1963 Standard Six Vanguard Utility

Description

The Vanguard was the mainstay of Standard’s early post-war production, a family car introduced in July 1947 and designed to meet the needs of key export markets like America and Australia.  The original slab-sided Phase 1 version was powered by an overhead-valve four-cylinder engine displacing 2088cc mated to a three-speed full synchromesh gearbox.  In addition to the basic saloon Standard also offered an estate car and convertible (for the Belgian market), along with a saloon and in Australia there was an attractive Coupe Utility derivative.  A facelifted version was unveiled at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show, featuring a new grille and more conventional styling that did away with the original Vanguard’s fastback. A completely new model boasting full unitary construction was announced late in 1955, the Phase III also employing fully independent front suspension, Lockheed hydraulic brakes and the options of either a four-speed manual gearbox or automatic transmission.  Standard injected some performance into the range with the Vanguard Sportsman, featuring twin SU carburettors and higher compression ratio, plus bigger brakes and the option of bucket front seats.  Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti, working for Vignale, updated the Vanguard’s styling in time for the 1958 Earls Court Motor Show, with greater glass area and jazzy two-tone paintwork. The final iteration of the Vanguard arrived in late 1960, powered by a 2-litre six-cylinder engine also found in the Triumph 2000. With twin Solex carburettors and an 8.0:1 compression ratio, the motor was good for 80 horsepower, endowing the Vanguard Six with lively performance for the day. The Coupe Utility continued in production Down Under, completed (alongside locally delivered saloons, estates and vans) at the Australian Motor Industries facility in Fisherman’s Bend.