1953 Standard Vanguard Series II

Description

Fully restored about 16 years ago and only 800 miles since; stunning condition; driven 40 miles to the sale; runs beautifully; find a better one!

The 1947 Vanguard was Standard’s first post-war model and was completely new from stem to stern. Named after the famous WW2 battleship HMS Vanguard, it was aimed squarely at the export market which swallowed virtually all of the production until 1950 when they finally started to filter onto the car-starved home market.

To appeal to the all-important American buyer, styling was heavily influenced by the ‘beetle back’ Plymouth and it was fitted with the same famously robust 2,088cc wet-liner engine that powered the Ferguson TE20 tractor, the Triumph TR2 and the Morgan +4. Transmission was initially by a column-change three-speed gearbox with synchromesh on all forward ratios.

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 78mph - impressive performance at the time.

The Series II came along in 1953 featuring a more conventional three-box design and Laycock overdrive that operated on second and third giving, in effect, a five-speed gearbox. It was replaced by the more conventional and rather less bulbous Series III in 1955 by which time around 80,000 had been sold.

This stunning Vanguard Series II has a rather sad story behind it. First registered in Surrey in July 1953 with the number TPE 54, nothing is known of the car’s early history but it was subsequently acquired by a married couple who embarked on a major restoration to bring the car up to showroom condition. We don’t know exactly when the restoration was completed, but it was probably about 15 years ago – an online check of the MOT history shows that it flew through an MOT in March 2008 with no advisories, the mileage at this point being 14,060.

Although there are no invoices to show exactly what was done, it was clearly a top-quality job and the car still looks almost showroom fresh today. The wife then sadly passed away and the car was put into storage for the next dozen years. Our vendor had fond memories of owning an identical Vanguard in his youth and could not resist buying this car to add to his collection in 2021. He has fully recommissioned the car and it has been carefully stored and lightly used since, the odometer now showing 14,845 miles.

Only reluctantly for sale due to an impending house move, it was driven some 40 miles to the sale and has been starting promptly and running like a Swiss watch as we have moved it around on site, with good 50psi oil pressure. It comes with a V5C, an owner’s instruction manual and a Pitman’s book on the Vanguard.

As you can see in the photos, it looks absolutely stunning, the period sun visor and spot-lamps adding a nice sporting touch, the only real blemishes we noted being a slight dent on the rear right door and a couple of paint bubbles on the front apron. The glovebox lid looks loose in the photos but closes properly when locked.

Surely the finest Vanguard you could ever wish to find, this wonderful car will turn heads wherever it goes and would sit well in any collection.

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com