KEEPERS
Gary’s 10,000-mile Swallow was stored and neglected for almost 90 years but it’s now as good as new, just in time for its resto show debut
The Standard Motor Club is showcasing four historic cars on its stand at the NEC this weekend, and mine is one of them. VC 7336 is one of just six known survivors with coachwork by Swallow on a Standard Big Nine chassis and, after decades years in storage even Jaguar Heritage said that it was beyond restoration.
‘It was built in autumn 1930 but clearly took a while to sell because it wasn’t registered until 24 March 1931. The car was used until 1938 when it was involved in an accident, which resulted in some front-end damage. But the imminent threat of war meant that the car was not repaired and was instead put into storage, still with fewer than 10,000 miles recorded on the odometer.
‘Fast-forward 81 years and the Standard reached my hands in 2019, by which time the car was in a pretty sorry state. All of the wings were just loosely fitted and everything else was piled inside the car. There were no handles on the doors, the door trims were all off and some significant parts, such as the steering column tube and the exhaust, were missing.
‘Fortunately, I had experience restoring a Wolseley 15/50, Rover P4, Austin 7 and Austin Swallow, along with regular maintenance and repairs on my Rover P6s. I also had the enthusiasm of the Standard Club behind me with an unrivalled stock of pre- and post-war spares, a vast wealth of technical expertise, a comprehensive archive and a dedicated committee and team of volunteers.
‘I decided to not restore the car but preserve and repair what I had. The handful of similar survivors have all lost their original interiors so I have worked hard to keep this last example as original as possible. The original leather seats responded well to treatment and the body’s timber framing was remarkably good. I got the car back on the road in 2021.
‘My mission at the NEC is to buy new carpets – ideally in the original olive drab colour with black flecks. Externally, I have painted the steel panels in their original colours and I intend to re-paint the aluminium body panels in due course – the original paintwork is too far gone to keep; I live by the sea so the metal needs protection.
‘This year is amomentous one for the Standard Motor Club as we celebrate the club’s Golden Jubilee. It has been dedicated to the preservation of all Standard cars and their derivatives for 50 years and my car will be proudly displayed on Stand 970 in Hall 5.
‘Despite its age, the Standard performs really well; I live in a hilly area and it climbs smoothly and effortlessly. The
