Description
Fantastic Riley Ulster Imp 12/ 4 special with period body. Well sorted and highly competitive - offers based on ~£79, 500
Regrettably for sale to fund another Riley competition car project is my 1935 Riley Ulster Imp – type special. A highly developed, competitive and fast car, with a period-body off Barney Dentry’s famous ‘Ulster Brooklands’ that competed at Phillip Island in 1934 and the Australian Grand Prix of 1935-38. Delightfully patinated, well maintained and extremely competitive: this car wants for nothing.
Continuously developed and improved since being rebuilt in the late 90s, and with much development during my 10 years of ownership. I have won multiple class and handicap trophies in the car, both with the VSCC and at other events, and we are regularly at the front of the VSCC’s ultra-competitive Class 9 for hillclimbs and sprints.
Prior to my ownership it was a very competitive circuit car and given its recent engine rebuild and other improvements it is ripe for a return to circuit racing. It is capable and exhilarating on the road.
Selected sprint/ Hillclimb times set since 2023
+ Wiscombe Park: 52. 09s
+ Curborough: 40. 32s
+ Prescott VSCC (short): 47. 79s
+ Prescott standard (VSCC long): 57. 72s
+ Shelsley: 41. 94s
The car is located in Chichester, a stone’s throw from Goodwood, and viewing is available by appointment. The vehicle has a current V5C in my name and the car is registered as historic and ‘sports’. It has a current VSCC buff form.
Absolutely ‘on the button’ and fully compliant with MSUK requirements. I am competing with the car at Vintage Prescott on the first weekend in August – please come and have a look and a chat.
Specifications
Chassis
+ Riley 9 chassis to Ulster Imp specification
+ Fully boxed and triangulated
+ Lightened front axle fully rebuilt with Riley Register king pins and stub axles in ~2019
+ Jones springs to Ulster Imp specification
+ Modified Riley cable brakes – highly effective and will lock all four wheels
+ Lightened brake drums – lighter than Alfin type and alloy back plates
+ Hard and soft compound front shoes for circuit or road/ hillclimb use
+ One of the lightest Riley specials out there
Body
+ Lightened steel hoops to support scuttle and rear body, and to add stiffness, simliar to Freddie Dixon in period
+ Tail from the famous Barney Dentry ‘Ulster Brooklands’ that competed extensively in Australia in period. See here for more detail: (See Primotipo and search for Barney Dentry)
+ Scuttle and bonnet from when the car was rebuilt in the late 90s, now nicely patinated
+ Front dumb-iron stiffening panel
+ Bare unfinished waxed aluminium
Engine: The heart of this very special car is the ‘full fat’ Ian MacFarlane competition engine completed in 2023, run-in and used for ~8 events since. Fully dynoed with impressive numbers – details available
+ Rebored and linered block – one of the late lighter type
+ New white metal throughout, new Phoenix crank, Arrow rods etc
+ Bespoke pistons
+ Steve Hughes vernier timing gears
+ Hot cams with improved valve gears
+ Rebuilt 14mm head, new rockers, valves, springs etc
+ Improved cylinder head cooling
+ Twin H4 carbs, rebuilt in 2023 (including shafts reamed etc)
+ ITG filter to protect the £££££
+ Period-looking Dave Tyler exhaust manifold and Brooklands style silencer
+ Rebuilt Lucas distributor
+ Highly effective Sprite type water pump
+ Rebuilt oil pump
+ Modern full flow oil filtration
+ Re-manufactured 12/ 4 sump with appropriate baffling in LM25TF heat treated and impregnated – it’s oil tight and helps to stiffen the block
+ 12V oil heater
+ Riley radiator
+ High torque starter
Transmission
+ Steve Hughes bespoke close ratio internals in a silent 3rd box on 12/ 4 bellhousing. Much lighter than a pre-selector and lower parasitic losses
+ Brooklands-style remote
+ All bearings replaced in 2023
+ Light racing flywheel and clutch housing
+ AP racing driven plate
+ Hydraulically operated clutch
Rear axle
+ Modern CWP
+ New halfshafts/ hubs in 2024
Wheels/ tyres
Combination (by negotiation) of:
+ Riley 19” wheels (the lightest steel rims you’ll find)
+ Turrino 19” alloy rimmed wheels on new centres (2024)
+ Shod with Ensign racing triple stud 450 x 19 tyres•Michelin competition tubes
Running equipment
+ Full VSCC compliant charging system with modern alternator driven off the crank (Steve Hughes)
+ LED tail/ stop light boards
+ Headlamps/ side lamps
+ Rebuilt and calibrated Jaeger chronometric mechanical tach
+ Full Smiths MA/ Jaeger instruments (except Race Tech oil temp gauge)
+ Current 15” steering wheel – 17” wheel available
+ Tonneau
Trailer
+ Older but very serviceable Brian James Minno with folding drawbar available by negotiation – perfect for this car
Being a special, to paraphrase Dennis Jenkinson, it will never be ‘finished’ so there is scope to put your mark on it and (perhaps) make it even better.
This is the private sale of a vintage car and no warranty is either implied or given.
