Phase 1 estate

[ian59]

Hi, being new to the forum, could anyone tell me how rare in the uk a phase 1 vanguard estate is?

I only ask as I visited relatives over in British Columbia in Canada last month and tucked away in a corner of their farm is what I believe to be a 1950 Phase 1 estate. Although some of the glass is broken I couldnt believe how good the bodywork is given that it hasn't been on the road since 1959 (it still wears its '59 plates) there isn't a dent on the body and there is very little rust. I had a good preliminary look over it and the sills/floorpan look and feel sound. The interior is pretty well gone and the engine is no longer there but it looked like a good basis for a restoration.
Now I know that the end value of a fully restored example, would in no way cover or even justify the cost of shipping the thing over and restoring it, but thats not why we restore cars is it?
So from a rarity point alone would this be worth it I wonder?
Ian

[tinawalker]

Hi Ian, Welcome to the forum. To answer your question, the Standard Vanguard Phase 1 Estate car here in the UK is a fairly rare beast. Our club Chairman Peter Lockley has an excellent grey phase 1a example.
I at one time believed it to be the only one still running here, but now I think there is another one. of-course there may well be several more in Australia and South Africa, but that may be just a guess on my part. However, a good body is a very good starting place to begin with, as mechanical bits can usually be sourced. These cars have a separate chassis and the body can be lifted off it for refurbishment. They are built like battleships so usually survive better than most. The 2088cc engines were also used in many Triumph cars (but in 2138cc form) so you may be able to source one from that direction - unless there is a scrap Vanguard lurking somewhere as all the Vanguards up to about 1960 (apart from the 'sportsman and Ensign delux - 2138cc with twin carbs), had basically the same single carb engine. The Standard club can supply all the manuals and literature you could ever need to assist with saving it. Being such a very rare car, it sounds from your description of it, as if it will be well worth saving.
As a lot of the glass is just flat sheets, so you could very likely get a local glass company to cut the ones you need for a reasonable price. We do have another member - Darrell Macdonald, I believe near Toronto, who may be able to advise on sourcing parts. He has a phase 1a saloon.

Joining the Standard club can at least get you access to advice and literature, even if at the present time parts supplies of spare parts to the USA, and I think Canada as well, are on hold due to the somewhat draconian product liability laws there - if something goes wrong. But a Phse 1 Vanguard Estate car is a rarity to be saved. Good luck, Tina

[ian59]

Hi Tina, thanks for your reply, I took a number of photo's of the car while I was out there and could post on the forum to get some opinions as to whether or not other members thought the car might be worth dragging back over here at some point. Is there a maximum image size the forum can take?

Thanks,

Ian

[herald948]

Ian, I'd love to see those photos here or anywhere else you can post them (I probably could be easily persuaded to post them on my own web site). I'd not be surprised if a Phase I Estate is even rarer in North American than home, even though Standard sold quite a few Vanguards in Canada! And if it's a typical LH steering, North American-spec. car, it would be nice to see it remain somewhere in North America!

[webmaster]

Hi Ian59

Please send me the photos so that they can go on the SMC website for wider viewing. I am about to publish an article on another Phase 1 estate and that will also show you just how rare they really are, by identifying all the known survivors. It will also identify the slight differences between the Phase 1, 1a and 2

In case you can't recall the email address, send the photos to [e-mail]

Thanks and regards,
Phil

[ian59]

Hi Phil and Herald948,

Phil I have posted a number of the photo's I took to the webmaster address, but I hope you have broadband as its 5+meg.

I have some more but you get the idea from the ones I sent.

I have the chassis number and Mulliners body number also.

Hope this generates some interest. Although many of the windows have been broken, this only happened last year (local kids) but i wonder how long it will be before they take a hammer to it? Hopefully not as its fairly remote, but I would be intertested in what you could tell me about the car from the pics.

Ian

[ian59]

Lets see if any photos appear

[ian59]

Ok that worked, so here's a few more









Hope these are of interest to you all, so is it worth saving then??

Ian

[herald948]

Monetarily? No, of course not. But then very few cars are "worth saving" from this condition if all you're looking to do is turn a profit. That's life. From a "dedicated hobbyist" perspective, especially such a person interested in Standards, I'd guess that it definitely IS worth saving if it's as relatively rust-free and straight as it appears in the pictures. If I were not so terribly far away, I'd love to go after a car like this!