1937 Riley Lynx 12/4 Four Seater Tourer

Lot details
Registration No: ARV 389
Chassis No: 28L/7484
Mot Expiry: 21.3.2004

Along with MGs perhaps, prewar Riley sports cars epitomised the vintage performance motor car era. Even today, when asked to name a typical 1930s sporting marque, the chances are fairly high that Riley will be at or very near the top of the knowledgeable enthusiast's shopping list. For both MG and Riley excelled on the track as well as in rallies, hillclimbs and on sporting trials.
One of Riley's greatest salesmen was Freddie Dixon, a legend when racing on two wheels, and one of the most successful of all the Riley racers. That mainstay of pre and immediate postwar Grand Prix racing, the very British ERA, owed its origins and much of the development of its engine to the successes Rileys clocked up in competition.
The marque really took off thanks to one model, the Riley Nine, which Percy Riley first displayed right here at Olympia at the 1926 Motor Show. The Nine's main feature, which became a talking point amongst the sporting motoring fraternity, was the engine. For when most of the rival firms were still employing sidevalves, Riley's Nine engine had not one, but two camshafts, mounted high up in the cylinder block, driving inclined valves via short pushrods and rockers, and was fitted with hemispherical cylinder heads - a layout which responded well to some further power increasing tweaking. The Thompson and Taylor team's ultra-low and extremely rapid Riley Brooklands-Nine became one of the biggest winners in British motor racing prewar. Such race track cred quickly rubbed off on the street models which the 'Brooklands Crowd' bought in great numbers.
Being built in 1937, the Riley Lynx on offer was one of the last to be made. According to the London vendor it was in receipt of a chassis-up rebuild over ten years ago, the rebuild being so extensive that it took eleven years to complete the work. We understand that a photo-record of this refurbishment is contained within the history file and it is hoped that this can be viewed at the Documents Desk at Olympia.
The 4-door open bodywork, which was given a new wood frame as well as floor pan, was refinished in Royal Blue, whilst the completely refurbished accommodation for four has been retrimmed in dark blue leather. Indeed, both paint and interior are said to be still in excellent condition today, as is all the brightwork. The car has a Riley Sprite dashboard and all the instruments are reportedly working well.
The 1497cc 4-cylinder motor, rebuilt to Sprite spec with road race profile cams and fed by twin SUs, as well as the 4-speed pre-select gearbox, are both in excellent order and a Sprite-spec 4.7:1 diff fitted. Wiring loom, radiator and hood and sidescreens have all been renewed.
All the numbers, including the registration ARV 389 carried today, appear to tie up with the documentation and the 56,244 miles showing on the odometer is thought to be the genuine total mileage for the car, which is rated by the clearly fastidious owner as being in Concours condition. Indeed, he challenges salegoers to try to find a better example of the prewar Riley Lynx. If he is right, then you really should buy this one.