[3] In the wake of World War II, many potential customers in the UK and in English-speaking export markets had recently experienced several years of military or naval service, and therefore a car name related to the Royal Navy carried a greater resonance than it would for later generations.

[5] An estate car and a utility pick up version were announced in September, and then a 12 cwt delivery van.

The Laycock overdrive operated on the second and third gears of the three-speed transmission, creating, in effect, a five-speed gearbox.

The brakes were hydraulic with 9-inch (228 mm) drums all round, and to make the most of the interior space a column gear change was used initially on the right of the steering wheel then later on the left.

[citation needed] At first, the transmission included a three-speed gearbox with synchromesh on all forward ratios, controlled using a column-mounted lever.

The option of Laycock-de-Normanville overdrive was announced at the end of 1949 and became available in June 1950, priced for UK buyers at slightly under £45 including purchase tax.

[citation needed] An estate car joined the range in 1950 and, for Belgium only, some convertibles were made by the Impéria Automobiles coach-building company.

Closer to home, in the slowly recovering West German market the Standard Vanguard recorded 405 sales in 1950, making it the country's third most popular imported automobile, in a list otherwise featuring much smaller cars from French and Italian manufacturers.

In fact, the Vanguard sales in 1950 accounted for more than 70% of the British cars sold in West Germany that year, customers of other UK manufacturers having reportedly been caught out in the late 1940s by the lack of a dealer network and difficulties in obtaining replacement parts.

[16] In February 1954 Standard became the first British car maker to offer a diesel engine as a factory fitted option.

[17] The chassis was stiffened to take the weight of the heavier engine and performance suffered with 65 mph (105 km/h) about the top speed.

However, they retained the tractor's "Ki-Gass", de-compressor and over-fuelling systems, all of which had to be manually operated when starting the engine from cold.

[18] For 1955, the Australian-built coupé utility was given a re-styled tail which resulted in extra room in the cargo area.

[10] The Phase III, released to the market for the mid-October 1955 British International Motor Show,[20] was a radical change with the elimination of the separate chassis.

The 2,088 cc (127.4 cu in) engine with its single Solex downdraught carburettor now produced 68 bhp (51 kW; 69 PS).

The front suspension was independent, using coil springs, and was bolted to a substantial sub-frame which also carried the recirculating ball steering gear.

[citation needed] The new body was lower and had an increased glass area, making it look much more modern, and the old two-piece flat windscreen gave way to a one-piece curved design.

[citation needed] The car was lighter than the superseded model, and the gearing was changed to deliver better economy with performance virtually unchanged.

[24] A basic model, the Standard Ensign, with 1670 cc engine,[25] was announced in October 1957 restyled by Michelotti.

[citation needed] The Ensign shared its body with the Vanguard Series III, but had a cheapened specification in various respects, including a mesh front grille and a simplified instrument panel and dashboard.

[28] A face-lift of the Phase III was designed by Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti and coach-builders Vignale in 1958, and was introduced at the October 1958 Earls Court Motor Show.

[citation needed] The car had front and rear bench seats, which were covered, as standard, in Vynide.

A heater and (unusual for the time) electric windscreen washers were factory fitted, although a radio remained an option.

The compression ratio was 8.0:1, and twin Solex carburettors were fitted giving an output of 80 bhp (60 kW) at 4500 rpm.

[33] Leyland Motors took over Standard-Triumph in 1960 and the prototype Triumph 2000 progressed with new money, the engine being used by the Vanguard Six from 1961 to early 1963.

[citation needed] Both the Ensign and the Vanguard were replaced in 1963 by the Triumph 2000, and the Standard name disappeared from the British market after 60 years.

In 1950, the Australian subsidiary of the Standard Motor Company introduced a coupé utility version of the Vanguard Phase I.