[karlosdeville]

With the Vanguard finally completed, and looking superb, time for the next project - another 1958 Standard, but a much smaller economy model, the Super 10.



Standard Motors entered India around 1948/49 I guess, partnering with Union Motors to make the Vanguard (initially the Phase 1, and later the Phase 2 and 3 uptill around 1958/59). Alongside the larger Vanguard they sold the smaller 8 and later 10 and Super 10 models. They performed well, handled superbly, were economical and very reliable. They were quite modern for their time being monocoque constructions. Naturally they were fairly popular, and possibly competed at the time with cars like the Morris Minor and Austin A40. The Super 10 was eventually replaced by the Herald, which reverted to the body on chassis construction.

A proud Sir John Black with the car he was responsible for.


While the initial 8 was a bare-bones basic car, subsequent models were embellished with more creature comforts every year. The original 8 had a fixed boot lid (access from the rear seat) and sliding windows! I am not too clear what was the difference between the 10 and Super 10 - probably the rear glass got a little larger and maybe interiors were improved.





They really looked great in bright pastel colours, and these later models had improved brightwork.


A few cars were even sold in America, where they were badged as Triumphs - an established, sporty brand in the US.


Standard Motors Products of India (Stampro) had their operations in Madras, and were the smallest of the 'big 3' - Hindustan, Premier and Standard - that dominated the motoring landscape for decades. They met with moderate success, especially in the south, for their cars - cheaper to buy and run.

Does anyone know exactly when the 8 was introduced (1953/54?) and when the 10 was introduced, and whether they were available side by side?

A selection of Indian ads







For a while, Standard Motors was also working on the new small car project that the Government was steering. I was lucky to get this rare photo of one of the prototypes, called a Stanmobile, obviously based heavily on the same platform.





Some period photos posted earlier on the forum. Note the white steering wheel, a suspicion I had for some time, now somewhat substantiated. Also note the broad whitewall tyres - unique to many British cars in the Indian market. In fact even the owner's manual of the Pennant (and the ad above) illustrates a car with white walls.









An aunt of mine drove a 1960 Standard Pennant (badged the 10 in India) from new till she bequeathed it to me around 2000. Totally original, it was my daily driver for a few years, before I put it into storage till I get around to a grounds up resto (or leave it as it is? Am in two minds). At the time my car was the only runner in Pune, though I was told there was an older model Super 10 also in use in Pune. The erstwhile dealer put me in touch with him, a professor retired in Pune. He bought the car brand new in West Bengal where she was originally registered WBP 2270 on 9th October 1958. On 13th October 1967 the car was re-registered MHJ 9922 when he shifted to Pune. I helped him with a few spares now and then, and eventually he called me to say I might as well have his car as well - his plan was to replace it with the new Tata Nano! The car was always black, probably the most popular colour for these models. The original interior was probably red, we hope to find some traces of it once we rip open the seats.

The car remains largely original, with no major alterations.


Even rare bits like the taillights and number plate light are still stamped made in England. Note the Super 10 badging, indicating a higher trim level. Am hoping some seniors can tell me exactly what the upgrades were.


Even the keys are still original.


The correct air filter and other ancillaries. Note the sophisticated battery bracket!


I'm not sure about the level of localisation, whether the cars were completely CKD or had some local content.


The proud owner with his car


We took delivery on 9th October 2008 from him - exactly 50 years to the day it was first registered!



The car had never been fully restored, though always in working condition as his primary mode of transport. Naturally, years of use was showing its toll and while the car drove ok, it obviously needed work. I drove home and as I was parking in the garage the steering coupling snapped, and the car sat for a while.

We attended to the snapped coupling and also began the restoration process, focussing on mechanicals first. This was Jan 2011. Stanher had helped me with a spare engine which I fitted hoping to get better power and avoid a lengthy rebuild of the original, though that experiment too failed. We attended to the subframe and suspension, and got the car running again. We still had a long way to go, but since I had shifted to Bombay and rarely got any time to visit the workshop in Pune, we didn't proceed with the rebuild.



In just a span of 5 years suddenly that Padmini wheelcap being used as a tray starts to look so valuable!


Now with projects moving smoothly in Bombay we decided to give the car another shot. We transported the car to Bombay to Niki Garage where Kaizad Engineer had previously done an outstanding grounds up job on my 66 Herald and 63 Fiat, amongst other cars. The original (numbers matching) engine was to be fitted back, so stripped for a total overhaul, with the spare engine going back to being a spare.

[karlosdeville]

Work in earnest has only started last week. Here is the first stage - stripping, assessing the tin work required and starting on usual problem spots like door bottoms and corners. Overall the car is fairly solid and not as bad as I feared, though the doors and rear windscreen frame needs a lot of work. The level of finishing needed will be high, as each panel is out of line with years of work again and again

15th March 2017

This is the status as of this week.

[karlosdeville]

19th March 2017

The car was scraped down, and luckily turned out to be much cleaner than expected. No major corrosion was found in the main shell, just lots of filler and car patch.

[karlosdeville]

26th March 2017

Tin work progresses. The worst of the rot seems to be in the rear windscreen base section, and seat back rest. The front fenders have 'swollen' - a common problem with these cars I have noticed.







The seats have period covers on them with some cool period patterns. The covers are actually in great shape. A quick inspection shows 2 more fabrics underneath - one maroon and one red. I'm hoping the red is the original and in good usable condition. Fingers crossed.

[karlosdeville]

2nd April 2017

The bulk of the work is completed on the frame, doors and sills, finishing will of course continue for a while.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Vintage Car Section. Thanks for sharing!

[i74js]

Brilliant to say the very least. I am amazed at the skills of Indian Garage owners who have kind of ensured that such beauties will keep running on the roads and admirers of these cars can relish them.

Sourcing missing parts, managing original stance to the extent possible requires knowledge and patience and obviously "mullah" from the owners. The restoration is neither easy nor cheap.

In the past about seven years of being member of this forum, I have been pleasantly surprised by the work shared here.

Standard 10 was undoubtedly worthy of being call as "Champion" of its time, though northern India has seen limited presence of this car. It is Maharashtra and below that these were sold in large numbers, even eastern part - including Calcutta, the presence was relatively low.

Kudos to the good work !

[manishalive]

Wow Karlos, Another great restoration coming up. With the kind of information & knowledge you have coupled with the perfect work of Kaizad. This will be another head turner.

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by i74js

Standard 10 was undoubtedly worthy of being call as "Champion" of its time, though northern India has seen limited presence of this car.

On a lighter note, it may be because these cars were never sold as 'Standard' up north but in another version called 'e-Standard'! I'll leave it to you to figure that out!

[karlosdeville]

After looking more closely at these cars, we can see a few differences here and there between models. The earliest cars (1955/56 maybe?) were probably just badged the 10, and later upgrades were called the Super 10. The rear glass too was increased later, but then again I have seen Super 10s too with the smaller glass, and regular 10s with the larger glass - so maybe the 10 and Super 10 were also sold side by side?

Smaller rear windscreen


Larger rear windscreen


Other changes I have seen includes the steering wheel and meter cluster - earlier models carried over from the 8, and later models losing the surround for the speedo and a dished steering wheel seen later in the Pennant and Herald.

Note the fatter steering wheel spokes and 'shade' for the speedo


These go missing in later cars (like mine).


We also have seen cars with and without side trims - even in period pictures in India (often Indian cars were lower spec'd).

So now it is safe to say that my car being a 58, came originally with the later steering wheel and speedo surround, allaying my fears that they were changed at some point. The only fault is mine were painted black, when they should have been ivory. I had even bought an earlier speedo unit thinking mine was changed. So now all I need is an earlier car to match

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

I had even bought an earlier speedo unit thinking mine was changed. So now all I need is an earlier car to match

Karl, another great venture. I am sure it will soon turnout to be as beautiful as others

at this rate soon you will be repository of all Standards - now you need a Vanguard Phase I, a Standard 2000 and a Minibus. as per my count (not considering various variants of each "model").

Great going

Best Regards & Drive Safe

Ram

[karlosdeville]

I was checking out reference commission numbers on the Standard Motor Club homepage (a very useful resource, www.standardmotorclub.org.uk)

They list the following variations in models. Fascinating!

Summary of Eight Production
Eight (basic) September 1953 - May 1954
Eight De Luxe May 1954 - October 1955
Family Eight May 1955 - December 1956
Super Eight October 1955 - February 1957
Family Eight Ph.11 December 1956 - April 1957
Eight Gold Star April 1957 - July 1959

Summary of Ten Production
Ten May 1954 - October 1955
Super Ten October 1955 - October 1956
Family Ten February 1956 - April 1957
Super Ten Ph.11 October 1956 - October 1957
Ten Gold Star April 1957 - July 1959

Summary of Companion Production
Companion June 1955 - April 1957
Super Companion October 1955 - October 1956
Family Companion May 1956 - March 1957
Super Companion Ph.11 October 1956 -October 1957
Companion Gold Star October 1957 - April 1962

Summary of Pennant Production
Pennant October 1957 - May 1959

http://standardmotorclub.org.uk/8-10...n-numbers.html

Naturally for India these dates wouldn't match, and probably not all models were sold here as well, since these were locally assembled kits (and also manufactured?)

[mbz180]

Great going Karl! Please please tell me you're going to paint the Super 10 the lovely pastel green? After all, you have atleast 2 black cars already!

On a side note, can you share some pics of the 220S Ponton with the Webasto top

Look forward to all the updates and what I'm sure will be another fantastic result.

[karlosdeville]

Originally Posted by mbz180

Great going Karl! Please please tell me you're going to paint the Super 10 the lovely pastel green? After all, you have atleast 2 black cars already!

Since the car has always been black, I'm afraid I will stick to the original colour. Yes I would have loved to have a pastel green or blue, but not this time. Maybe for the Companion

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by karlosdeville

Maybe for the Companion

Karl,

See the attached - there is reference to original colour of a Companion there.



Source: Don't know as I got it from WA of a friend.

Has the car been documented in the forum anywhere ?

Best Regards & Drive Safe

Ram