A Mathis for Standard

Sir,

Perhaps I can enlighten your contributor concerning the Mathis/Standard rumour. I was for many years with the late B. S. Marshall, being responsible for the preparation of all his racing cars, including Bugatti, Aston Martin, Hampton and Mathis. At this particular time we were concessionaires for the Mathis marque. It is true that we supplied the Standard Motor Co. with the car and I, personally, collected it—an open 4-seater tourer, light blue—from Strasbourg, and some time afterwards Standard Motor Company bought it; we were asked to repurchase it, which we did.

As you can imagine I watched all developments of their design with interest and I can say with every confidence that the only observable alteration on the Standard Motor Co. design was introducing a side-valve engine in lieu of the open push-rod type previously fitted to their range of light cars. Whether this was due to Mathis influence is debatable. It is a fact that all manufacturers do buy specimen cars for examination. In very few instances do they make a slavish copy, but what they learn is added to the sum of experience and I can only think of one classic case where the exact copy was made.

I am not aware of any particular reason why the news of this acquisition leaked out and perhaps this information will kill the rumour that the Standard 9 h.p. was an exact copy.

The car in question was an 8 h.p. 4-cylinder (M.Y.) and shortly. after its introduction a 6-cylinder model was introduced known as the E.M.Y.6. It had an engine similar to the 4-cylinder but with the addition of two cylinders of the same size as the 4-cylinder, with the same body and an engine designed more for torque with minimum ability to rev. It was a car with a very good top-gear performance but did not sell very well.

H.G. Munton,
Works Supt., Boon & Porter Ltd.
Barnes.