・Unique 4 seat boat-tail body

・Superb condition

・Semi-Automatic transmission for an easy drive

・Ready to be enjoyed

As you may be aware, Coventry is stepping up to be City of Culture this year and an important part of the city’s heritage is its list of distinguished car manufacturers, not all of whom are still in independent existence. One of the pivotal brands which was ultimately consumed by acquisition was Riley (Coventry) Limited, latterly Riley Motors, who were always renowned for their high-quality engineering, if not their marketing prowess. In fact, part of their story could be considered an object lesson as to why the engineers shouldn’t be allowed to take complete control as the confusing variety of models on sale simultaneously led to unnecessary costs and confused buyers and, once the company was bought by Lord Nuffield in 1937, a considerable rationalisation process took place.

The 12/4 chassis was introduced in 1935 and was available with three body styles. It benefits from a sprightly 1496 cc twin cam cross-flow engine which delivered 55hp at 5,200 rpm giving a top speed of 73.6 mph and a standing quarter mile of 24.5 secs.  Petrol consumption for a saloon bodied car (badged as Falcon) was 28.3 mpg and the fuel tank held ten gallons.  Generally, a re-bodied ‘special’ will be lighter with obvious benefits to performance, handling and consumption.

Many Riley’s benefitted from the fitting of a Wilson ‘Preselector’ Gearbox which preceded automatic gearboxes and allows the desired gear to be selected and then the left pedal is used to engage it. Such gearboxes were used in luxury cars, buses, & military vehicles of many makes – including Armstrong Siddeley and Daimler – until the 1970s.

The majority of post-sale Riley ‘specials’ currently in use have been built on the previous and smaller Riley Nine chassis.  The 12/4 is a later, larger and much stronger chassis and benefits from Girling rod brakes.  

This car started life in late 1935 as a 12/4 Falcon saloon and was acquired by the previous owner, a pattern-maker with a side line in designing and building car bodies, in 1985. At this time the body was not in great condition and so he set producing a custom aluminium boat-tail body. The engine was changed for a factory replacement (a Morris-rebuilt unit on behalf of Riley), the odometer reset and, later, a new gearbox installed.  The chassis was in good order and remained untouched, as did the completed item to a large extent, due to other business commitments, and the car covered less than a thousand miles before being laid up.

Owing to ill-health, it had stood for about 8 years, kept on axle stands in good dry conditions until recommissioned over the last year by the current owner who has given it a thorough overhaul and, where appropriate, installed upgraded components.

The work has included upholstery refurbishment, replacement of various items including wheel bearings and seals, rubbers on the shock absorbers, the fuel tank, minor peripheral engine work (thermostat and water pipes), and a part rewire to accommodate the new positioning of the lighting.

The current keeper has a substantial collection of vintage cars which he is trying to scale back and so he has decided to let this one go to a new owner.

The car is accompanied by a wealth of documentation which includes extracts from earlier Vehicle Registration Documents showing details of registration from 1948 and 3 previous owners from 1979, as well as the current V5C. 

Also present are the M.O.T s from 1994 to when laid-up, a photographic record of the construction of the new coachwork and a record of the correspondence with DVLA in respect of the body change. There are numerous bills, a collection of newsletters from Riley clubs and a collection of information to help with maintenance, including the Manufacturer’s Operating Instructions (driving guides), hand-written notes from the previous owner, and photocopies of various Workshop Manuals for the gearbox. The car has a current MOT which expires on 4 June 2022. It’s really as much as you could ask for with a vintage car.

The seating is a tale of two halves: the front seats are accessed through the doors, as normal, while the rears are under aluminium covers and require a more acrobatic approach to entry! Behind the rear seats is a stowage area which has sufficient space for the hood, a picnic basket and essential spares, while the rear seating area can be used for luggage when sufficiently agile passengers are unavailable.

All of the trim and seats have been fully restored to as new condition and all of the dials are fully operational. Modern flashing indicators have replaced the original semaphore and consequently the original self-cancelling has been abandoned but there is a sizeable warning light at the top of the dashboard as a reminder. The steering wheel may look daunting at first glance but the lever in the centre is a hand throttle which overrides the pedal and is very useful for manoeuvring, while the lever at the four o’clock position is the gear pre-selector, which is used as described above. 

The car benefits from effective wet weather gear with a hood and side-screens covering the front compartment and polished aluminium covers for the rear seating area which, if padlocked, also provide good security.

The first thing to note about the coachwork is that it is a complete one-off. It was designed and built by the previous owner under the name ‘Rudge Coachworks’, reportedly also responsible for converting over 30 Austin Sevens to butcher’s vans, amongst other work, and deliberately mis-spelling Coachworks to avoid a possible trademark infringement! The name can be seen here on the footplates which enable entry to the rear seats.

The car is very well presented with the wings, chassis and frame painted and the coachwork polished aluminium. All of the custom panels are in good order and the bonnet, which is original, has only a minor older repair which is just visible behind the light on the nearside. The top of the bonnet is only lightly polished to avoid glare to the driver in bright conditions, while the wooden rear boat-tailed deck is stained and varnished and is in excellent condition.

As can be seen from the photographs, the underside is in just as good condition as the bodywork with no signs of corrosion. Meanwhile, the wheel spokes all play the same note when struck, the sign of a good condition spoked wheel.

Under the bonnet, the engine bay is immaculate and well organised. The engine is an instant starter and runs with no issues. On the road, the car goes well and will readily keep up with modern traffic, being of a very sporting character.  The exhaust notes and horns are to die for – the former from behind. 

The semi-automatic gearbox is easy to use once you’ve become acclimated to it and, should a buyer be unfamiliar with the ‘Preselector’ gearbox, a manufacturer’s guidance booklet accompanies the car and also the current owner has indicated that he would be quite prepared to both demonstrate and guide any new owner in the use of this simple mechanism, which he is confident should be mastered in minutes. 

Overall, the car has been well prepared and is ready to go.

Now that summer has finally arrived (at the time of writing, with no guarantee of an uninterrupted summer experience – if it’s raining when you read this, think of the hot weather just passed!), it’s easy to imagine taking to the highways and byways of Britain in a traditional sporty motor car. With a vibrant owners’ club, a Riley could be just the ticket and here is an opportunity to drive something totally unique, underpinned by a standard and well-maintained mechanical package.

Perfect for transporting four people to a country pub or car show, the wet weather gear also means that two hardier souls could contemplate longer trips with space for luggage in the rear. So whether you’re an enthusiast or weekend eventer, this is a very capable sporty car built to be enjoyed in all weather conditions and one thing is assured: you will always be sure that you will never meet another one.

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