Owner: John Bozic
The only Avon-bodied Flying 14 on our Website. In my view, the car is particularly attractive when viewed from the rear 3 quarters.
This Flying 14 Drophead Coupé is a unique survivor. Usually when I say that, someone will write in to contradict me, and tell me that they own another, so that is what I invite you to please do now, if you can!
The Flying 14 of 1937 was 6” longer than the Flying 12 and the Track was 4” wider. Unlike the 12, it was underpinned with a full ladder chassis which made it more suitable to put out to outside Coachbuilders, and that was the case with this particular car.
Indeed this chassis appears to be very similar to the first Flying Standard (Heavy) 12 from 1935. That car was a failure, because as a 12 of 1607cc, it was found to be underpowered. Consequently the 14 required a bigger engine, of 1776cc, to give the car the performance it deserved. To do this the 69mm bore of the 12 was widened to 73mm.
The New Avon Body building Company of Wharf Rd. in Warwick had been building cars on Standard chassis since the late 1920’s and put bodies on most Standard chassis as they were launched. They designed the Drophead Coupe body to fit the 14 chassis. Whilst the wings, bonnets and radiators were all factory items, the body tub, doors, boot hood and frame are all Avon’s work.
It is not known how many were built, as there was not a separate run of commission numbers, all 14’s retained the their factory commission numbers. However, this is the first survivor that has been brought to my attention. Certainly by this time the company was struggling financially, particularly against the cars produced by Bill Lyons’s SS-Jaguar Company and car production was tailing off compared to earlier years of the 1930’s.
The car’s commission number, FB 3225 makes it the latest Avon car produced, that I am aware of, and 14 Hp saloon production ended with FB 3783.
John Bozic, the car’s owner, knows that the car was associated with the British Army in Germany up until the early 1960’s. The Army association continued, as the car spent many years at the Officer’s Mess at Bovington Army Camp. The log book shows the car to be registered year after year at the Officer’s Mess, but against the name of a different Officer every year. The 14 therefore appears to have been used as a staff or could even be called the “Company” car.
The 14 when it arrived in John’s ownership in 2002.
By 2002, the car, together with a 14 saloon were relegated to a barn and John bought them both. The cars superb lines are evident even before the restoration began.
It took John fully 10 years to complete the restoration, doing as much work as possible himself. The car is now in regular use.
We hope to be able to view the car at the Standard International Rally in Daventry in 2025
Here are two photos taken 46 years apart.
This later one is when he visited me from Portugal in September 2012 to be reunited with his car.
Here is a selection of photos of the restored Avon.
The well appointed Avon dashboard
The car today with a VIP passenger and below, with John.
If you would like to see more stories of Standard Coachbuilt cars, just click here:
SEND US YOUR CARS STORY
Don’t be shy – why not tell us the story behind YOUR Standard and include some Photos? Please fill in this form HERE or email: vicechairman.standardmotorclub@gmail.com
The feature will be preserved here forever.
Phil Homer
Historian
Standard Motor Club
Comments