That mirrors the years of my parents’ trusty Studebaker, one of the top three ugliest cars ever made. But it did the job.
Cuter as a toy than in real life.
I remember very well that Studebaker. For me it was not ugly, even, it appeared futuristic as the movie of 1951 "Destination Moon". (Then appeared in the history of Tintin, by Hergé.)
Nowadays there are many ugliest cars, as those called "boxy cars".
Fiat is producing one of those.
In this country British cars were always considered solid , with good finishings and reliable, although not "modern" as those from other countries.
My old Flying Standard 1947 served from 1947 to 1961, and all was right.
This could open some lively discussion. I believe Northern Italian members would say this is a ‘Southern Italian attitude?’
Yes, of course. Northern Italy have had a very different history regarding the south. Northern Italy had received the influence of France in the Piedmont and of Austria in the eastern part, especially after the Restoration made by Metternich in 1814.
I think that the "italian attitude" is a prejudice here, as well as other prejudices: e.g. "Englishmen are pirates." The sad thing is this is very common, every time that in the media the speakers refers to Italy there are some people who speaks Italian with a very rude Southern accent, just making the language ridiculous. Of course, they do no dare to do it with the English language.
The main question is: where do you have more confidence and trust to do a business: in Milan or in Catanzaro? The response is obvious.
It was not hard to drive it. Perhaps the car is almost completely broken and its refurbishment is too costly, as perhaps the spare parts are not available, neither here nor in the UK.
These kind of cars are for a few specialists and collectors of old cars. Not the usual thiefs.
Like this you mean, Carlos
Exactly, I was trying to get an interior photo. But you were more clever than me. The only difference is that the color of the car was beige (Light yellow, more or less).
I insist in my lamentation to have sold that car in 1963. At that time I was 20 years old and the decision were done by my parents. If not, this would be a vintage car nowadays.
In BA there was a specialist mechanic to maintain these special type of cars. Not too special, as between 1946 to 1950 the UK were exporting a lot of things to Argentina, perhaps more than the USA.
I’d love to see a picture of this car, especially the steering wheel in the center!
No, the steering wheel was not in the center. It was in the left side to keep our common sense of traffic (USA & Argentina) and in the right side to be used in the UK and overseas dominions.
What was in the center was the instruments pad, (the speed meter and the Mileage meter, and other usefyul information like temperature of water in the radiator, the oil pressure and the fuel reserve).
A good idea to allow the car to be exported to anywhere.
British Leyland takes some beating for unreliability: ergo Jaguar and every other marque that came under its wing.
We have used some Leyland products in the 1960's, when we were still bounded commercially with the UK. Many trucks and this bus, which was running from 1962 to 1975. In 1962 we suppressed the streetcars.
This bus was markedly reliable and very solid. made for during 25 years or more.
In my family we used a Standard Flying 1947 model. I always regret that we sold this car. It was really original: bucket seats, movable roof, movable windhield, leather and mahogany coating in the central control pad, with Jaeger instruments. It was symmetrical, to serve right and left senses of traffic. And in the center of the radiator, the Union Jack.
You are right. Itr seems that the reputation of cars changes along the time. I remember a British series called "Upstairs and downstairs", from the 1980's, where they told the history of an important MP of the British Empire in those years previous to WWI.
It seems that the drivers of the British cars were praising and euloging the French cars (Renault, De Dion Bouton, etc). Then the British surpassed the French with the Rolls Royce, Bentley, etc..
Therefore, nobody can foresee the last opinion.
I do not know why there is a bad reputation about the Italian cars. They produce all type of cars, some cheap and others very expensive, I think that today a country cannot made "bad cars", because they will not be sold anywhere. I used in Europe a Lancia Ypsilon, with 950 cubic centimeters of the engine. It had all the facilities of any modern car, I made 2100 kms and used only 130 liters of gasoline. Never had a problem, even in snowy, dangerous routes in the Alps.
Of course, it was not a Mercedes, but that type of cars belongs to another category.
