Lot Ended
Description
Rare and sporting Sprite version with tuned twin-carb engine; one of
only around 175 made; recent £30k mechanical overhaul by Blue Diamond
Services and only 500 miles since
Produced from
1933 – 1938, the Riley Lynx was a stylish and practical four-door touring car
built on the 12/4 chassis. It typically came with Riley’s excellent twin-cam
1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, equipped with a single carburettor, which
produced a respectable 45bhp. A comfortable and well-engineered tourer with an
elegant ‘disappearing hood’, it had a top speed of around 60mph and was aimed at
the family man rather than the keen driver.
In
1936 Riley launched a more sporting Sprite version, the name being derived from
the high-performance engine that was developed for the Riley Sprite two-seater
sports car, which had enjoyed considerable success in
racing.
As fitted to the Lynx Sprite, it featured
twin SU carburettors, a higher-performance camshaft and various other tweaks
which hiked the power to around 60bhp, raising the top speed to a heady 80mph.
This made it a potent and sought-after sporting tourer, ideal for the
enthusiastic driver who still needed four seats.
Due to the rarity and desirability of the Sprite model, the odd
standard Lynx has been upgraded to twin-carb spec but a genuine Sprite is
readily identified by the SS prefix to the engine and chassis numbers. Exact
production figures are uncertain but it is generally agreed that around 700
standard Lynx models were made compared to only around 175 high-performance
Sprite versions.
First registered in Coventry in
January 1937, this Lynx Sprite comes with no early history but a
buff logbook shows that by 1956 it was owned by a Victor Mayes of Chiswick. It
then had three further owners before being acquired by a Capt JF Sully of
Huntingdon who seems to have kept it for over 30 years (c.1969 – 2001). It comes
with a large and interesting history file covering the period 1956 - 1969
(including two journals recording virtually every journey made in the car and
every drop of fuel put into it) which will keep the next owner happily engrossed
for hours.
In 2001 Capt Sully sold the car to a Mr M Adams of Cork,
Ireland. Documents on file state that it was in
"first class condition" at this point and had been fully restored, most likely
in the late-1980s. Correspondence shows that Mr Adams successfully drove it back
to Ireland. He was to keep it for the next 17 years with lots of bills for
upkeep during this time, including an engine rebuild by Keith Pointing in June
2016 which cost over £5,200.
Our vendor acquired
the car from Mr Adams in 2018 and promptly fitted four new tyres plus inner
tubes supplied by Longstone Tyres. It was then used regularly until 2021 when
it developed a crack in the cylinder head which let water into one of the
bores.
In January 2023 it was sent to Blue Diamond Services of
Bicester to be fixed, and as so often happens, one thing soon led to another and
it ended up staying with Blue Diamond until Christmas 2024.
A quick tot-up of the bills shows that around £30k was spent on the
car during this time, including a replacement block and cylinder head of the
correct type followed by a full engine rebuild with new pistons, bearings,
crank, conrods etc, work to the gearbox, cooling system, fuel system, carbs,
electrics plus much else besides..
The vendor
reports that the car now runs and drives well and has been used lightly but
regularly over the course of this year with no issues, covering some 500 miles
since the engine rebuild. A couple of old MOTs record mileages of 74,735 in June
1998 and 75,350 in April 2001, the odometer currently showing 81,828 miles.
Supplied with a full set of weather gear, all in
good condition, it also comes with front and rear bumpers which can be refitted
if desired (see photos).
Starting promptly and
running well as we have moved it around on site, with healthy 50psi oil
pressure, this rare and freshly rejuvenated sporting Lynx now only needs an
enthusiastic new owner who can reap the rewards of all the good work so recently
carried out.
Consigned by James Dennison –
07970 309907 – [email protected]