Year and make of this English car?

[19tom40]

My English friend came across this photo of his Dad in an old album and asked if I could identify it. A search shows that it resembles a Standard Motor Car from around 1934, but I could not find an exact example of it. All of the Standard cars have horizontal hood louvers and this car has vertical hood louvers. Can anyone identify the year and model of this car? I would appreciate any and all comments and guesses.

 

[keiser31]

VERY similar to a 1933 Continental Beacon with a Model A Ford bumper.

Edited April 3, 2020 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

Keiser31 is correct, it most closely resembles a 1933 Continental Beacon, though being RHD and exported to England, it may have been built in Canada by Dominion Motors Ltd.  That company in Leaside, Ontario had manufactured cars for Durant and Star, transitioned into making and selling Frontenac nameplate cars as the Durant empire collapsed in the U.S.  The Frontenac cars were still largely based on Durant models, then turned to DeVaux as a bases for their car in 1932 and finally Continental who had to taken over DeVaux as it was that fledgling company's largest creditor.  The car in the photo would have had the Frontenac name, and a four cylinder Continental engine.  The common thread through all the Durant-Star, DeVaux and obviously Continental and Frontenac is they all sourced their engines from Continental Motors Corporation, the propriety engine builder for hundred of makes and applications. 

[19tom40]

Thanks guys. After looking at the photos of the Continental and Frontenac cars, it appears that the car in the photo is one of them. The Model A bumpers were probably added on. The photo was taken in India before WWII and the scarcity of parts there would lead to unauthorized changes.

 

I believe that the car in the photo has the small 6 cylinder engine used in the Flyer. The grill looks like it is plated and the hood looks longer than the Beacon hood.

[58L-Y8]

Thanks for the follow-up, that's one rare car.   Being a six, it would have been same as the Continental Flyer, which it looks most like.  The Continental Ace was the largest of the three, the radiator grille somewhat different and easy to identify.   What the model names Frontenac used aren't listed in my source, though may be the same as the American versions.  If you've ever seen one of the 1933-'34 Continentals models in the metal, that's likely all your ever going to see in a lifetime, they're that rare. 

[keiser31]

My friend, Barry Wolk owns this 1933 Beacon....

[Barry Wolk]

On 4/3/2020 at 11:28 AM, 19tom40 said:

My English friend came across this photo of his Dad in an old album and asked if I could identify it. A search shows that it resembles a Standard Motor Car from around 1934, but I could not find an exact example of it. All of the Standard cars have horizontal hood louvers and this car has vertical hood louvers. Can anyone identify the year and model of this car? I would appreciate any and all comments and guesses.

 

I'm pretty sure that's a Flyer, but it likely has an Australian body.

Since Australia had little automotive production of their own they heavily taxed completed imports. You could avoid onerous taxes by buying a running chassis, complete with RHD, fenders and running boards, hood and cowl. Companies like Richard's had dockside facilities where you could drive a chassis in and leave with a completed car. They also gave discount tariffs for Total Knock Down cars. I have pictures of an Australian Flyer, and like this one, has a more prominent belt line.