1948 Riley RMA

Ex-museum and film prop car; over £9,500 spent since 2006 with many new parts; recent new clutch kit and interior retrim; current owner 12 years; very tidy indeed

The graceful RM series was the last range of cars to be developed independently by Riley before the 1952 merger of the Nuffield Organisation with Austin to form BMC. Originally made in Coventry, by 1949 production had moved to the MG works at Abingdon.

The 1.5-litre RMA Saloon was introduced in 1945 with low-slung styling and a nicely finished interior designed to appeal to the middle class motorist. The cars were built on separate chassis assemblies with unstressed, ash-framed steel panels and a fabric-covered roof.

Power came from a 1,496cc overhead valve four-cylinder engine with twin camshafts, mounted high in the cylinder block. Producing 54bhp, it propelled the car to a top speed of 80mph. The running gear was advanced for its time with rack-and-pinion steering and torsion bar independent front suspension. Noted for its excellent handling, the RMA was replaced by the very similar RME in 1952 which had a bigger rear window and no running boards.

First registered in Exeter in 1948, this RMA comes with records from the RM Register stating that it was in storage from 1970 – 1991. It later spent time in the Eton Wick Motor Museum and was then owned by a film prop company, appearing in various TV shows in the early 2000’s including episodes of Miss Marples.

In 2006/07 the car was sent to David Brown Restorations of Notts for a thorough mechanical overhaul with bills on file amounting to just over £6,000. This included a complete overhaul of the brakes, steering and suspension with many new parts, attention to the wiring, a full service plus much else besides.

Our vendor acquired the car in 2010 and has improved it still further with bills on file for at least another £3,500. New parts fitted during his ownership include: cylinder head gasket; clutch kit; starter motor; gear lever bushes; coolant hoses; windscreen rubbers; boot rubber; instrument bezels; door and boot handles; HT coil; washer pump; petrol tank sender unit; Lucas trafficators and indicator flasher units plus various other service items. The interior was also fully retrimmed in 2013 including new carpets, headliner and seat covers in tan leather with cloth centres.

Said to run and drive well, old MOTs on file show that the car has covered some 2,000 miles since 2006, the odometer currently showing 53,453 miles. It has certainly been starting promptly and running very sweetly as we have moved it around on site, although we did note that the driver's seat is not secured to its runners properly. Two very detailed Riley RM workshop/service manuals are also included along with a box of sundry useful spares.

An unusually smart RMA, it looks mighty tempting at the sensible guide price suggested.

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com

Reg No: HFJ899
Chassis Number: 38S14144
Engine Number: 14144
Engine Size: 1496cc
Docs: V5C; four old MOT's; invoices; two workshop manuals; magazine feature; RM Club correspondence etc.

Sale Section & Buyers Premium (ex VAT): Car 12%, Minimum £150

Estimate: £9,000-11,000