Lot details Registration No: BHN 440 Chassis No: 26.S.3025 Mot Expiry: None
Once that of a proud UK manufacturer, the Riley trademark is these days owned by BMW and may or may not ever grace a motorcar again. The amazing Riley story, however, dates back to 1890, when the Bonnick Cycle Company of Coventry was taken over by William Riley Junior and renamed the Riley Cycle Company in 1896. The company's first internal combustion-engined vehicles - a tricycle and a quadricycle - saw the light of day in 1899. However, it took until 1907 for the first proper four-wheeled Rileys to reach production. Light, two-seaters, they were powered by 1034cc V-twin engines. Significant changes occurred in 1913, with the Riley Motor Manufacturing Company taking over car production in a new factory adjacent to the Riley Engine Company and the Riley Cycle Company changing its name to Riley (Coventry) Ltd and concentrating on the manufacture of detachable wheels. It was the Riley 9 of 1926 that really put the company on the map. With its 1100cc twin-camshaft engine, it soon found success in competition, further boosting the order book. New for 1935 was the 12/4 engine. Though it bore many resemblances to existing Riley units, it was an all new design of 1.5-litres and could be specified in the Falcon, Merlin, Kestrel, Lynx and new Adelphi models. With a power output of 51bhp, one could expect to reach 50mph in some 17 seconds and achieve a terminal velocity of around 67mph.
The 1935 Riley Falcon for sale is a 1.5 Litre model featuring the then new steel body manufactured by Briggs Bodies of Dagenham. It sports black coachwork and a blue leather interior. For over 30 years it belonged to the vendor's uncle, a Stuart Rutherford, who is understood to have been a member of the Riley Owners' Club and regularly attended fairs and vintage rallies with the car. Though the Riley has not been taxed or MOT'd for a few years, the vendor considers the engine to be "good for its age" and the transmission to be in "good working order". He says the coachwork is "good apart from slight rusting underneath and over the rear wheel arches" and the paintwork is "good".
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