1938 Standard Ten

The British Standard Motor Company produced the Standard Ten for many years, sporadically from 1906 to 1961. The first use of the name was in 1906 on their 10 horsepower 2-cylinder vehicle. The name reappeared in 1934 and persisted until 1936. In 1937, the company introduced the 'Flying 10' and it remained in production until the outbreak of World War II.

The origins of the name were in reference to the vehicle's fiscal horsepower, in turn, a function of the surface area of the pistons, and never a direct measure of the power produced by the engine. Even after the name was no longer applicable to its fiscal horsepower, the Standard Motor Company continued to use the name.

The Flying Ten served as a replacement for the earlier Ten and it had a semi-streamlined appearance similar to the Standard Flying range. Powering the car was a side-valve 1267cc long-stroke engine breathing through a single Zenith carburetor and offering 33 horsepower. The three-speed synchromesh gearbox sent the power to the rear wheels. The suspension, at first, was conventional with a solid front axle. This setup was later changed in favor of an independent layout with a transverse leaf spring. The car had a top speed of 65 mph. There were cable-operated brakes using the Bendix system.

After the War, in 1954, Standard re-introduced the Ten. This version had a larger engine and several other upgrades throughout. A few years later, an overdrive and semi-automatic became available. In 1955, an Estate version was launched and was among the first British estate wagons to have rear-passenger doors.

The Standard car exported a small number of examples to the United States. The examples sent across seas had a left-hand drive and were sold as the Triumph TR-10. In a similar fashion to the Pennant models, these vehicles were two-tone. The examples exported to Scandinavia were sold as the Standard Vanguard Junior. In Australia, these were known as the Cadet.

In 1957, the Standard Company introduced the Pennant. It was a tail-finned example with optional two-tone paint schemes. Power was rated at 37 horsepower and could be fitted with an optional overdrive gearbox. Other options were a radio, heater, leather upholstery, and clutchless 2-pedal control.

Production of the Pennant lasted from 1957 through 1960, with 42,910 examples produced. Production of the Standard Ten was from 1954 through 1960, with 172,500 units produced.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2011