The Standard Ten was a small car produced by the British Standard Motor Company (discontinuously) from 1906 to 1961.
The name was first used in 1906 as the 10 hp, with a 631 cc 2-cylinder side-valve engine. It was re-used from 1934 to 1936 and again for the "Flying 10" launched in 1937, and produced until the outbreak of World War II. The name originally was a reference to the car's fiscal horsepower, in turn a function of the surface area of the pistons, and never a direct measure of the power produced by the engine. Like other manufacturers, Standard continued to use the name to define the approximate size of their 'Ten' model long after the origins of the name had, in Britain, become inapplicable.
The Ten and its up market sibling, the Pennant were replaced by the Triumph Herald in 1961.
Flying Ten[]
The Flying Ten was a replacement for the earlier Ten with the semi streamlined look of the Standard Flying range. The side-valve 1267 cc long stroke (100 mm) engine had a single Zenith carburettor and could produce 33 bhp (25 kW) at 4000 rpm. Drive was to the rear wheels through a 3-speed synchromesh gearbox. The suspension was conventional at first with a solid front axle but this was upgraded to an independent set-up at the front with a transverse leaf spring in 1939. A top speed of around 65 mph (105 km/h) was attainable. Brakes were cable operated using the Bendix system. In early 1941, 150 four-doors were built for the military, after civilian production had ceased.
A sportier version, the Light Flying Ten was also made.
Standard Ten[]
In 1954 the Ten was introduced as a larger-engined (and less basic) version of the Standard Eight, though sharing a similar frame and transmission. Overdrive (from March 1957) or a temperamental semi-automatic were available as options. An estate version, the Companion was launched in 1955. It was among the first British estate-wagons to have rear-passenger doors (like the saloon, and unlike its rivals such as the Ford Squire and Hillman Husky which used the two-door "van" arrangement).
A small number of left-hand-drive Tens were exported and sold as the Triumph TR-10. On these, the two-tone colour arrangement normally reserved for the Pennant was available (though this export model was not tailfinned).
A Ten saloon tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1954 had a top speed of 69.0 mph (111.0 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 38.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of 34.4 miles per imperial gallon (8.21 L/100 km; 28.6 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £580 including taxes.
In 1955, supported by an inscrutable handicapping régime favouring small cars, a factory prepared Standard Ten, driven by Jimmy Ray and Brian Horrocks, won the UK's RAC Rally.
For the United States export market the car was badged as the Triumph Ten and in Scandinavia it was sold as the Standard Vanguard Junior. In Australia the Ten was known as the Cadet.
Standard Pennant[]
A tail finned (with optional two-tone paint schemes) version of the Ten, the Standard Pennant was launched in 1957. Engine power was increased to 37 bhp and an overdrive gearbox was offered as an option. other options included a radio, heater, leather upholstery and clutchless 2 pedal control. Indian-produced Pennants were curiously branded as "Standard 10" and lacked any bootlid trim other than the branding.
A Pennant tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1958 had a top speed of 70.2 mph (113.0 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 35.3 seconds. A fuel consumption of 40.2 miles per imperial gallon (7.03 L/100 km; 33.5 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £728 including taxes of £243.
Gallery[]
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