We spotted Sam Beatty's street/strip Triumph Mayflower at California nostalgia meetings. Coincidentally, award winning photojournalist Andy Willsheer had penned an article on Sam's car. Sam was only too happy to approve it for publication and Andy's pictures accompany it.

Introduced – or perhaps to use a more name appropriate term, launched – in October 1949 at London’s Earls Court Motor Show by the Coventry-based Standard-Triumph Motor Company, the razor-edged Mayflower was aimed at motorists seeking a touch of luxury at a relatively affordable price. Likened by some to a downsized Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, performance of the two-door little brother to the stately Triumph Renown was certainly not in the same league as the Roller, the powertrain chosen to motivate the boxy, slab-sided model being a combination of the pre-war Standard Ten’s 1247cc 38bhp, side-valve, four pot reciprocating mass updated by means of an aluminium cylinder head and backed by a column-shifted, three-speed ’box that was fitted to the Standard Vanguard. With a top speed of just under 65mph it would be fair to say that the plus points—for starters: quality of build, comfort and economy – did at least make the well appointed saloon somewhat desirable economy-wise, even if the manufacturer missed the, er, boat as far as the American market was concerned, being as automobiles rolling off the assembly lines there during the immediate post-war period were generally more commodious modes of transport and the short-wheelbase (84-inch) Mayflower didn’t exactly fill that particular remit. The misplaced belief that it would induce discerning buyers to part with their dollars for an idiosyncratic example of luxury British automotive styling was unfortunately well wide of the mark, with total sales figures across the Pond over the four-year production period being a very disappointing 510 from a total run of around 35000. But as far as other export markets were concerned, there was a saving grace insomuch as the model was at least far better received in the Commonwealth countries than the prime target USA.

Be that is may, the modified example shown here came into the life of retired police detective Sam Beatty after he chanced upon it when looking around the famed San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park a few years ago. I should point out that Sam has always had an interest in the straight-line sport – way back in 1963 when at high school he had a ’55 Ford Thunderbird that ran high twelve-second passes accompanied by terminal speeds on the standing start quarter-mile of around 109mph – and over the course of adulthood expanded his interest in automobiles to encompass an eclectic assortment of show cars as well as upmarket models from the likes of Jaguar and Rolls-Royce. “I’m a British car freak,” he said “as well as having a (penchant) for certain US marques. So when I spotted the Mayflower parked up gathering dust in the museum’s restoration shop it piqued my curiosity.” Upon making further enquiries, it transpired that the vehicle had been donated by someone who’d removed the original drivetrain and cut the crossmember in order to install a Nissan 1600cc four-cylinder engine and automatic ’box. So before purists get on their high horses, as alterations had already been undertaken by the benefactor, the plan that Sam had in mind for the already modified rarity would at least ensure the car would be returned to use rather than being ignominiously laid up in a storage area. Sam said “I tried to buy the Mayflower as I fancied the idea of converting it to a street ’n’ strip machine, something that would definitely be a novelty. It transpired that an employee of the museum had driven the car somewhere and felt that it was unsafe to be on the road to a point where he declined to make the return journey! Hence the car had been tucked away and largely ignored until I came upon it.”

Upon speaking with the then lady director of the facility, his fair offer to buy the car was firmly rebuffed and so he reluctantly left it at that. At some time later, however, a change of senior personnel was made and Sam was contacted by the lady’s successor with a view to loaning his street rodded ’34 Lincoln KA sedan in order to be temporarily put on display beside a standard example that was a part of the museum collection. Sam happily acceded to this request with one proviso... that he could purchase the 1952 Mayflower. A deal was duly agreed with the new director and the princely sum of $2200 was paid over in 2014. Once the change of ownership paperwork formalities were completed ’twas not long before Mr Beatty began to figure out how exactly he was going to reinvigorate the old-timer from its moribund state to something that would be quite a head turner in the SoCal city of Chula Vista, which is just north of the border with Mexico and where he is domiciled on a 51-ft sailboat moored in the local marina.

The task of endowing the car with a respectable degree of performance in keeping with its intended racing role – Sam has been a regular competitor at Barona Drag Strip, an 1/8-mile track built on Indian reservation land in Lakeside CA, where his best numbers at time of writing are 7.02-seconds @ 96mph – was entrusted to a local man, Steve Beck, proprietor of Southtown Custom Hotrods, whose workshop is also located in Chula Vista. With the body separated from the original chassis, a National Hot Rod Association-certified custom mild steel race counterpart was fabricated, replete with Ford Mustang II-style narrowed front end. The stock firewall was modified to initially accommodate a small-block Ford 302 that was stroked to 347ci, this unit being superseded in 2019 by a 351 Windsor V8 that has been bored and stroked to 427ci (7 litres). Outfitted with a passel of go-faster goodies, the current combination endows the Fifties classic with a stonking horsepower output in the region of 625bhp. Torque is transferred to a Ford narrowed 9-inch Detroit Locker rear end( packing 4.10 gears) through a B&M Pro Ratchet-shifted C4 3-speed automatic ’box. There’s also a line lock and transmission brake installed, de rigueur fitments for drag racing modus operandi. Credit for the transmission work goes to specialist Bob Harrington and engine uprating was deftly carried out between both Sam and John Baxter of Baxter’s Machine in National City.

The standard drum brake setup is now superseded by modern day aftermarket Wilwood disc brakes on all four corners, more than capable of arresting the 2600lb car’s oversize rolling stock at the end of any high speed hauling. Weld Racing alloy rims -- 15 x 4 up front and custom 15 x 13 aft -- mount Mickey Thompson Sportsman 25 x 7.5 and Hoosier Quick Time Pro 28 x 14.5 triple-grooved rubber, respectively. The latter are fully compliant with the Open street class in which the Mayflower is competitively thrashed along the strip and, importantly, the fat rear tyres also bear a Department of Transport number indicating their legality for use on the public highway, a de rigueur requirement for Sam’s competition category. He did point out that although they meet class-specific rules, he wouldn’t like to push his luck on damp road surfaces as their minimal tread grooving offers little in the way of water dissipation.

Utilitarian interior appointments of note include a pair of cloth-trimmed racing seats in place of the optional extra leather covered bum perches with which it rolled off the assembly line, along with a brace of RaceQuip 5-point harnesses. Comfortably and safely secured in the spartan cabin, Sam can monitor vital functions through a complement of aftermarket analogue instruments outfitted in a custom alloy binnacle located in the car’s normal location: the quartet comprises Auto Meter Pro- Comp Ultra-Lite speedometer and fuel level gauges, plus Sunpro water temperature and oil pressure. A SplitFire programmable tachometer and shift light is located directly behind the Schroeder 14-inch quick-release steering wheel and allows the driver to maintain a needle eye on matters of importance as he floors the custom throttle pedal. The back seating is long gone, the tin-trimmed rear area being largely been taken up by the wheel tubs and roll cage. Swathes of Rattle Trap sound deadening mat are fitted to minimise noise intrusion and the padding’s effectiveness is just the ticket.

What makes this one-of-a-kind Mayflower particularly engaging is that the Fisher & Ludlow two-tone coachwork has retained its originality. Okay, it has been resprayed in modern-day metallic silver and grey hues, but all the factory steel panels remain in situ. The front turn signals may now take the form of flush-fitted LED units, but the precursors were in a pretty naff state and Sam was unable to procure any standard replacements. There’s now a pair of Harley-Davidson motorcycle wing mirrors mounted at the front of the wings as the old pot metal versions were “in a rather fragile state.” Access to the engine bay is through the normal twist and lift latch, the mechanism of which has been repaired and now incorporates a modified landing panel. The tight fitting V8 powerplant sports an MSD programmable ignition system, with other points of note under the bonnet being a fuel pressure gauge mounted on the firewall that checks ingestion of petrol that flows through a Holley 4150 950cfm carburettor, spent exhaust gases being vented to the atmosphere through 4-inch custom pipework and mellifluously exiting on each side just ahead of the back wheels. There’s also an aftermarket custom radiator designed to fit a Ford Model A but which perfectly fits in the Mayflower aperture. The stock wind-up windows and opening quarter lights have been retained and operate fine and dandy, although the windscreen wipers and radio aerial have been taken off. A fan has been installed to keep the driver cool when waiting in the staging lanes to make a run and there’s a full width interior mirror to better view what’s occurring behind. In the boot a 20-gallon(US) fuel cell holding 91 octane unleaded takes the place of the normal 10 imperial gallon tank, and is also home to a regular 12-volt battery, the mandatory cut-off switch for which is located above the rear bumper. A point of note concerns the boot lid latch covers which had deteriorated to a point where they were ineffective, Sam using his ingenuity to make natty replacements using a couple of 25 cent coins (or ‘quarters’ in Stateside vernacular) in conjunction with a pair of machined hinge pins.

Finally, although fellow racers at aforementioned Barona may be quite used to seeing the limey rarity regularly being put through its formidable paces, anyone coming up beside the Mayflower at traffic lights might well look askance at the wheelie bars and Mighty Mouse cartoon character affixed to the boot and ponder on the car’s origins. It certainly looks unusual, but if they were quick they might just make out the Mayflower moniker on the front doors before the stubby British import leaves ’em in its wake. Yes indeed, a unique transformation from staid to standout may have cost the owner many tens of thousands of dollars... but at least the reinvigorated ride is delightfully different and a stirring sight both on the street and strip. All Sam now has to figure out is whether he could justify the expense of possibly uprating the Ford engine’s naturally aspirated induction system to a twin-turbocharged setup, a serious power adding conversion he estimates would cost in the region of $10000. Decisions, decisions...

Sam commented "My best so far is 10.9 at 119mph at Bakersfield (quarter mile) in 2021 and 6.7 at 104mph at Barona (eighth mile) also in 2021."