1949 Riley RMB 2½ Litre
No Reserve

Registration No: JHP 344
Chassis No: 59S4936
MOT: Exempt

• A delightful example that has been subject to a previous bare-chassis restoration
• In the custodianship of just two owners until 2021
• Described by the vendor as being in "very fine" mechanical fettle
• Retains its handsome original leatherwork which has received some recent attention

SALE ROOM NOTICE: Please note, our catalogue has mistakenly recorded current ownership. The current owner purchased it in 2025 along with several other Rileys and has decided to sell all but one of them

Introduced in 1946 as a ‘big brother’ to the 1½-litre RMA, the Riley RMB featured a larger 2½-litre (2,443 cc) "Big Four" engine with twin SU carburettors, starting with 90 bhp but increasing to 100 bhp for 1948 with a 95 mph top speed. Body-wise, the RMB was a lengthened RMA, with a wheelbase 6½in. longer and overall length a full 7in. longer, and was underpinned by the same advanced chassis design complete with independent torsion bar front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering and hydro-mechanical four-wheel drum brakes. The RMB was replaced by the RMF for 1952 after 6,900 examples had been made. A car tested by The Motor magazine in 1949 had a top speed of 90 mph and could accelerate from 0–60 mph in 16.8 seconds. A fuel consumption of 19.6 miles per gallon was recorded. The test car cost £1,224 including taxes.

This 1949 RMB evokes a real sense of nostalgia for post-war Britain, and presents beautifully having been stripped and restored in the 1980s, and well cared-for ever since. Showing only two former keepers, it entered the present ownership from a deceased estate in 2021, since when it has been very sympathetically improved. It received a major service in 2022, including greasing, carburettor refurbishment, and the replacement of the rocker cover gaskets and gearbox and axle fluids, and the engine was completely overhauled in 2024. This latter work saw the cylinders relined and bored to standard size, fitted with high-compression pistons and converted to shell bearings. Much additional work was completed at the same time, including rebushing the suspension, and replacing the front brake seals and the rear axle bearings and seals. These jobs and more are covered in an invoice from Corman Ltd. totalling £9,193.

Also in the present ownership, the RM has had its bonnet repainted, the excellent original upholstery has been repacked, and the wiper motor has been repaired. The vendor keeps a small fleet of cars and has enjoyed exercising the RMB, but now that he has accumulated six Rileys he has decided to downsize slightly. Included in the sale are an instruction book, three workshop manuals and some restoration photos.

For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430