The utilitarian Standard: a rare survivor

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The early post-war period witnessed something of an estate-car boom, as boxy wooden bodies represented a practical solution at a time when steel supplies were strictly rationed. Both major manufacturers and small coachbuilders entered the market, but not all of them succeeded. While Austin had a contract with Papworth Industries for wooden-bodied cars that lasted into the 1950s, Standard’s attempt to market an estate version of its little Eight stalled after only 15 or 20 examples had been built, and it was never catalogued.

Standard must have been confident enough in the Eight as it stood. Introduced in 1938 as the Flying Eight and revived after the war, the basic saloon was a strong seller for the time, as few buyers had the disposable income for anything larger than an 8 or 10hp car. Of the estate versions, only one is known to survive. Delivered new in 1947 to a spinster from a Leicestershire farming family, she kept the car until her death in 1966. After a period of neglect, it was rescued in 1980 by a local marque enthusiast, who gave it the most sympathetic of restorations and has kept it in use ever since.

Zack Stiling takes the sole survivor for a run and finds it to be the perfect car for its time and place. For the full story, pick up the December issue of The Automobile, on sale now.

Words by Zack Stiling; Photographs by Reverendpixel

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