Standard Flying 12 Super

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If you were launching a new make of car today you might think twice about calling it Average but back in 1903 the word Standard had very different connotations – a height to be maintained, a flag to be flown.

True, there was nothing fancy about the brand RW Maudslay established in 1903, but his Coventry-based firm proved so successful at turning out durable, well-engineered machines at modest cost that they were soon among the top six manufacturers in the UK. Inexpensive though they were, the quality was never in doubt, a fact not lost on William Lyons who seized on the excellent Standard Nine of 1928 and clothed it in his own Swallow body to lay the foundations of what would soon become one of the most exalted names in motoring: Jaguar.

The Flying 12 was introduced at the Motor Show in October 1935 with a 1,609cc (12hp) four-cylinder side-valve engine producing 44bhp and driving through a 4-speed box. The car was sophisticated, quiet and well-mannered but it soon became clear that the performance was lacklustre thanks to a heavy body on a weighty chassis. Within a year the factory had designed a much lighter chassis for what is today known as the Light 12, but it was to take rather longer to develop a suitably lightweight body which would offer the space and the comforts that Standard desired.

Built towards the end of 1938, this unique Flying 12 Super is believed by the Standard Motor Club to be the sole survivor of six cars made which featured an experimental body on a 1938 chassis to appraise it for full-scale production which was planned for the following year.

Originally registered as BDB 160, it was acquired by our vendor in 1996 from a gentleman who had owned it since 1984. A long-standing member of the owners’ club, the vendor was also a professional tool maker and production engineer and he soon set about a total nut-and-bolt restoration of the Flying 12 to keep him busy in his retirement.

Ably assisted by friends and former colleagues, the work has been carried out to a very high standard and included a full engine rebuild, body restoration, interior retrim in red leather, new wiring loom plus a thousand-and-one other jobs too detailed to mention here. Since the restoration was completed in 2003 the car has been in regular use, clocking up over 27,000 trouble-free miles, including three trips from South Wales to the Shetlands and back, every journey made and every penny spent dutifully logged in a journal that accompanies the car.

Testament to the quality of the restoration, LFO 486 has been shown on many occasions, amassing an impressive haul of trophies as shown in a photo on our website, although these are to be retained by the vendor. Meticulously maintained and still as good underneath as it is up top, it is doubtless capable of scooping many more awards in the future should the fortunate new owner feel so inclined.

Recently fitted with a new set of tyres and supplied with a large history file including many invoices, photos, handbooks, brochures and much technical literature about the model, this unique and splendid motorcar wants for nothing and would sit well in any collection.