Standard's smallest Flying model carried a genuine first: the Flying Eight was the first British 8hp family car with independent front suspension.
Lead trim: Flying Eight 1021 cc four (31 bhp)
Standard EightFlying Eight · 1938–1941
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Standard Eight yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactStandard's smallest Flying model carried a genuine first: the Flying Eight was the first British 8hp family car with independent front suspension.
The Standard Eight was a small car produced by Standard from 1938 to 1959, originally launched as the Flying Eight in September 1938, prior to the Earls Court show. It was the smallest of the Flying family and Standard's first entry into the 8 hp market: a brand-new design apart from the power unit, with a box-section chassis frame and independent front suspension by transverse leaf spring (the first British 8 hp family car with ifs), an aluminium cylinder head, and a 3-speed gearbox with Bendix cable-operated mechanical brakes. The bore was reduced to 57 mm with the stroke unchanged at 100 mm for 1,021 cc and a quoted 31 bhp at 4,000 rpm. Available as a two-door all-steel saloon (by Fisher & Ludlow at Tile Hill) and a 2/4-seat open tourer (Carbodies), with a Mulliner drophead coupé from around the turn of the year; the tourer was priced at £125 and the saloon at £129. Autocar tests recorded top speeds very close to 62 mph. Around 23,069 home-market saloons were probably built by the end of August 1939 (an estimated 1,500 tourers), with production continuing into early 1940. Wheelbase 83 in (2,100 mm), length 139 in (3,500 mm), width 56 in (1,400 mm).
Collectors Spotted in the Standard Eight Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Standard Eight yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Eight 1021 cc four (31 bhp) | 1938–1941 | 1.0 L Inline-4 | 31 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The 1953 Standard Eight launched with no boot lid at all — you reached the trunk by folding down its split rear seatback, a trick saloon cars wouldn't widely copy for another 30-plus years.
Standard actually built estate-car versions of this little 8hp in 1948 — then never offered a single one for public sale.
Standard's smallest Flying model carried a genuine first: the Flying Eight was the first British 8hp family car with independent front suspension.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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