1934 Riley Nine Lynx Tourer

Registration No: DY 7777
Chassis No: 6022919
MOT: Exempt

• Desirable factory-bodied Lynx Tourer
• Subject to a comprehensive body-off restoration which was completed in 2008
• In current ownership since 2009 and benefitting from an unleaded fuel conversion
• Offered with a large history file and the full weather equipment

To most enthusiasts, the period between the introduction of the Riley Nine in 1926 and the marque’s eventual takeover by the Nuffield Organization in 1938 was the golden age of “The Blue Diamond.” The Nine owed its success to Percy Riley’s forward-thinking 1,087cc OHV, twin-cam engine combined with a four-speed gearbox, which allowed a level of performance comparable to a 12hp car while keeping the model economically within the nine-horsepower tax bracket. Gradually evolving, it survived until the demise of the independent Riley business in 1938 and spawned a plethora of models and body styles, of which the Lynx four-seat tourer, introduced in 1933, was one of the loveliest. In other respects, the Nine was well-engineered but conventional, with a ladder chassis, all-round semi-elliptic leaf springs and drum brakes, which combined to give it a distinctly sporty feel.

Registered on 30th December, 1933, our 1934 model year Lynx’s known history begins in 1957, when it was owned by Charles Scott Oatway of Cheltenham. In 1960, it passed to Melvin David Gutteridge, also of Cheltenham, and though he still owned it in 1978 it appears to have fallen out of use after 1965. It resurfaced in 1999 needing full restoration and an enthusiast in Bolton overhauled the engine and gearbox before letting a new owner take over in 2006. The next stages included powder-coating the chassis, renewing some frame timbers with seasoned ash, stripping and cleaning the other mechanical assemblies, rewiring the electrics, overhauling the instruments and replating the chrome. It was repainted in the present Red and retrimmed in Biscuit leather, with wool carpets and mohair weather equipment. It is understood that the bodywork restoration was completed by Jim Marland of Proteus.

Upon its completion, ‘DY 7777’ was completed in 2008. The vendor thereafter bought it in 2009 and promptly joined the Vintage Sports-Car Club, obtaining an Eligibility Document which confirmed that the crankcase, gearbox case, back axle case, front axle and chassis were original components, and the various chassis and engine ancillaries inspected were to standard specification. Subsequently, it has been enjoyed regularly at both local and national events. The vendor reports that it has been very reliable and is in its element weaving along country lanes at 40-45mph – “It is great fun to drive.”

Notable maintenance has included a cylinder head overhaul in 2015 which involved skimming it and performing an unleaded conversion, and in 2020 the fuel system received some attention. A delightful example of what is perhaps the archetypal Post-Vintage Thoroughbred, the Riley is offered with full weather equipment plus a large history file including the 1957 buff logbook, the VSCC Eligibility Document, MOTs from the 1960s and more recent years, assorted invoices and some maintenance manuals. It is also listed in As Old as the Industry: Riley 1898-1969 by David Styles.

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