Standard Swallow

About the Standard Swallow

The Standard Motor Company Limited was a motor vehicle manufacturer, founded in Coventry, England in 1903 by Reginald Walter Maudslay (1871–1934). It purchased Triumph in 1945 and in 1959 officially changed its name to Standard-Triumph International and began to put the Triumph brandname on all its products. In 1929 John Paul Black (later Sir John Black) a joint managing director of Hillman took up an appointment at Standard as joint Managing Director.Black encouraged the supply of chassis to external coachbuilders such as Avon and Swallow Coachbuilding and Jensen. The coachbuilding company of Avon during the early 1930s commenced producing cars with a distinctly sporty appearance, using as a foundation, a complete chassis from the Standard Motor Company. These chassis were ordinary production units, used because of their sound engineering design and good performance. Known as Avon Standard Specials they catered for a select market too small for Standard themselves.Swallow decided to produce a car under their own name using a Standard engine and chassis. A prototype S S One was displayed at London's October 1931 Motor Show and in 1932 Swallow were able to supply three models, two of them used the same body. Swallow's business was moved to S S Cars Limited and began to use a model name of Jaguar for part of their range then extended it to include their saloons. In 1945 S S Cars became Jaguar Cars and Standard still manufactured Jaguar's engines though only the smallest remained a standard Standard design.