Friday 14th December 1934

Founder of the Standard Motor Co. Ltd, Reginald Maudslay, died aged 63 after a short illness. Maudslay encountered some of Britain’s first automobiles whilst in London and soon became entranced by the new machine. He elected to abandon civil engineering and take up as an automobile engineer. Moving to Coventry, fast becoming the centre of the motor industry, and armed with £3,000 from Wolfe-Barry, Maudslay set as his principle that his car should be made from tried and tested components, so much so that his car would be called the Standard. The Standard company would carve a name for itself as a successful early British motor manufacturer with a reputation for reliability. Maudslay would remain at the helm throughout his life and was still the Chairman when he died.