Standard 8 - 1955

The Standard Eight is a small car produced by the British 

Standard Motor Company from 1938 to 1959.

The car was originally launched in 1938 as the Flying Eight. After the Second World War the  Flying range of Standards was dropped but an updated car called the 8 hp was re-introduced  in 1945. In 1953 a completely new car, the Standard Eight was launched sharing virtually  nothing with its predecessor. In 1959 the car was dropped to be replaced by the Triumph  Herald, as the Standard brand was being phased out.

Eight

The 1953 Eight was a completely new car with unit construction and an overhead-valve  engine. Only saloon models were made. The new engine of 803 cc produced slightly less  power than the outgoing larger sidevalve unit with 26 bhp at 4500 rpm but this was increased  to 30 bhp at 5000 rpm in 1957. The 4-speed gearbox, with synchromesh on the top three  ratios, was available with optional overdrive from March 1957. Girling hydraulic drum brakes  were fitted.  To keep prices down, the car at launch was very basic with sliding windows, single  windscreen wiper and no external boot lid. Access to the boot was by folding down the rear  seat, which had the backrest divided in two. The 1954 De luxe got wind up windows and the  Gold Star model of 1957 an opening boot lid. From mid-1955 all the Eights finally got wind up  windows. At launch the car cost £481 including taxes on the home market. An example tested by The Motor magazine in 1953 had a top speed of 61 mph (98 km/h) and  could accelerate from 0–50 mph (80 km/h) in 26.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 43 miles  per imperial gallon (6.6 L/100 km; 36 mpg-US) was recorded. 

Replacement

The Eight was replaced in 1959 by the Triumph Herald, which used a slightly enlarged version  of the same engine. 

Film appearances

A Standard 4/8A Tourer is driven by the main characters in the 1951 film, The Man from  Planet X. 

1955

Engine 803 cc 4 cylinders Power 28 HP Top speed 100 km/h Lenght/width 3,61 m/1,47 m Weight 710 kg The collections 8 has been restored at year 2000.