The Mayflower's "upscale small car" position did not find a ready market, and sales did not meet Standard's expectations.

The Mayflower used a version of the pre-war Standard Flying Ten's[7][8] side-valve engine updated with an aluminium cylinder head[3] and single Solex carburettor.

[8][12][13] Standard's managing director Sir John Black believed this would be especially appealing to the American market.

150 examples were built from Mayflower Saloon CKD kits imported from the United Kingdom, with bodywork locally modified to form a rear load area to which a timber floor and side panels were added.

[17] The MSRP in the US was $1750,[18] more than the $1629 asked for a basic 2-door Chevrolet [19] and almost 80% more than a similarly sized, powered and engineered Ford Anglia offered at a rock-bottom $948.

[7][22] Despite its low performance, the Mayflower impressed automobile testers, including Tom McCahill from Mechanix Illustrated[8] and The Scribe from Autocar.

[23] The Mayflower had been an attempt to create a small car with an upmarket image,[5] but it failed to meet its sales targets.