The Riley One Point Five was built from 1957 to 1965, built on the Morris Minor floor pan with its suspension and steering but fitted with a larger 1489cc B-series engine. The Riley was built alongside another car that had the same chassis with only some minor differences, much like the modern-day Subaru BRZ, Toyota GT86 and Scion FRS, The Wolseley of the same model name.
The Riley however was the more luxurious and better equipped version of the two with a more powerful engine and better brakes (even Morris Minor owners would look to upgrade to the Riley’s brake set up as way of an easy improvement).
This Riley has had a colourful past spending time (the owner believes) in Germany and with records from Majorca. Whilst the car was on its travels across Europe it has been treated to a full restoration which would explain the great condition the chassis is in now. The restoration is thought to have been completed in 2008 whilst in the care of the 5th owner in Germany. The engine has also been uprated to the 1.8L B series from an MG with 2 ½ inch SU carbs, 4 speed gearbox with overdrive, Kenlowe fan with a straight through stainless steel exhaust.
The current owner purchased the car in 2015 after realising that their own Riley was beyond economical repair (the current owner is also willing to discuss the inclusion or sale of the other Riley One Point Five they have subject to negotiations with the buyer). This car has been owned by the current owner for the past 7 years and stored for the past 4, it will be professionally checked over before the auction.
Full suite of manuals including parts catalogues and membership to the Riley Owners Club.
Invoice for supply of complete exhaust system
Record of invoices for minor repairs and parts from 1985
Invoice for a repair and repaint to the NSF wing corner of front panel and OSR quarter panel in 2020
Owner has included an overview of the history of the car from their reckoning and studying of the car’s history
There is a diary with a few pages filled out by a previous owner documenting all the work that the car has had during the time with the third owner from 1997-2004.
The V5 is present and is in Welsh
The Riley is now MOT exempt but has a stack of old MOT certificates to track the status of the car including ones from Majorca. The most recent MOT was performed in 2017 and expired in 2018. uPnheuFb73LsTFjDQPtDf6UsWUBuhxUfM4B5d1hh.jpeg740.03 KB
The Interior
Original red and parchment interior
New carpet, underlay, headlining and carpet
Wooden trim accents throughout
Spare wheel and tool kit in boot
Rubber protective matting in boot luggage space
The interior is in fantastic condition and is believed to be the original interior from manufacture. The first thing you see is the 3 multi-spoke steering wheel in front of the wooden dash, housing the three dials showing you the speedometer, the oil, temp, fuel and tachometer. The Riley’s stablemate the Wolseley would have done without the tachometer, so the Riley was given a more engaging driving experience with more information given to the driver.
The idea behind the Riley was to produce a compact executive saloon whilst offering a certain level of luxury within the cabin. You get the sense that in 1960, new owners would have been quite impressed with the level of finish on the Riley as it has lasted remarkably well into the modern day. Whilst nothing on cars of recent years, for a 60-year-old car it still feels well put finished, which is even more impressive knowing that BMC bolted the car together initially. They did get some things right after all.
Front and rear seats are exceptionally clean and free from any damage or excessive wear and were very comfortable to sit in, we can imagine that this car would be rather civilised and somewhat relaxing on a longer journey compared to other 60-year-old vehicles.
The interior is really one of the shining jewels in this Riley crown and we’re sure will bring plenty of joy when peddling this car round the tight and twisting B-roads on a sunny summer’s afternoon.
Bodywork in good condition, all panels and gaps straight and uniform
Chassis is in great reported condition, backed up by the photos in the gallery below
JBW wheels give the Riley a sporty/modern feel but the owner also states that some original wheels could be included upon negotiation with the buyer
This Riley is a very handsome car which commands a neck twisting double take from passers-by (as we found on the photoshoot), It has a friendly almost ‘cute’ face much like the Austin A30’s, Minis and Morris Minors, something that people would courteously stop at a junction for to let you out. It makes one come over all British and polite. It also gives off a more menacing feel when started up and the straight through exhaust barks into life.
The chassis is in great condition and the owner has had a professional garage look over the car to which they reported the car was in superb condition. You might not be surprised then to find out that the car has been Waxoyled and undersealed in a (successful) bid to prolong its current condition.
There are some blemishes in the paintwork as expected from the completion of the restoration work 14 years ago. We have tried our best to document these in the photo gallery below and we will point them out here too. There is some micro-blistering to the roof and tops of the door frames, a minor amount of surface corrosion to the lower boot lid and top of the internal rear wheel arch. The chrome work around the car is in good condition structure wise but the front and rear bumper would benefit from a re-chrome as they have some age-related marks coming through.
The wheels are in good condition and as mentioned above are items from the ‘John Brown Wheels’ company, we think they suit the car perfectly, but the current owner has stated they could include the original wheels (which are a steel wheel with a chrome hubcap) upon negotiation with the buyer.
Originally the Riley would have come with a (you guessed it) 1.5L engine producing 68 bhp, however this one has been upgraded. The 1.8L B-series engine now finding its home in the Riley was quite a pretty thing to behold, being familiar to anyone familiar with BMC’s iconic A and B series powerplant the aftermarket parts supply for these units is relatively cheap and plentiful with them being able to make impressive power from such humble CCs.
The Riley’s power plant is reported to have been donated by an MG (either a B or a C) and needed very little in the way of coaxing to get it to fire and once up and running the unit sounded very purposeful through the straight through exhaust. There were no unwanted noises from the engine or gearbox and the car moved around the driveway with ease. The owner even reported that the car was a thrill to drive in its current form, we only wish we could have tested it out for ourselves.
All electrics in the engine bay looked to be in good condition with no cracking of coatings or bare wires. The rubber hoses also looked in good condition as well as any other plumbing. The major components were all working well at the time of the photoshoot and considering this car had been in storage for the past 4 years, it has clearly been looked after during that time as there was nothing to suggest it hadn’t been driven regularly.
When this engine swap was done, it was clearly done professionally as the owner reports, as it was working very nicely at the time of our photoshoot, we imagine if the Riley was a more common vehicle that this swap might have been a well-documented path to a bit more power.
This little Riley is a wonderful vehicle to see in the metal not least because they’re just not that common especially in such an interesting specification as this. This Riley has been tastefully upgraded in a sympathetic ‘period’ style and we think it has definitely worked. Sitting on the 14” minilite style wheels gives it a purposeful stance whilst nodding at the race versions of the same model. The black paint work is perfect for the car and gives it a serious presence on the road.
Riley’s design language is easily recognisable to those who a familiar with the brand and it’s a real shame that more of them have not survived in this state. This would make a fantastic addition to any driveway/garage and would be an absolute blast to drive. It would also make a perfect obscure choice to a Morris Minor as well.
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