Flying V-Eight emerges after nearly 20 years in storage

CAA 917 is brought  blinking into the sunlight

News has reached me of one of an exceptionally rare surviving V-Eight engined Flying Standard. I featured a photograph of CAA 917 in an article a few years back. That photo was taken in Beaulieu in 1970 by Bo Legelious.

Well, here is CAA 917 again, 39 years later. I know that the car was exported to North America and became the property of Mr E.D. "Earl" Potter. Apparently Mr Potter died about 20 years ago and the car has lain undisturbed until now. It has been discovered in Chicago by Mike Heywood who has just purchased it and the car still appears to be in pretty original condition.

Mike believes that the car was laid up because of a water leak but is unsure yet if this was caused by a blown head gasket or some other fault. He does intend to investigate however and determine if the car can be brought back on the road.

I will of course report any progress to that end as I hear it.

Good luck Mike, on this exciting project.  It would be good to see the car running and being used, so if there is any help available to you in the club, I am sure it will be forthcoming. You can contact Mike in the Flying Standard Section of the Standard Motor Club's Forum

You can see the recently restored Flying V-Eight in New Zealand here and the model  is also in the recently posted 1937 model range brochure

Cick on any of these thumbprints to see an enlargement of any of Mike's photos.

Please give me your feedback on this page

Your car can be preserved on the Internet, forever! I am always pleased to see stories of Standard restorations,  including photos, some taken during the process if possible. Send them to webmaster@standardmotorclub.org.uk for publication on this site. 

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