A civil engineer by profession, Reginald Walter Maudslay was quick to recognise the rapidly increasing scope of the horseless carriage and founded the Standard Motor Company in Coventry during 1903.

By the end of that year, three cars powered by over-square single-cylinder engines had been produced, and a workforce of twenty-five had been assembled.

There are various explanations for the company name, from the cars being built from ‘standardised patterns and interchangeable parts’ to the founder’s aim of maintaining ‘the best possible standard’.

Whatever the origin, success followed, and by 1924 production had reached 10,000 cars per year—achieving a market share comparable to that of the Austin Motor Company.

Standard models of the 1920s were often named after English towns—not just those local to the factory, such as Canley, Kenilworth, and Warwick, but also places much further afield, including Teignmouth, Falmouth, and Exmouth.

The Warwick SLO4 was a 4/5-seater Tourer powered ...