My Standard Vanguard

[old tup]

One of my first cars was a 1952 Standard Vanguard,it was black which I polished to a high sheen with Johnsons One Step solid wax.It was one of the first modern styled body shapes,copying American shaped vehicles.The gear change was on the steering column 3 foward plus reverse,it went like a rocket on the straight, cornering was a little dodgy at times,the cross ply tyres didn,t help.In the wet or icy conditions you had to watchit over 40mph.I white walled the tyres[flashy get] the car was noticable and I drove it like a test pilot.This got me one of the biggest bollockings of my life,one Monday evening my mates and I visited the Blue Bell Hackenthorpe ,on the way home at the top of City Rd my mates started egging me on to open it up,so I did they nearly poo pooed themselves by the time we reached the bottom.The following Thursday I was at my girlfriends on Langsett Rd the car parked outside,there was a loud knocking on the door.Her pa said there,s a policeman to see you ,I went to the door to face this high ranking inspector with all the stripes and pips on his uniform,He was livid ,went off his head shouting at me,he said that he was on City Rd Monday night in his Ford zodiac and I passed him like a bat out of hell,he tried to catch me but gave up at 60mph,he had given all his officers my number and they were all out to get me.By this time I had shrunk 2 ft I daren,t open my mouth his face was bright red with temper,I drove like a pensioner for weeks after,I got the impression I,d upset him somehow! oh well !:loopy:

[cuttsie]

One of my first cars was a 1952 Standard Vanguard,it was black which I polished to a high sheen with Johnsons One Step solid wax.It was one of the first modern styled body shapes,copying American shaped vehicles.The gear change was on the steering column 3 foward plus reverse,it went like a rocket on the straight, cornering was a little dodgy at times,the cross ply tyres didn,t help.In the wet or icy conditions you had to watchit over 40mph.I white walled the tyres[flashy get] the car was noticable and I drove it like a test pilot.This got me one of the biggest bollockings of my life,one Monday evening my mates and I visited the Blue Bell Hackenthorpe ,on the way home at the top of City Rd my mates started egging me on to open it up,so I did they nearly poo pooed themselves by the time we reached the bottom.The following Thursday I was at my girlfriends on Langsett Rd the car parked outside,there was a loud knocking on the door.Her pa said there,s a policeman to see you ,I went to the door to face this high ranking inspector with all the stripes and pips on his uniform,He was livid ,went off his head shouting at me,he said that he was on City Rd Monday night in his Ford zodiac and I passed him like a bat out of hell,he tried to catch me but gave up at 60mph,he had given all his officers my number and they were all out to get me.By this time I had shrunk 2 ft I daren,t open my mouth his face was bright red with temper,I drove like a pensioner for weeks after,I got the impression I,d upset him somehow! oh well !:loopy:

Tupp about the time you had your Vanguard my mate Jim Cambell used to borrow? his dads Humber Super Snipe it was masive must have been 15 ft long, any way one night he picked all the lads up in this posh motor and after going to the same Blue Bell at Hackenthorpe we were on the way home and passing the new and as then unopened Parkway [Due to be opened that week]A bright spark among us[ Noel Mercer] dared Jim to take the Snipe onto the new road and Jim duly obliged any way he floored it on the empty road and got it up to 85m.p.h.none of us had ever been half as fast as that in a car before and it was a case of brown trousers.

By the way Jims dad had a pub at Pitsmoor i think it was theToll Bar after that he was steward at the British Legion Club at Scunthorpe.

[Rocklegend]

Wow.I thought I was seeing things when I saw the thread title.The Standard Vanguard has been my favourite British classic saloon for many years.I had always wanted one and finally got one in 1997-a Phase 1A.I used it as my wedding car in 1999 and kept it until @2006 when I let it go .I had 5 other classics at the time but have regretted letting it go ever since.I have been on the lookout for another 1A to no avail but will keep looking.My father died in 1998 and on clearing out his photos,found one of a car I never knew he owned-a Vanguard estate.I gather there are only two roadworthy ones left in the UK;one which is owned by the man who sold me my 1A.Do u have any photos of yours?

[old tup]

Rocklegend-Sorry mate I,ll have a look but I don,t think I have,its all in the memory bank now-OLD TUP.

[flyer]

one of the first cars I worked on (in my mothers garage)was a rover about the 30s all timber frame with Canadian maple flooring someone had rewired it with house wire and what a mess, it took me a long time to sort it out but i worked real cheap just got dinner once in a while if i was real lucky

[echo beach]

One of my first cars was a 1952 Standard Vanguard,it was black which I polished to a high sheen with Johnsons One Step solid wax.It was one of the first modern styled body shapes,copying American shaped vehicles.The gear change was on the steering column 3 foward plus reverse,it went like a rocket on the straight, cornering was a little dodgy at times,the cross ply tyres didn,t help.In the wet or icy conditions you had to watchit over 40mph.I white walled the tyres[flashy get] the car was noticable and I drove it like a test pilot.This got me one of the biggest bollockings of my life,one Monday evening my mates and I visited the Blue Bell Hackenthorpe ,on the way home at the top of City Rd my mates started egging me on to open it up,so I did they nearly poo pooed themselves by the time we reached the bottom.The following Thursday I was at my girlfriends on Langsett Rd the car parked outside,there was a loud knocking on the door.Her pa said there,s a policeman to see you ,I went to the door to face this high ranking inspector with all the stripes and pips on his uniform,He was livid ,went off his head shouting at me,he said that he was on City Rd Monday night in his Ford zodiac and I passed him like a bat out of hell,he tried to catch me but gave up at 60mph,he had given all his officers my number and they were all out to get me.By this time I had shrunk 2 ft I daren,t open my mouth his face was bright red with temper,I drove like a pensioner for weeks after,I got the impression I,d upset him somehow! oh well !:loopy:

 

So now we know why & where exorbitant motor insurance premiums for youngsters started! We did some daft things, didn't we?

My first car was of a similar vintage but it was an Austin Somerset. Why don't they have names like that anymore? Skidded in the exceptionally bad winter of '62 and hit a coal lorry. The Somerset came off worst!

[Shogun]

Old Tup

when I was about 12 years old my Dad had an Armstrong Sidly convertible he loved the car like mad and would wash and polish the thing till you could see your face in it, Dad was in the army at the time and would regularly go on manoeuvres for weeks at a time and leave me to look after his car,I stared by revving it up in the yard to slipping it in to gear and moving it up and down the drive, the drive was quite long and I would get a bit of speed up before I got to the end, getting a bit brave by know one day I decided to take it out on to the road driving down the lane I met a couple of mates so pulled up and in they hoped and we had a nice little drive around the camp,it was getting a bit late by this time so we headed home,as I drove up to or drive I noticed my Dads army land rover parked in our yard! so I went past and stopped at the end of the lane to think things out and make a plan to get out of trouble,my mate Billy lived in the large house on the corner so I parked the car nice and neatly around the back of his yard and walked the few miles home, when I got home Dad was fast asleep on the sofa snoring his head off,so I took advantage of the situation and went and brought the Armstrong back,but the trouble was Dad had parked the land rover in front of the garage,I looked in the land rover he had left the keys in it so I backed it up and drove the Armstrong into the garage locked it up, and went to move the land rover back to its spot when my foot slipped of the clutch and the land rover shot forwards and demolished the garage door crash bang the whole lot came crashing down onto the front of the land rover making a right mess of the front bonnet and smashing the windscreen ,next thing Dad came rushing out of the house screaming what the hell are you doing you little sod,quick thinking I said Im sorry I just wanted to get in the garage so I could polish the car for you as a surprise! it was just an accident,old Dad melted and said OK son don't worry Ile sort it out get your self off to bed know its getting a bit late son, I slept like a top that night thinking that was a close one, the next morning my mums shouting Tommy get your self out here know!to my horror there's two serous looking MP's sat talking to my Dad . what's this about some one seeing you and your mates riding around camp in my car then? God what a pasting I got I could not sit down for a week and when Dad got the bill from the army for fixing the land rover I could not sit down for two weeks.

[flyer]

I get a pain every time I think of most if not all of my U.K cars today they be worth a fortune 1924 box ford ,1934 terraplane could run on parafine ,1934 baby rolls,car I cant think of the name but all in brass 34 hillman, and my last was a Razor edge all aluminum body last for 1000 yrs if only i had forsight

[rossyrooney]

Wow.I thought I was seeing things when I saw the thread title.The Standard Vanguard has been my favourite British classic saloon for many years.I had always wanted one and finally got one in 1997-a Phase 1A.I used it as my wedding car in 1999 and kept it until @2006 when I let it go .I had 5 other classics at the time but have regretted letting it go ever since.I have been on the lookout for another 1A to no avail but will keep looking.My father died in 1998 and on clearing out his photos,found one of a car I never knew he owned-a Vanguard estate.I gather there are only two roadworthy ones left in the UK;one which is owned by the man who sold me my 1A.Do u have any photos of yours?

 

 

Many moons ago i drove ice cream vans for Jack Clayton,he had three ex army vanguards bought from Arthur Hendor(spelling)who had a place at the back of Bradfield Road flats(Regent court). He had them converted at Harwoods of Horwich near Bolton. The registrations were 3552W, 2860WJ and 4470WE. All three had 6 cylinder engines and went like rockets! (and also drank fuel like rockets).

 

I also remember he had an ex ambulance alvis with a wooden chassis, converted into an ice cream van.

 

They were all brilliant little work horses and i'm sure they'd still be going to this day if they hadn't gone out of fashion.

[Bassman62]

Many moons ago i drove ice cream vans for Jack Clayton,he had three ex army vanguards bought from Arthur Hendor(spelling)who had a place at the back of Bradfield Road flats(Regent court). He had them converted at Harwoods of Horwich near Bolton. The registrations were 3552W, 2860WJ and 4470WE. All three had 6 cylinder engines and went like rockets! (and also drank fuel like rockets).

 

I also remember he had an ex ambulance alvis with a wooden chassis, converted into an ice cream van.

 

They were all brilliant little work horses and i'm sure they'd still be going to this day if they hadn't gone out of fashion.

Our Staff Car in the Hallamshire Battalion TA 1962 was a standard Vanguard.