Lot details Registration No: JDG 628 Chassis No: 60855393 Mot Expiry: April 2006
Aimed squarely at the profitable US market, the Riley RMC Roadster was launched in 1948. Based on the same low-slung chassis as its RMB saloon sibling, its sleek two-door bodywork featured cutaway doors, a compact hood, fold-flat windscreen and three abreast seating. An engaging drive courtesy of independent torsion bar front suspension, a 'live' rear axle, Girling four-wheel hydro-mechanical drum brakes and rack and pinion steering, it was powered by a 2443cc 'twin-cam' four-cylinder engine mated to four-speed manual transmission (complete with column change). Quoted as having some 100bhp and 134lbft of torque on tap, it was reputedly capable of over 90mph. Neither flash (think Jaguar XK120) nor quaint enough (think MG TC) to win over the American public, the RMC was quietly dropped in 1951 after just 507 are thought to have been made.
Finished in red with cream upholstery, this particular right-hand drive example is variously described by the vendor as being in OK (engine, gearbox, electrical equipment, chassis, wheels / tyres) or tidy (interior trim, bodywork, paintwork) condition. Purchased from the secretary of the Riley Club, it has been in the current ownership since 1993. Reportedly submitted for MOT testing on an annual basis and "stored in a garage when not in use", it is said to retain a full complement of "original panels". First registered in Gloucestershire (or so its number plate would imply) on 14th January 1950, this appealing RMC is offered for sale with MOT certificate current until April 1st 2006 and historic class (free) road tax until 31st March 2006.
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