Triumph

The Mayflower was a small upmarket saloon produced by the Standard Motor Company from 1949 to 1953. Designed to offer luxury-car character in a compact package, it featured distinctive ‘razor-edge’ styling inspired by larger Triumphs and contemporary Bentley and Rolls-Royce models. Its 1,247 cc side-valve four-cylinder produced 38 bhp and drove the rear wheels through a three-speed column-shift gearbox. The Mayflower was also notable as Standard-Triumph’s first car with unitary construction. Although compact, its upright body provided surprisingly generous accommodation for four. Standard hoped its miniature luxury-car appearance would appeal particularly to American buyers, but sales fell short of expectations. Production ended in 1953 and its replacement, the Standard Eight, adopted a very different approach as a basic economy car.