In the past times, there was no dearth of luxury vehicles in India like it is today. Companies like Standard, Hindustan Motors and Premier had enjoyed a considerable amount of success back then, as their products catered to the elite class of the country. Among those cars that were considered to be a trademark of luxury was Herald, manufactured by Indian automobile brand, Standard, which was founded in 1948. In India, Standard Herald was introduced in 1961 as a re-badged version of Triumph Herald. The car of British based manufacturer had been making huge inroads in global markets wherein it was applauded for its body structure. Soon after the launch of Triumph Herald, the UK based company introduced the car in saloon, estate, coupe and convertible models in major European markets. Eyeing the kind of success Herald received in global markets, Standard started producing the car with the assistance of Triumph. During its initial years, the car was offered in four-door saloon version that soon followed the production of a five-door estate version.
In early phase, Standard used parts supplied by its British partner but later on it relied on the locally built components. By 1965, engine, gearbox and axle of Herald were all made in India. Soon after in 1966, Standard Herald Mark II was introduced in the Indian market in which the bonnet and front fascia was inspired from the Triumph Vitesse. From 1968 to 1971, Standard Herald Mark III model was produced by the company in which the design was altered keeping in mind the interest of Indian buyers. At that time, the competition increased owing to strong response meted out to Ambassador and Fiat 1100. In the Standard Herald Mark III, the company gave away the same engine as given in the outgoing models. At that time, Standard claimed that its car has an ability to reach a top-speed of 109 to 112 kmph. While for the five-door estate version of Herald, the production was started in 1969 and was built on the basis of Mark III model with fibreglass roof.
Coming to the engine specifications of Standard Herald, it was equipped with the 948 cc 4-cylinder Standard-Triumph engine that was mated to a 4-speed manual synchromesh gearbox. In dimensions, the car had a wheelbase of 2311 mm, length of 3886 mm, width of 1524 mm and height of 1321 mm. However, with the declining demand, the production of Herald was stopped in 1971 after which the Standard Gazel took the centre stage bearing the same 948 cc single carb engine.
Standard Herald was among those very few models that achieved good success in the Indian auto market being inspired from the design of foreign car. The major highlight of the car was its designing structure that was soon over liked by car consumers in India. Apart from the design, Herald also got critical acclaim for its comfort and engine. Till today, the car still garners the attention of Indian car aficionados primarily for its much acclaimed body structure.
