Rover 75 P4(1950-54)
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| Standard Vanguard |
This stately saloon was a dignified, subtle motor car - apart from its brash "Cyclops" single central auxillary headlamp, which was dropped in a hasty facelift of the range in early 1952. It's easy to see the design lineage of the current Rover 75 in this car, which Rover's designers certainly studied when they were creating today's 75. With a six-cylinder, 2103cc engine, the original 75 produced, of course, 75 bhp, and a top speed of 85mph, more than fast enough for the bank managers and senior civil servants that favoured the utterly respectable, solid-citizen Rover brand. More flash were the Pininfarina-designed Coupe and Convertible. The 75 P4 also spawned another model, the economy-biased 60, which was fitted with the Land Rover's engine, and the subsequently updated P4 models took the range on into the early 60s. Though eventually known as Auntie Rovers, because your relative of that name often had one, the P4 was quite an advanced car when it was launched, gaining a reputation for being old-fashioned largely because of the cars' longevity, for they were meticulously well made.
Standard Vanguard (Phase I)(1948-52)
Standard, a company dating back to 1903, bought out Triumph in 1945, and having produced a large and varied range pre-war, reduced its Standard-badged line-up to just one model, the Vanguard (Triumph was launching the smaller Mayflower, and a sportier, upmarket version of the Vanguard, the Renown). This car, launched in 1948, was a large, solid and somewhat stodgy vehicle - a contrast to the Triumph models - but it sold very well, with nearly 185,000 produced, largely down to Standard's reputation for reliability and indestructible build. Like many cars of the era, it had American influences in its styling, and was built on an old-fashioned separate chassis, albeit with independent front suspension. Its 2088cc engine produced 68 bhp, and it must have been a struggle to reach the quoted 78 mph top speed. Which was probably just as well. It was offered as a saloon or workmanlike estate car. The Vanguard was revised in 1952, and became larger and heavier, though the engine remained unchanged.
