Standard Ten – the underrated 50s British classic car
Standard Ten – a 50s British classic saloon car we just don’t hear enough about (a rival to the Morris Minor and Austin a30)
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After the Second World War, car manufacturers which had been away from the drawing board for a number of years due to supporting the war effort were suddenly back with pencil and paper and drawing for a new world with new demands; however many of these companies didn’t have the budget to create something totally new.
We often talk of the successes which came from the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show but we talk less of what post-war Britons really wanted, which was motoring but as cheap as possible. People were willing to accept an awful lot less than perhaps they would nowadays.
Sir John Black who was head of Standard and quite a canny businessman had done well in the 40s, he’d purchased Triumph cars and Ferguson tractors and with that, he boldly pushed on with his strategy to create a car which would rival the Morris Minor as a budget saloon.
Which meant that in 1953, the company welcomed into the range the Standard 8. Take a look at the 8 hp which ran until 1948 and you’ll see the styling leap is enormous; the new Eight felt and looked a darn sight more modern.
The car was a completely new design for Standard and paired with the Standard SC overhead valve engine. Offered as a 4 door saloon, it was paired with an 803cc engine and offered no luxuries at base spec – there wasn’t even a boot lid – you accessed the space by pulling down the rear seat; although if you paid a little extra from 1954 onwards you could get all the nice to haves like wind up windows that you’d been missing out on.
Which leads us nicely into 1954 – the year of the Standard 10 as we’re testing today. The 10 shared the body and running gear as used in the Eight and a little like the ‘eight’ naming convention had been used before, the 10 name had been used on cars since 1906.
However, unlike the Edwardian 10 hp Standard, these post war Standard 10s offered so much more than the namesake and the eight.
The engine jumped from a wheezy 803 up to a 948cc and achieved 0-60 in around 38 seconds and I’m reliably informed that even when driven with enthusiasm can still command a number around the mid-high 30s in terms of miles per gallon.
Size wise, the car is 144 inches long/3.65 metres with a width of 60 inches/1.52 metres. A morris minor is the same width but 4 inches longer if you want something to visualise it against.
In terms of your running gear we talk about the engine and how it compares to the competition later, but your suspension is independent front suspension by coil springs, double wishbones and telescopic dampers.
The rear is banjo type live axle with leaf springs with lever arm dampers.
Brakes, as you’d expect, are drums all around and the steering is something people love to pick apart in reviews but you’ll see isn’t actually all that bad. It’s the Burman worm and nut arrangement which is pretty much lifted from the early flying standards of the 30s but hey, for a budget car, it’s not bad at all.
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14:45 It did well to set off from rest in second!
The other cheap car at the time was the Ford Pop 103E. That looked distinctly pre-war in design so this was quite modern in comparison.
First decent carci owned aged 21 a 1958 standard 10 companion estate had it 3 years before selling at 50 000 miles nevef sny trouble self serviced colour 2 tone white and green!!
My grandfather bought a standard 10 new in 1955 sold it 1960
It was light blue reg HVL 418 the number is not on gov data base so 😢sadly no more
I was only 10 when he sold it
I have photo of me and him with it
My Mum drove a Standard 8, the little brother of the 10, before she upgraded to a Standard Pennant, she offered the Pennant to me when she bought a VW Beetle…….I turned it down because I didn't like the colour…….
She does a bloody good job …
I used to get a lift to work early doors old Trafford Manchester Mother's Pride bakery in a black one of these I was 15 the lad who drove it was 17 it was his dad's well it was great not to have to walk I was so envious of the lad and never mind basic to me it was glorious. My first car was a MK2 Ford Zephyr.
Classy Cas. 🙂 Another great video
In the late fifties, my kindergarten teacher had a blue Standard 8, with a sort of red tartan interior and she occasionally took us out in it. Little me rode in the boot and you had to climb in behind the rear seat. At the sign of any police we were told to duck down so as not to be seen. I was also warned not to touch any wires as it would stop the car although they would have been wires to the rear lights. It was quite an experience for a five year old.
The Standard 8 and the Morris Minor both had an 803cc engine, and later the Standard 10 and the later Morris Minor both had a 948cc engine, but that is all they had in common, also the engines had nothing to do with each other! The first Heralds, 1959-1961 all had the 948cc engine. The Standard-Triumph 948cc evolved into the 1147cc, then the 1296cc, then the 1493cc engine
I always thought that the Standard 8 and 19 were better looking than the Minor and the A30. I have driven a Cmpanion with the Standard drive any moons ago when i was 8n college. It was great and less complicated than my Jowett Javelin.
I would love to see a 2cv on the channel. Are there any plans to drive one soon?
The Standard 10 was a dull car and less distinctive than a Morris Minor, Hillman Minx or Ford 100 Anglia/Prefect.
Hello Steph, what a great review, it was the sound of the car – booming and rattling about, the sound of the gearbox and engine working that reminds me of cars from this era!! Wonderful!! Best wishes from Lincolnshire
My first car too – and that same colour. I bought it second hand from a mate of my dad, and took it round the clock over 100,000 miles (in fact I unfastened the odometer cable when it got to 0 mles, just so I could look at it 😂)
Sounds fantastic, all classics have a personality that you have to get used to, you get to know the sounds where as the modern cars are devoid of driver experience i think, great review as always 👏👏
Another great dose of nostalgia entertaining and informatively delivered ,look forward to your videos withe the same relish i have for bangers and cash ..
Steph…..PLEASE clear the windows 🤣
Nice vid as usual. and a great car.
My Dad had a 1957 Standard 10 replacing a 1961 Ford Anglia Van – it was a step up in comfort from the van – but not much! The seats were hard and plasticky, the heater was less powerful than a mouse's fart! It was freezing and noisy to sit in on our long 250 mile trips to see family – I hated it! … It was replaced with an Austin 1100 ( carpets and warm heater! ) and then a Vauxhall Cresta PB – Luxury!
A cousin of the Vanguard?
The later Standard 8s did have a boot but I think the car was renamed as a result: I think out of the two, I'd prefer a Standard 8 (and do occasionally look for one, a family friend had one with the 'open mouth' front). They don't seem to attract the higher prices that Ford and Morris do. That speedo though – do you take an average of the needle position to work out your speed?!
A good basic car for the time. I just watched a 1953 video on the Standard 8 (British Pathe Channel), which you may find interesting as it shows the assembly line. Well done, Stephanie.
I remember my stepfather had a grey van that was like this.
My parents had a secondhand Standard 10 Companion in the mid sixties and squeezed in parents, two grandparents and three children! Great car except my Dad always seemed to be underneath it fixing something
I prefer the Morris to this,this one is kind of homely looking,
British volvo = standard
Cute little car but a bugger to fill. Anti syphon swan neck filler made it blow back and stop the pump. Had to trickle fuel in.
Gosh I remember mother having an immaculate one Black with red interior , GWG 631 .
I had a Standard 10 Companion
Is that 4 speed or 3?
Back in the day, stuff like this would have been a common choice for many of us if we had been alive at the time…..but we have to remember a lot of people didn’t even have a car due to cost…..even tho manufacturers had cut the spec to the bone to get the cars to be more affordable & also why some cars were actually pre-war designs. A Standard 10 or Minor would have actually been a modern car compared to many other cars.
I can’t remember but I think the VW Beetle didn’t even have a fan to keep you warm or cool.
These little videos are a good demonstration of how much slower old cars were-not just their top speed or acceleration, but the way they drive. Everything takes longer, makes more noise, and is less forgiving. You can’t be a lazy driver in one of these. The old engines, clutch & gears aren’t flexible like today.
You did get an ignition and oil warning light as standard – they are two little lights at the bottom of the speedometer.