The Raymond Mays V8:
Click
on photo for a larger version
The Motor Racing
Pioneer, Raymond Mays (1899 - 1980) and founder of ERA Cars, was known to be a fan of the
products of the Standard Motor Company. He owned a number of Standards, including a 1932
Standard 20 and more significantly, a Drophead Coupe version of the Standard Flying V8.
Achieving some notariatary and motor racing fame post the second world war, he went on to
found the BRM Motor Racing Team which rose to significant Gran Prix success with
Graham Hill during the sixties.
Mays tried his hand at manufacturing
his own cars in the late thirties, the basis of these were the aforementioned V8 chassis
and engines that Mays purchased from Standard. It is known that 5 Drophead Coupe
versions were produced, but the author is only aware of one survivor in this country.
It is also known that 3 of the Mays cars competed in the 1939 RAC Rally, one of
them being piloted by Mays himself, but I would be interested to learn the result?
I was lucky enough to photograph
this car some 10 years ago at a farm in deepest rural Bedfordshire. The car was almost
complete, the most significant missing items were the exhaust manifolds, so the car could
not run. This page presents a series of exclusive and previously unpublished
pictures of this car from my personal archives. If you know the whereabouts of this car,
FLN 388, today, or have knowledge of any other surviving Raymond Mays cars, please
let me have the information, so that it can be published on this website. All of these
photographs above and below can be enlarged by clicking on them. If using them, please
acknowledge the source, or ask me for better (uncompressed) copies.
Mays was quite a famous personality
in the Bourne, Lincs area, where BRM was based and I understand there is s small museum
dedicated to his life and achievements. You can read more about him at Raymond Mays
The attractive
four seater bodywork is somewhat larger than the Flying V8 on which it is based, so the
car must have been intended as a Gand Tourer, rather than a sports car. |
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 Unique radiator grille and front wing louvres give a forceful presence on
the road. |
 Nearside view of the Standard
VEight, missing manifolds and top water hose.
A comprehensive fitted toolset,
including these spare bulbs are a feature of the boot compartment |
FLN 388 was recorded by John Davy
as being in the USA is 1966 so must have been reimported sometime after that.
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Impressive lines and the folding hood mechanism are evident in this shot. |
Report and Photographs by Phil Homer,
April 2002
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