A History of Riley
Introduction
This is a brief history of the Riley company from its inception to the last badge-engineered Elf in 1969.
We split the history into several sections, each representing a significant chapter in the history of the Riley company. These sections are: Early Vehicles, the 1920s, the 1930s, Sporting cars, Post WW2 & RM cars, and BMC models.
For detailed information on the models, the Riley family and the companies they run, please look at the information on the Archive database.
The Riley family in Coventry
The Riley family progressed to manufacturing of motor cars by way of a silk weaving business that supplied out-workers with raw material that they returned to the warehouse as woven stock. Each worker had a loom that would require regular upkeep, and therefore the Riley family moved into the world of mechanical repairs and maintenance.
A series of Education Acts of Parliament starting in 1870 required all children to attend school, initially from the age of 5 to 10 and rising to 14 by the time of World War 1. These Acts effectively ended child labour in Britain and thus workplace labour rates rose threatening textile markets already affected by continental competition arising from earlier trade and tariff agreements.
An expanding area to invest in was the manufacture of bicycles.
Early vehicles
New directions
When established bicycle manufacturer - Arthur Bonnick - needed financial support, William Riley, having taken to bicycling with enthusiasm, was ready to purchase the business and take the family in a new direction.
Arthur Bonnick established Bonnick & Company in 1885 but from 1892 R&S Cycles (Riley & Sons) progressively moved towards a new identity. In 1896 William Riley wound up the weaving business of William Riley and Son and launched the Riley Cycle Company.
Motoring Aspirations
The eldest of William Riley’s talented sons, Victor, Allan & Percy, were soon active in the Riley Cycle Company while Stanley & Cecil were to follow in due course. They were much more interested in the petrol engine as a motive source, rather than pedals.
The first “Riley” car
The first Riley car was a small experimental single cylinder, belt driven voiturette designed and built by Percy Riley before he reached the age of 18. Much of the design work was done while he was still at school while the build was completed between 1896 and 1898 after he joined his father's cycle business.
His motivation undoubtedly was to show that he could emulate, and even improve upon, the first of the continental machines that had appeared on Britain’s roads and second, together with his elder brothers, to persuade his father that manufacturing motor cars by the family was viable. However, William Riley knew that the premises of the cycle works were inadequate for motor car production and that neither he, not the Board of Directors, would sanction a move into a still unproven field. It was to be another seven years before conditions changed and the prototypes of the first production four-wheeled Riley motor car appeared.
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Motorised Bicycles, Tricycles and Quadricycles
Between Percy Riley’s first “one-off” car and introducing four-wheel motor cars, William Riley agreed to motorising the company's bicycles; first with bought in engines and later with engines of Percy's design and manufacture.
Between 1899 and 1907 motorised bicycles, tricycles and quadricycles were manufactured, of which the most popular and successful were the 6hp ‘Tri-cars.
Introducing the Tri-car design in 1905 superseded the bicycle roots of the Forecars. They were now essentially three-wheeled motorcars with chassis mounted engines and gearboxes and possessed of considerable performance when fitted with the largest engine option.
Engines now came from the Riley Engine Company, established by Percy Riley in late 1903 to manufacture his designs, thus removing the need to source engines externally.
Tri-cars regularly entered motor sport events, later examples having twin cylinder engines, comfortable seating for the driver instead of a saddle, water cooling and wheel steering. Production of Tri-cars ended in 1907.
Detachable Wheels
As part of refining the Nine four-wheeler for sale, the Riley brothers had considered how to provide simplified wheel-removing to improve on the less than convenient designs such as the Stepney detachable rim.
Percy Riley introduced a wheel design that was secured to the hub with a locking nut. These innovative and successful wheels, apart from being a feature of the 9 hp car, paved the way to markets and manufacturers far beyond Coventry.
The Riley patented detachable wheel system was initially offered as an optional extra which later became standard on the 9hp and the larger 12/18 V-Twin cars of 1908. So successful was this detachable wheel system that William Riley turned over the entire production capacity of the Riley Cycle Company to their manufacture and by the outbreak of WW1 was supplying no less than 183 motor car manufacturers with the system.
There was patent litigation between Riley and Rudge-Whitworth which was dropped by mutual agreement when the more pressing concerns of the outbreak of the Great War demanded both company’s attention.
Change of company name and direction
By 1907 the manufacture of bicycles, motorbikes and Tri-cars was declining. The Nine was established, with improved models in development.
However, the growing order-book for Riley wheels was the focus for attention from the Directors after it was becoming clear that wheel manufacture was clearly profitable, more than for their other manufacturing activities. The situation came to a head in 1912 with the Directors seeking approval of a change of title such that all connections with bicycles and motorbikes should cease as motorcar manufacture was no longer the most lucrative activity.
The new title to replace Riley Cycle Company was to be Riley (Coventry) Limited, formed in 1912 as makers of motorcar wheels and not motorcars.
William's sons determined to continue with producing motor cars and set up two subsidiary companies, The Riley Motor Manufacturing Company, to produce a 17hp side-valve model and the Nero Engine Company to produce a smaller 10hp side-valve. The London Motor Show exhibited both new cars in 1913.
The Riley Motor Manufacturing Company was in premises next to those now occupied by the Riley Engine Company in Aldbourne Road, Coventry, following its move to bigger premises.
Four-wheel cars
Following successful prototype trials of the first four-wheeled cars in 1905, V-Twin engine 9hp cars were available to the public as 1907 season cars; initially offered with optional extra Riley detachable wheels.
From 1908 the cars featured pressure lubrication, shaft drive, constant mesh 3-speed gearboxes, and Riley patented detachable wheels fronted by a radiator of circular design.
As war clouds gathered, two-cylinder cars were still being made, but there was also a new 2.9 litre 17/30hp side-valve four-cylinder with worm final drive, taking Riley to a larger scale of car. There were also two smaller projects that WW1 brought to a premature end, namely the Nero “Ten” and the Warwick.
The large 17/30 design came from Percy’s drawing board and the small four-cylinder Nero Ten of 1096cc from Stanley Riley’s. The Warwick certainly claimed, through a publicity leaflet, that a prototype was on test, with a picture to prove it, and with a four-cylinder engine of 65x110mm giving 1496cc, it set the scene for the post-war cars to come.
Victor Riley had acquired a plot of land at Foleshill with production of the Nero in mind but with assistance from the Ministry of Munitions a factory was built in 1916 whose output was munitions and not cars.
Rail-Cars
A spin-off that reflected the respect now held for the Riley product, were design and build enquiries for motorised railcars used for maintenance on South African Railways. Subsequently, India and Tasmania placed orders for similar vehicles.
The Great War
The Great War put all motor vehicle manufacture on hold for four-years but the Riley family and production capacity was placed in the service of the nation's war effort with only Cecil, the youngest of William's five sons, being called up for active service.
When hostilities ceased (Riley Coventry Ltd) absorbed the Nero Engine Company and dropped the detachable wheel business in favour of motor car production. The now defunct Riley Motor Manufacturing Company was renamed Midland Motor Bodies to become the coach building arm under Allan Riley.
Post WW1 - the 1920s
With the onset of peace came re-organisation: The Foleshill factory became the main works of Riley (Coventry) Limited, the former Riley Motor Manufacturing Company site focussed on body manufacture as Midland Motor Bodies, and except for some 17/30 models, none of the pre-war range continued.
The 1920s saw the introduction of the 10.8 and 11.9hp side-valve cars with a range of handsome Tourers, Saloons and Coupes from the sporting 'Red Winger' 2 and 4 seaters to the elegant 'town carriages' like the Grangeworth, Lulworth and Chatsworth.
Designed by Harry Rush, Riley produced a new range of 10.8hp 1498cc four-cylinder side-valve cars with many body styles on one standardised chassis. Rileys offered an enlarged engine of 1645cc 1925, called the Eleven/40, but still offered the original 1498cc engine in two and four seater forms for more sports-minded owners. The production of these cars with cardinal-red wings, chassis and wheels as standard, established the Redwinger as a sports-car and Riley as a marque that was competition minded as well as manufacturers of quality touring cars.
Featuring alloy pistons and full electrical equipment, with spiral-bevel final-drive added in 1921, the range continuing in production until 1928, having front wheel brakes specified from 1925. One of these dependable 11/40’s was used in prospecting Kenya’s road system in 1926.
A significant introduction was the distinctive V-shaped Riley radiator topped by the Riley Diamond design that remained iconic until the demise of the marque in 1969.
Bodies for Rileys came from both Midland Motor Bodies (MMB) and the Coventry firm of Hollick and Pratt (H&P), but following the purchase of H&P by William Morris in 1923, most body production was from the Riley owned MMB.
The “Wonder Car”
Mindful of the small, still-born “Ten” model, Percy and Stanley (the two outstanding engineers and designers of the family) brought to the public in 1926 the new four cylinder 9hp Monaco Saloon. Hailed as 'The Wonder Car' this lightweight, fabric bodied car with an entirely new engine, gearbox and chassis design was to influence designers for many years to come. Sales of the new 'Nine' were so successful that the planned larger 14hp six-cylinder versions - Stelvio and Deauville - had to be bodied by outside coach builders in order to cope with demand.
The new Nine had a 1087cc four-cylinder engine with twin camshafts set high in the crankcase forming the basis for all Riley engines made up to 1957. Coupled to a very efficient hemispherical cylinder head design, it set new performance standards for small cars; and paved the way for many significant models throughout the Riley range.
In 1928 came the Monaco fabric sports saloon, which sold well immediately, and accompanied by a twin-carburettor version of the open touring Nine entitled the Sports Four.
The 1930s
The 1930s saw the continuing success of the Nine with more models added to the range, the San Remo, Biarritz and Doctor's Coupe complementing the Monaco.
Both the 9 and 14/6 engine models progressively developed, the former having a lowered chassis and semi-panelled body in 1932 and optional pre-selector gearbox in 1933 becoming standardised for the 1934 season.
1933 saw the introduction of the touring Mentone, the fast-back Kestrel, and the more conventional Falcon. Saloons produced for the Nine were the Monaco, the Biarritz, and Falcon, the latter featuring “roof-doors” intended to allow easier access in and out of the lower line body, a feature shared with the Lincock two seater body.
Drop-head models, the Ascot with dickie seats and the Trinity, the body for which was made for Riley by Meredith Coachcraft Ltd of Birmingham, were introduced.
Launched in 1933 was the Lynx, a two-door, four-seat open tourer.
A lower priced version of the Nine was the Merlin with an all-steel body introduced in 1936, this being a departure from the alloy over ash frame bodies of Midland Motor Bodies. The last Nine powered car, the Victor, was offered in 1938.
In 1934, a new 1.5 litre 12HP 4-cylinder engine was introduced, designed under contract for Victor Riley by Hugh Rose but based on the same configuration as the Nine engine. On a new larger chassis, they used it for fresh versions of the Kestrel, Falcon and Lynx and two new models, the Adelphi and Touring Saloon.
The 14/6 six-cylinder unit was retained to power the Winchester and Edinburgh Saloons, these commodious saloons being superseded by the Adelphi model, where generous internal space was a customer requirement.
Bodies for the 12/4 range commenced with alloy over ash frame from Midland Motor Bodies, but recognising the move in the industry towards all-steel welded bodies, Riley went down this route with bought-in bodies from Briggs Motor Bodies for the 1937 range.
Other models for 1937 were a 2.8 litre V8 luxury car to be produced by Autovia Cars (a subsidiary of Riley) which went into limited production, and the more successful 2.5 litre Big 4 with 3-speed synchromesh gearbox and overdrive, available with the Kestrel, Adelphi, Close-Coupled & Touring bodies and Lynx, the latter managing but one unique example.
The Nine engines continued throughout this period in the Merlin, Light Touring Saloon, and the Victor. The Monaco which had been dropped from the range of models for 1936, was re-introduced in 1937 in an effort to stem falling sales.
The 1930s saw the continuing success of the Nine with more models added to the range, the San Remo, Biarritz and Doctor's Coupe complementing the Monaco.
Both the 9 and 14/6 engined models were progressively developed, the former having a lowered chassis and semi-panelled body in 1932 and optional pre-selector gearbox in 1933 becoming standardised for 1934 season.
The end of an era
Using heavier pressed steel bodies on some models, too many design and specification choices and various production failures requiring expensive recalls the company experienced serious cash flow problems. The introduction in 1937 of a new luxury car subsidiary company, Autovia Cars, to compete in the limousine sector also added a huge financial strain.
A Liquidator was appointed in late 1937 and Lord Nuffield bought the various Riley companies except for Percy’s Engine Company, and thus ended 40 glorious years of pioneering motoring by a family business that brought elegance, style and grace with some of the most exquisite cars of the pre-WW2 period.
Morris Motors bodied the 1½ litre and Big 4 (later 2½ litre) with all-steel panelling, as opposed to alloy, in a six-light style. Pressed-steel wheels and conventional 4-speed gearboxes with synchromesh on the upper three gears were standard on these models.
Pressure from faithful Riley Agents caused a late re-introduction of the much more handsome Kestrel to meet the desires of some of their customers. They used Magna bolt-on wire wheels, changing to pressed-steel type when stocks of Magna wheels ceased.
Sporting models
Model variations
The Redwinger sports version (wire wheels and polished aluminium body) appeared in 1922 and had a top speed on 70mph and in 1927 there was a prototype supercharged version of the Redwinger presented, but not continued into production.
Developed from the highly successful touring version of the Riley Nine, there was also the lowered and tuned Brooklands Nine with a twin-carburettor engine and capable of 80mph. The Brooklands model, originating at the famous Weybridge track in Surrey UK was developed for road and race use at the Coventry factory. Another attractive offering on the Nine chassis was the March Special, with a body design by the Earl of March, heir to the Goodwood Estate as Duke of Richmond & Gordon, and constructed in Kew by the firm of John Charles and Son.
Two sports two-seater models were produced in 1934-35, the 9hp Imp and the 1633cc 6-cylinder MPH, the latter capable of over 80mph. The MPH was the six-cylinder version of the four-cylinder Imp and was the car that inspired the famous White Riley raced so successfully by Raymond Mays and leading on to the ERA.
Later developments were the 1½ litre four-cylinder (the 12/4) two-seater Sprite with pre-selector gearbox, rod-operated Girling brakes and central chassis lubrication. The Kestrel Sprite tourer which offered more room had the same highly tuned engine, as did the four-door Lynx.
Competition History
Rileys have a distinguished competition record starting from the days of the Tri-car and leading to the 1925 London-Exeter-London Trial in which three Gold medals and seventeen Silver won by Riley Cars: They had the highest number of cars in the list of finishers out of 152 entrants.
The London-Edinburgh run held in 1925 was an even more important event for Riley enthusiasts; at a dinner given for the Riley competitors and their passengers at the North British Hotel the Riley Motor Club was founded, eventually becoming the largest one-make car club in the world. Although not being able to claim to be the largest in the world today, it still has many enthusiastic members in all parts of Great Britain and a number of overseas members.
Racing successes
Class wins in the 1929, 1930 and 1931 Tourist Trophy (TTs) races were followed by an outright victory in 1932 and two later wins by a 1½ litre in 1935 and 1936.
Third place at Le Mans in 1933 and 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th places in 1934 were arguably the highlight of a successful racing programme.
Three successive wins were achieved in 1934, 1935 and 1936 in the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) 500-mile race at Brooklands, the premier event of the year.
A Nine won the light car class in the 1931 Monte Carlo rally.
The English Racing Automobiles (ERA)
The Riley 6-cylinder racing engine of 1933/34 provided the basis of the engine in English Racing Automobiles (ERA) racing cars, a company formed by Humphrey Cook, Raymond Mays, and Peter Berthon in 1933, with significant assistance from Victor Riley: their mutual objective being to produce a British racing car for international competition.
Post WW2 and the RM Series
The 1940s
Under Lord Nuffield's control the entire range of cars was scrapped and only the 1½ and 2½ litre engines carried forward to be installed in two newly designed saloons that lacked the flair of the mid-thirties cars but had the glimmerings of features that were to appear in the RM range of cars after WW2. The models were known simply as the ’39 Saloons and although the Drophead version had some appeal, the two saloon cars were not generally welcomed as typical Riley elegance.
Criticism also came from the Riley dealerships who eventually persuaded Lord Nuffield to re-introduce the six-light Kestrel body and with the Big Four 2½ litre engine this became a more acceptable model to carry the Riley name.
The RM series
The RM cars (so designated to denote Riley Motors) were introduced. The car was the first 'new' post-war design to be offered to the motoring public, and it was a winner.
Some of the body lines could be traced back to the pre-war close-coupled saloon and the ’39 Saloons, and with the traditional Riley engine configuration they were marketed under the banner 'Magnificent Motoring'.
Available in 1½ and 2½ litre format, Saloon and Drophead versions up until 1951 and a three-seater Sports Roadster version up until 1952.
The post-war successors had the same engines (1½ and 2½ litre) but much more attractive bodies with torsion bar front suspension and fabric roof. The Healey Motor Company used the 2½ litre engine in the 1946-54 period.
Riley made a three-seater Roadster version of the 2½ litre for export and was later available on the home market. Hypoid final drive and fully hydraulic brakes were introduced in 1952.
The RM cars were updated in specification in 1952 but by now only the two Saloon versions were available. The last of the RM range was produced in 1955 and by then just under 23,000 had been built. These were fairly modest production figures within the industry.
In 1954 the Pathfinder, considered the last of the traditional Riley engine cars but with a similar body design to the Wolseley 6/90 was introduced and this was superseded in 1957 by the “2.6” which was similar to the Wolseley, with the same BMC “C” series 6-cylinder engine, but with a higher level of trim.
BMC models
After the Austin-Morris amalgamation into the newly formed British Motor Corporation (BMC), the 1½ litre continued until 1955, with little change apart from wing shape and introducing sills to replace running boards.
The Riley name continued as a re-badged Wolseley until 1969 and in this period the models available were the 1.5 (similar to the Wolseley 1500), the two Farina styled models 4.68 and 4.72, the 1100 and 1300cc Kestrel and the 998cc Elf which was a Mini with a luggage boot. All were of higher trim than their Wolseley counterparts and had twin-carburettors.
After 70-years Rileys finally ceased to be produced by British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd. towards the end of 1969.
The “BMC” Rileys may not always be seen as having the pedigree of those produced by the family in their heyday but two things are certain. One is that every example still in existence is part of the Riley story and is loved by its owner and two, Riley's respected head of Engineering, Eddie Meyer, held the BMC 4.72 in high esteem suggesting that it was one of the finest cars that ever carried the Blue Diamond - high praise indeed!