Soon after the end of World War II, the Standard Company decided to join the rest of the British car industry in a push for exports, encouraged by the new Labour government. The result was the Vanguard, designed to be as roomy and powerful as the average American car, yet with more compact overall proportions.

Announced in mid-1947 and launched at the 1948 Brussels Motor Show, the Vanguard was the first full-width ‘slab-sided’ body design to be produced in Britain. The ‘beetle-back’ styling was penned by Walter Belgrove with inspiration from the contemporary Plymouth car and was distinctively transatlantic in feel. Inside was room for six passengers on bench seats back and front, aided by a steering column gearchange. The Vanguard was conventional, with a separate chassis and it was the first car to feature Standard’s wet liner four-cylinder engine.

The Phase I Vanguard (as it was later dubbed) was a remarkable success, reaching production of more than 180,000 over a period of five years. Approximately one-third were exported to Australia alone. It was replaced by the re-styled and more traditional ‘three-box’ Phase II model in 1953 but subsequent models were never as successful as the original design.