Triumph Mayflower

The Mayflower used a version of the pre-war Standard Flying Ten's side-valve engine updated with an aluminium cylinder head and single Solex carburettor. The engine developed at 4200 rpm. The 3-speed gearbox, with column shift, came from the Standard Vanguard and had synchromesh on all the forward ratios. ==Performance==

A Mayflower tested at Brooklands racing circuit, by British magazine The Motor in 1950 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 26.6 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. ==Pricing==

The Motor's test car cost £505 including taxes. The 1250 cc, 914 kg Mayflower was in a different market from the same year's 803 cc, 775 kg, less well equipped and more aggressively priced Morris Minor advertised at £382. The MSRP in the US was $1750, more than the $1629 asked for a basic 2-door Chevrolet and almost 80% more than a similarly sized, powered and engineered Ford Anglia offered at a rock-bottom $948. ==Reception==

The Mayflower was announced and displayed for the first time on 28 September 1949, the first day of the Earls Court Motor Show. Deliveries, including complete knock down (CKD) kits for overseas markets, began in the middle of 1950. Despite its low performance, the Mayflower impressed automobile testers, including Tom McCahill from Mechanix Illustrated and The Scribe from Autocar. ==Legacy==

The Mayflower had been an attempt to create a small car with an upmarket image, but it failed to meet its sales targets. Standard announced the Mayflower's replacement in a press release in early February 1952; the announcement further stated that the replacement would probably not be on sale until 1953. The Standard Eight, which replaced the Mayflower, had a basic specification and was aimed at a different type of buyer. From the ending of Mayflower production in 1953, there was no small saloon with the Triumph name available in the United Kingdom until the launch of the Triumph Herald in 1959. The Standard Ten saloon and Standard Companion estate were sold as Triumphs in the United States. The front suspension design from the Mayflower was used on the Triumph 20TS prototype and, with modifications, on the Triumph TR2. Cultural impact The Mayflower is the subject of a well-known painting by Australian artist John Brack—The Car. Die-cast models Die-cast models of the Mayflower include Mikansue models from the 1980s, Lansdowne models from 2006, and Oxford Diecast 00 scale models from 2008. ==Notes==