Flying Eight
| Production | 1938–1941 production – not available |
|---|---|
| Body style | saloon, tourer, drophead coupé |
| Engine | 1009 cc Straight-4 |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 83 inches (2108 mm) |
| Length | 139 inches (3531 mm) |
| Width | 56 inches (1422 mm) |
The Flying Eight was the smallest member of the Standard Flying family.
Introduced in 1938 or 1939 (sources differ), the Flying Eight featured, in its saloon form, the "streamlined" body of the little Standard Flying Nine that had appeared in 1937. However, the Flying Eight came powered by a side-valve 1021 cc long-stroke (100 mm) engine to keep it in the British 8 hp taxation class, which calculated the annual licence payable according to cylinder surface area. In this case the bore was of just 56.7 mm. A single Solex carburettor was used and the engine could produce 28 bhp at 4000 rpm. Drive was to the rear wheels through a 3-speed synchromesh gearbox. The suspension was independent at the front with a transverse leaf spring at the rear. A top speed of around 65 mph was attainable. Brakes were cable operated using the Bendix system.
The car had a separate chassis and initially saloon and four seat tourer bodied versions were produced joined by the drophead coupé in late 1939. Tourers had cutaway doors and sidescreens, while drophead coupés had conventional doors and windup glass windows. Very few coupés were made before the outbreak of the Second World War halted production.
Read more about this topic: Standard Eight
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“All those who dwell in the depths find their happiness in being like flying fish for once and playing on the uppermost crests of the waves. What they value most in things is that they have a surface, their “epidermality”Msit venia verbo.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
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The waters of sleep can make a chattering tongue
Heavy like stone, their wisdom being half silence.
How shall I name you, immortal, mild, proud shadows?
I only know that all we know comes from you,
And that you come from Eden on flying feet.
”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)