What a neat project for someone to take on! The Triumph Mayflower looks like a mini-limo and was Standard-Triumph’s idea of what the USA wanted in an economy car in the early 1950’s. Seeing as they were incorrect, the Mayflower died a fairly swift death, with only around 35,000 being produced and most of them staying in Europe. These three would make at least one good project car, and are located near Greenville, South Carolina. They are advertised here on craigslist for $5,000 or best offer, and since they’ve been advertised for a while I suspect you could negotiate that figure down quite successfully.
Here’s another shot of that first car, which has some of the straightest and most rust free Mayflower sheet metal I’ve ever seen. Andy Mace, I know you know about these, what do you think?
Here’s another car, much more rusty but probably not beyond the realm of saving. There’s a lot of trim, glass and baubles on this one to put on that first body, though. That doesn’t include the grille, which has taken a beating from something. I think I’d use this one for parts to put the first car back together.
We don’t get a good complete picture of car #3, but enough to know that it doesn’t seem to have a grille either. So that’s one part you’ll be trying to find. Perhaps another Mayflower owner needs some of the parts you’d have with these three cars and a swap could be worked out? I did find a site advertising grilles and other parts here.
None of the three cars have an engine or transmission installed, but here’s one in the trunk. I believe this is a Mayflower transmission.
This engine block is also included, and looks like it could be from a Mayflower–I think that’s the cylinder head in the background on the right. However, I have seen these cars fitted with Spitfire or Herald engines and transmissions, and that might be the way to go temporarily while you work on rebuilding the original engine. If you want to see what a nicer Mayflower looks like, we’ve covered them before here. I’d like to see at least one of these unusual little cars be put back on the road–how about you?
This is one of those “finds” that makes me wish I was younger — a LOT of things do! — and had plenty of garage space and was sufficiently bucks-up to take these puppies on! I have dug Mayflowers since I first saw on (circa 1954) and still do; for me, they epitomize that unique Brit combination of razor-edge dignity and wackiness.
It looks as if there are enough parts there to do most of one full resto, and I don’t doubt the rest could be found in the U.K. Wouldn’t be easy or (probably) cheap, but you’d certainly be the hit of a Cars & Coffee when it was done!
What to do with the rest? The letters “S, B” and “C” keep floating through my head….
I’ve always had a thing for these two, RayT!
Would it not be cool to use the parts cars and make an actual limousine?
I’ve actually seen one. Didn’t know what it was until the last time a Mayflower popped up
cool…….like……
The car in the Nov 2015 posting looks like it has TRUMPS for the personal license.
I owned a couple of these years ago. I purchased them as a pair, one was a reasonable tidy driver and the other required a bit of TLC…. Like 10’000 bucks (Early 90’s currency). Poverty stricken man’s Rolls Royce without the girls, power or prestige.
Neat if they can be restored otherwise might make good gassers.
I think Rayt has a good point with the sbc but I would put in a modern drive train,a good 4 with a stick so could have mpg and ease of care then do up one body at a time got 2 teen girls that would love these and drive the wheels off.One in purple with flames and one gloss black with a red and black velvet int.(I’m told would be way cool) that would leave one for dad to play with.Now just need20-25 large to get it all done.
I have seen one with a homemade Rolls grill, maybe a way to go. After all, if they can fake an Austin Princess with a RR grill and most people believe it, then why not do it to a Mayflower…… LOL.
Jamie, et.al.: In a world where superficially nice looking Heralds go for $22k+ at auction, this might be a decent deal for the package. Dead stock, they’re great fun around town (especially if your town has no steep hills)! Modified? Sky’s the limit, of course! First thing to ditch is the three-speed, followed closely by the flathead. Then update the front end with brakes from a TR3-TR6, etc., etc.
BTW, the limousine thing’s been done (can’t find a picture at the moment; sorry), but nothing’s stopping anyone from doing it again! ;)
Bottom line: then and now the cars were/are virtually unknown even amongst Triumph people. It’s not likely they’ll ever see really high value!
There are a couple that show up at Stowe every year. They just don’t do anything for me personally. The proportions seem all off. I really liked the ’47 Ford Prefect barn find in Maine I sent you last night.
The Author of many auto historical books like “Kaiser-Frazer, the last onslaught on Detroit”, Dick Langworth, took a nice looking Mayflower, parked it on the street in front of a huge brick Georgian style mansion, and created a poster, with a caption across the bottom: The Triumph Mayflower: It makes your house look so big!
I had one years ago, a LHD model, it has been the “mascot” of a local racing team; Group 44. I had an Austin Princess limo, and wanted to restore the Mayflower to look like a miniature version of the limo. I had planned on parking them together at car shows, with signs on the windshields that said “Momma” and “Baby”.
Barnfind may have covered this very car back in 2013: http://barnfinds.com/huge-stash-of-cars-in-south-carolina/
A parent in Belgium bought a Mayflower, second hand, at the end of the 50ies: I remember her well… sitting in the garage most of the time because of frequent brake-down.
Probably the squarest automobile in history!
Now, an amusing project for British cars lovers.
My buddy in high school around 1960 told us his dad bought him a Triumph, we laughed when we saw his Mayflower but after his uncle rebuilt the engine that thing ran great. It was a pretty reliable starter too, in our cold Canadian prairie winters. It was even smaller inside than our other friend’s 4door ’50 Hillman.