Lot Ended
Description
Stunningly handsome 'Big Four' Riley; few owners, the previous for 40
years; restored in 2000 and under 3,000 miles since; well-maintained
with lots of history; driven 20 miles to the sale; lots to love about this
one!
We are big fans
of the Riley RM Series here at Brightwells – what a supremely elegant car it is.
Low-slung and rakish the RMB, like its RMF successor, had the fabulous Riley 2.5
‘Big Four’ under its long bonnet, a 100bhp twin-cam that has long been a
favourite with specials builders. Donald Healey built a whole string of fine
sportscars using this engine and the Police loved it too – no Fifties bank
robber could outrun a cop in a well-driven RMB.
Coachbuilt in the traditional way with a luxurious interior allied
to excellent ride and roadholding for its era, the RM Series proved very
popular with the middle class buyers it was aimed at, around 6,900 RMBs being
sold between 1946 and 1952.
First registered in
the East Riding of Yorkshire in January 1950, this splendid RMB comes with a
large history file extending back many years, with details of all six previous
owners.
From 1969 – 1976 it was owned by a Mr R Timperley of Grantham who
sold it to a Mr W Grossett of Whitchurch in September 1976. It seems that Mr
Grossett left the car with a fellow Riley owner in Lincs to check it over and
get it MOT tested before Mr G came to collect it and drive it 100+ miles back to
Shropshire.
A letter from this friend waxes
lyrical about how good it was to drive, being much faster than his own Riley
1.5: “I am very impressed with the car… It rides well, much more comfortable
than my Riley, and has excellent performance… At speed it lopes along, 60mph is
a whiff of throttle and it is very smooth…”. He goes on to say that the brakes
impressed him too but he didn’t like to go over 60mph in the dark because the
headlights weren’t good enough for such a fast car!
Mr G was to keep the RMB for the next 40 years and looked after
it very well, as detailed in numerous invoices on file. He had the bodywork
restored by NJ Bethell of Oswestry in August 1985 (see penultimate photo) and
the interior was retrimmed by a Mr Barlow of Crewe who worked for Rolls-Royce –
and my does it still look good today.
An
engineer’s report dated February 1986 gave the restored car a glowing report in
all departments, stating that it should be insured for at least £2,250, the
mileage at this point being 00816. Another engineer’s report when the car had
done 1,302 miles (sadly not dated but c.1989 judging from the old MOTs) says it
should command a value of at least £4,000 “or even more to an enthusiast” - this
being the time when the classic car market had just begun to take
off.
There are lots of bills for subsequent
maintenance, including a major overhaul of the brakes, steering and suspension
by Nigel Pocock of High Heath Garage in Market Drayton in April 2000 which cost
over £5,200. The following month he carried out some minor bodywork repairs and
repainted the whole car which cost another £3,000, the mileage at this point
being c.6,000.
In August 2013 the top end of the
engine was stripped and rebuilt to cure an oil leak (see last photo). The
compressions were all tested at the same time, cylinders 1 – 3 recording 150 and
cylinder 4 recording 145, the mileage at this point being 7,876. In July 2015
the carbs were overhauled.
Mr Grossett finally
sold the car in August 2016 and it has been kept in storage since, the odometer
currently showing 8,858 miles.
Shortly before
the auction our vendor, a highly-respected Vintage car specialist who owns
a workshop in Herefordshire where he keeps a small collection of
interesting classics, recommissioned the car for sale. We are told that it runs
and drives well but some short local runs to build confidence would
doubtless be prudent before any long journeys are undertaken, given that it was
last in regular use nine years ago.
Driven 20
miles to the sale on a baking hot day without drama, it has been starting
promptly and running very sweetly as we have moved it around on site, with
healthy oil pressure (as pictured).
As you can
see in the photos, this is an immensely handsome car, with a lovely interior and
just a few minor bodywork imperfections here and there (as pictured). There is a
crack in the driver's side windscreen but a replacement comes with the car.
On offer here at a very tempting guide price,
this much-loved Riley, with a devoted long-term previous owner, is now in search
of an enthusiastic new keeper who can reap the rewards of all the good work
carried out by Mr G and give it the more regular exercise that it deserves. The
icing on the cake is the original East Riding-issue number plate, GWF 444, which
is transferable (but please don't...).
As you can probably tell by now,
we like this car a lot and we are sure that you will too, so do come
and see it!
Consigned by James Dennison –
07970 309907 – [email protected]