1939 Standard Flying 8

Description

Restored in 2017 and carefully used since; lots of money spent; very pretty and very rare, believed to be one of only around 14 surviving

By the late 1930s Standard badly needed a new budget car to break into the tax-busting 8hp market which was being dominated by the hugely popular Austin and Morris Eights.  Introduced during late 1938, the Flying Eight was a brand new design that not only looked good but was cheap to buy and run.

Notably one of the first small cars to feature independent front suspension, it also marked a distinct departure from the upright, boxy designs of the early 1930s with a number of à la mode styling cues such as a ‘waterfall’ grille, sloping roofline, beetle back and bulbous wings.

It was powered by a 1,021cc four-cylinder side-valve engine with a counterbalanced crankshaft and aluminium cylinder head, mated to three-speed manual transmission. With a heady 31bhp on tap, Standard claimed a 60mph top speed with 45mpg economy and effective stopping power from the Bendix brakes.

Available as a two-door saloon, a drophead coupe and an open tourer the Flying Eight cost £129 and around 26,000 were sold (only about 1,500 of them open tourers) before the outbreak of war put an end to production in 1940, although a revised model was also produced post-war (1945 – 1948) which was simply called the Eight.

First registered in June 1939, this Flying Eight comes with no early history but the DAB 544 number plate implies that it was first registered in Worcestershire and research by the previous owner shows that it was first owned by a Mr Edgar Rastall of Evesham. A copy of a 1960 buff logbook shows that by 1960 it was owned by a James Davies of Worcester and from 1965 – 1972 by a Mr A Dean of Cheltenham.

The trail then goes cold until 2017 when the previous owner, a good friend of our vendor, acquired ‘Monty’ as the car is affectionately known, from a Mr Atterbury of West Sussex. He had owned the car for at least 25 years and had been slowly restoring it in fits and starts, including fitting a new ash body frame, but never actually finished it.

By this point DAB 544 had fallen off the DVLA radar so the previous owner succeeded in getting Monty re-registered and reunited with its original registration number with the assistance of the Standard Motor Club who certified that it was a “substantially complete and genuine” Standard Flying Eight Open Tourer (see last photo).

However, the 1960 buff logbook called it a Saloon so whether this was a mistake or it was converted to a Tourer at a later date isn’t clear, although the current V5C calls it a Tourer and it was certainly a Tourer when Mr Atterbury owned it – all rather confusing.

The previous owner finished restoring Monty, as detailed by various invoices and a CD on file. This included getting the gearbox rebuilt by Nicol Transmissions of Kidderminster; new radiator core; new fuel pump; new carb; new wiring loom; conversion to 12v electrics with dynamo charging; new lights; full interior retrim; five new tyres and no doubt many other new parts for which there are no invoices.

Our vendor acquired Monty from his friend in 2020 and has been using it regularly to pop into town and take to local shows. He tells us that it runs and drives nicely and was fitted with a new hood and side screens in August 2024 which cost £1,800. He also drove Monty some 40 miles to the sale.

Aside from the aforementioned documents and correspondence, the history file also includes lots of useful technical literature plus some lovely period brochures and road tests which must be collector’s items in their own right.

Starting promptly and running well as we have moved it around on site, with healthy 60psi oil pressure, this super little Standard is on offer here at a fraction of the amount it must have cost to restore.

It is also extremely rare, research by the previous owner suggesting that there are perhaps no more than 14 Flying Eight Tourers surviving worldwide so it could be a long while before you see another for sale. It is certainly the only example that we have ever seen in 20 years of hosting these sales.

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