confuse them with your one-year-old Range Rover. This car, for example, is 70-years-old and so will have quirks and faults in there somewhere. These are not always apparent when buying and selling classics which is what I do. I do not restore them, nor do I pretend that they are concours cars. The majority of them go out as they came in, and I continue to enjoy finding more - a skill which is becoming increasingly difficult as many of you will be aware. They deserve to be taken on as "family pets" and cared for through thick and then. They don't make them any more and demand now out-strips supply. Please bear all this in mind, and enjoy your classic car. I can also assist with delivery and so please ask for a quote. Thanks, Martin. the details below.
