Comparison
of Two
Prewar Standard 8 Tourers
Both of these prewar
Flying 8 Tourers have appeared on this website before, but I have no problem with
publishing more pictures of them. The cars come from opposite ends
of the earth, and it is great that members this far apart are
willing to co-operate to make this interesting new feature. This article is
specifically designed to identify the similarities and differences
between the Factory Flying 8 Tourer and the Australian coach-built version.
It is hoped that
this article will help anyone restoring either of these cars.
| Richards-bodied Standard 8
Tourer owned by Chris Cansdale in Victoria
|
Factory
Standard 8 Tourer owned by Pat Ging in Ireland
|
| Click
on any of these thumbnails to see a larger version
|
|
|
|
Frontal
differences are:
- Different windscreen
construction and wiper position.
- the Australian car has
a "Standard" script on the radiator grille.
- pressed steel bumpers
to a different pattern
|
|
|
|
Side
differences are clear:
- Doors have different
shape and have have a different cut-away for
sidescreens
- no trafficators on the
Aussie car, no airvents on the factory car
- Aussie car has bigger
hood and must have more room in rear, caused by change in rear
end shape.
- Both cars use same 4
wings
|
|
|
|
Rears
don't bear much resemblance to each other:
- Richards's body has a
boot full of the spare wheel.
- Factory car has
exposed spare wheel and fold-down rear seats so
luggage can be placed behind
- Richards's boot has
chrome strips and a unique badge
|
|
|
|
| Dashboards
layouts, though similar are strangely different. I believe
that the Australian car is using the bakelite dashboard
and instruments that were used in the Flying 8 saloon.
|
|
|
|
| Though
it looks as if both cars have been re-upholstered, the
seats on the Aussie car appear to be more deeply
upholstered.
|
|
|
|
| I
would expect there to be little or no difference under the
bonnets of either car, and that turns out to be the case. |
So, there we have it, two cars
separated at birth and rejoined together now on this webpage. The
Richards body uses only the wings, bonnet and radiator grille of
the UK body. I will now speculate ( make educated guesses)
at what "Factory" components were used in the Richards
Tourer.
Factory parts:
Chassis, engine, transmission and
steering, radiator and grille, wheels, bulkhead (firewall) bonnet,
four wings, dashboard, instruments and electrical components.
To this kit, Richards added a
body to their own design, comprising all panels from the
windscreen backwards, the windscreen itself, hood, hood frame,
bumpers, seats and interior trim.
| Price when
new : |
Price when
new: |
| The car was
priced at Australian £249 or £255 10s on the road. This
would comprise the cost of the Standard chassis, transport
to the Antipodes and the fabrication of the Richards
bodywork in Australia |
The car was
launched at £125 in the UK at the 1938 Motor Show, making
it the cheapest 4 seater car available in the market. |
| If you would
like to see an article on Chris Cansdale's car on tour,
click here
|
If you would
like to see more of Pat Ging's car, click here
|
Article by Phil
Homer
Photos and
additional input from Chris Cansdale and Pat Ging
I am always pleased
to see stories of Standard cars, including photos,
some taken during the process if possible. Send them to webmaster@standardmotorclub.org.uk
for publication on this site.
|
