1931 Riley Nine Fabric Tourer

Registration No: KJ 583
Chassis No: 6012287
MOT: Exempt

• In progress restoration since 1975 across two separate owners and now very close to completion
• Presents with attractive Tourer coachwork
• Subject to much restoration work with Riley specialists Brooklands Autocraft in 2021
• A MkIV Plus example, benefitting from the significant improvements that this model generation of Riley Nine was supplied with

It is no exaggeration to say that the appearance of the 1100cc 9hp Riley at the Olympia Show October,1926, revolutionised concepts of light car design - its lower build, outstanding handling and good brakes, the products of careful detail design, were matched by the strong, light and advanced engine, which developed remarkable power for its modest size, and began a chain of development that continued until well after WWII and also spawned the E.R.A. racing voiturettes, the most successful British racing cars of their time. Breathing efficiently through hemispherical combustion chambers and 45-degree overhead valves opened by short pushrods from twin high-set camshafts, the unit simply wanted to rev, and permitted a relatively low rear axle ratio that in turn gave good acceleration. The 4-speed gearbox was a joy to use. Apart from a handful of obscure, low-volume specialised sports cars, no other ‘light car’, produced in similar quantities, offered anything comparable.

A thorough reworking of the Nine came with the MkIV, notably incorporating a new cable braking system with larger drums, and heavier in-house produced six-stud hubs and axles, replaced the previously outsourced five-stud items. For the 1930 production year, the MkIV Plus saw further development, with chassis improvements (lowering the car), a newly designed radiator shell, the movement of the fuel tank moved to the rear of the chassis, and the adoption of an Autovac. Chassis number 6012287 was supplied new via Barty Motors Ltd to a F. H. Ling Esq., being registered new on the 29^th of April 1931, and is reputed to have been fitted with Fabric Tourer coachwork from new, with the likely coachbuilders being the Midlands Motor Body Co. A printed copy of the original buff logbook suggests that the Riley spent time in Yorkshire, Devon, Middlesex and Hertfordshire during the 1950s, before it is understood to have been taken off the road during the 1960s.

Known to have been in the ownership of a Mr. Adolphus Knight Esq. from 1958, he sold the Riley to well-known and respected Riley man, John Baker (affectionally known as ‘Johnny Wiskers’) in 1965. Steadily restored over the years between John Baker and subsequently the vendor, the Riley has benefitted from a full ash frame restoration and a new body built by Keith Stimpson, with repainting and a new fabric covering by Harry Frazer. A full engine and gearbox overhauls, electric system restoration, interior renewal with new Red leather upholstery and new tyres, with some of the works recently completed by Riley specialists Brooklands Autocraft cover over £1,600. Invoices of file document over £8,700 worth of expenditure with the full restoration cost estimated to be in the region of £30,000. Sadly, offered now due to ill health, but very close to completion, the Riley requires final fettling, weather equipment and door cards manufacturing, with the fabric required for the door cards accompanying, as well as a hood pattern. Offered with a history file that contains a large collection of invoices and information documents on Riley Nines, ‘KJ 583’ is a tempting project that is very close to being back on the road.

For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452