This is the only Standard Atlas camper van we’ve ever featured on Silodrome, very few seem to be left in the world, and outside the shores of Britain the model remains almost unknown.
This Standard Atlas is well-equipped, with couch/dinette that converts into a bed, a kitchenette with a sink and running water, a gas cooker, and plenty of storage space in cupboards and drawers. The van does now need a recommissioning as it was last on the road in 2016.
Fast Facts – A Standard Atlas Camper Van
- The Standard Atlas is a rare and largely unknown model outside Britain. This particular 1962 model is equipped as a camper van with a convertible couch/dinette, kitchenette, and ample storage space. Last on the road in 2016, it now requires recommissioning.
- The Atlas was introduced in 1958 by the Standard Motor Company to compete in the growing small van market.
- Initially powered by a 948cc inline-four engine from the Standard Ten, the Atlas later offered larger engines up to 2.1 liters. Various body styles were available, including panel vans, minivans, and pickup truck versions. The van’s engine was positioned under a cover between the front seats. In 1964, Leyland Motors Limited took over, renaming it the Leyland 15/20. The model was discontinued in 1968 when BMC acquired Leyland.
- Few Standard Atlas vans have survived, with many (if not most) succumbing to rust. Until recently, they weren’t considered particularly collectible outside a small group of enthusiasts. However, the surge in popularity of the “Van Life” movement has increased interest in classic camper vans, making period-converted Standard Atlas campers quite desirable. This trend has brought renewed attention to these once-overlooked vehicles.
- The featured 1962 Standard Atlas camper van remains in remarkably original condition. It has a period-correct camper section with a pop-top roof, sofa/dinette, kitchenette, and storage space. Powered by an 1147cc Standard inline-four engine with a manual transmission, it features an unusually positioned forward-reaching shifter. The van is set to be auctioned by H&H Classics on July 24th in Derbyshire, England, offered with no reserve or price guide.
The Standard Atlas
The Standard Atlas debuted in 1958 as a new van design by the Standard Motor Company developed to compete directly in the increasingly crowed small van marketplace in Britain, largely dominated by vans being manufactured by BMC, Morris, Commer, Ford, and Bedford.
By the standards of the 1950s, the Standard Atlas was an advanced design, developed to challenge the popular vans made by the likes of BMC, Morris, Commer, Ford, and Bedford. Image courtesy of the Standard Motor Company.
The Atlas featured an unusual and relatively futuristic design by the standards of the time, with no cutouts for the wheels, making it look almost like it was floating across the ground when viewed from higher angles.
Initially, the Standard Atlas was offered only with the petrol 948cc inline-four from the pre-existing Standard Ten passenger car. Though the fuel economy was excellent, the power output was insufficient. The engine was located up front in the cab under a cover between the front seats, and it sent power back through a manual transmission to the rear wheels.
A number of other engine options would follow, all larger and more powerful than the original, the most common was the 1.2 liter inline-four, though some received engines as large as 2.1 liters, sourced from the Triumph TR4 sports car.
A number of body styles were offered, the standard panel van was perhaps the most common but there was also a minivan version with windows down the side, and and a pickup truck-like version with a cargo bed in the rear. Vans could be ordered with either swing doors or sliding doors in the rear, with many delivery companies opting for sliding doors as it allowed the vans to work well in tight spaces in back alleys.
The Standard Atlas would become the Leyland 15/Leyland 20 in 1964 when Leyland Motors Limited took over the firm, the 15 and 20 model numbers simply referred to the cargo capacity of the model when measured in CWT.
Just four years later, Leyland would be bought by BMC (the British Motor Corporation), and the vans would be discontinued so as to not cannibalize sales from the BMC vans of the time, like the popular Morris JU 250.
Not long after the release of the Standard Atlas, a production example of the van was sent on a cross-continental endurance run from Cape Town, South Africa to Tangier, Morocco – including a crossing of the Sahara Desert. Image courtesy of the Standard Motor Company.
Today there are relatively few surviving examples of the Standard Atlas, many succumbed to rust, as did most other vehicles of the era, and up until relatively recently they weren’t considered particularly collectible – outside a small group of van enthusiasts that is.
With the surge in popularity around the “Van Life” movement, classic camper vans have been skyrocketing in popularity, and as a result some of the Standard Atlas vans that were converted into camper in period have become quite collectible.
The 1962 Standard Atlas Camper Van Shown Here
The vehicle you see here is a 1962 Standard Atlas camper van that remains in remarkably original condition throughout. This van was still on the road as recently as 2016, but it will now need a recommissioning due to a lack of use.
It’s clear that the camper section in the rear is period correct, which will appeal to many, but it is showing age-related signs of wear and tear which is obviously to be expected.
It has a pop-top roof for additional headroom when parked up for the night, and in the rear you’ll find a sofa and dinette with a table, a kitchenette with a sink, tap, and gas cooker, and both cupboard and drawer space.
Here you can see the unusual gearshift lever, it reaches forward from the transmission which is located further back behind the engine, the engine being mounted under that cover between the front seats.
This Atlas is powered by the 1147cc Standard inline-four which sends power back through a manual transmission with an unusually positioned shifter that reaches forward from the transmission’s location behind the engine.
This van is now due to roll across the auction block with H&H Classics on the 24th of July in Derbyshire, England. It’s being offered with no reserve and no price guide, you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.
Images courtesy of H&H Classics
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
