Lot number	47
Hammer value	£1,600
Description	Standard Vanguard
Registration	PRO 860
Year	c.1954
Colour	Grey
Engine size	2,088 cc

The stylish 1947 Standard Vanguard was the firm's first post-war introduction and was completely new from stem to stern.

Named after HMS Vanguard (it took considerable negotiation to get the Royal Navy to agree to let them use the name), the car was aimed squarely at the export market which swallowed virtually all of the production until about 1950 when they finally started to filter onto the car-starved home market. It was also the first model to carry the new Standard badge, which was a very stylised pair of Griffin wings.

The styling was heavily influenced by the ‘beetle back’ Plymouth and it was built on a robust chassis with an equally robust 2,088cc wet-liner engine that went on to power the Ferguson tractor, Triumph TR2 and the Morgan +4. The transmission at first was by a three-speed gearbox with synchromesh on all forward ratios, controlled using a column-mounted lever. The option of Laycock-de-Normanville overdrive was announced at the end of 1949 and became available a few months later, priced at a hefty £45 including purchase tax. Front suspension was independent and anti-roll bars were employed both front and rear. It had powerful hydraulic brakes all-round which were often put to good use, the car being good for nearly 80mph – impressive performance at the time.

A car tested by The Motor magazine in 1949 had a top speed of 78.7mph and could accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 21.5 seconds with 23mpg economy. The test car cost £671 including taxes. The Phase II came along in 1953 featuring a more conventional three-box design. The Phase II car was available with the Laycock overdrive that operated on the second and third gears of the three speed transmission giving, in effect, a five speed gearbox. Mechanically similar to the earlier car, the only other significant departure was that a diesel version was made available, making it the first diesel powered road car to be offered on the open market, although its appeal was as limited as its sales.

Thought to date from around 1954, this Vanguard has been on display at the Stondon Museum for many years. Bidders are advised that an online check shows that the registration number for this vehicle is no longer recognised by the DVLA computer and at the time of cataloguing the V5C could not readily be located.