The name of Riley was associated with the production of high-performance light cars for many years. Although cars were manufactured prior to the 1914 - 1918 war, it was during the twenties that brought the name to the notice of sports-car enthusiasts. It can safely be said that the Riley reputation was made with the old "Eleven," long before the "Nine" was marketed. The latter merely set the seal on the already acknowledged reputation the concern enjoyed for building really excellent motor-cars. It is a fact that the car was discontinued although there was a considerable demand for it. The phenomenal success of the Riley "Nine," when it appeared as the Monaco Saloon, completely swamped the company's order-books, and there was nothing for it but to concentrate all their energies in producing the smaller car.
The 11-h.p. car reached the peak of its fame in 1924, when it was dubbed "Redwing," a soubriquet which it gained through appearing with a sleek aluminium body and red wings. These cars were the best-looking sports cars of their day, either in two- or four-seater form. They continually figured in the prize-lists of all sorts of competitions of the period, and many were still on the road post WW2. The 11-h.p. car was the last side-valve-engined vehicle to be marketed by Rileys. In its original form it was notable for the wide use of self-lubricated bushes, which cut down maintenance to a hitherto unheard-of degree. Steel pressings were adopted in favour of machined castings for gearbox top, cone clutch, fan pulley, wheels and many other components. The power unit had a capacity of 1498-c.c. (65.8 x 110-mm.), and the four cylinders were cast separately from the crankcase, a detachable cylinder head being fitted. The side-valves were located on the near side and were actuated by square-section tappets from the camshaft, which was driven by a silent chain.
A fabric-lined cone clutch was used, and the rear end included straight-cut bevels and semi-floating axle. A four-speed gearbox was standardised. Early models had rear-wheel brakes only, but all featured aluminium shoes in large- diameter drums which were provided with ribbed cooling vents. Although students of design were excited by the engine of the Riley "Nine" when it was first exhibited in 1926, it was not until Stanley Riley had the chassis fitted with the famous Monaco body that the public went wild over the car. The black-market deals in new cars of 1946 had their parallel when people were trying to get delivery of one of the new Rileys. The lucky agents in 1928 - 1929 who expected deliveries could practically name their own premium price.
The little Riley was such an obvious basis for a sports car that the Brooklands model quickly appeared, and the late Parry Thomas played a large part in the design. The engine, with its twin high camshafts, short pushrods, hemispherical combustion chambers, and valves set at 90 degrees, was a tuner's dream. Also the low-built chassis, first-rate gearbox, and excellent workmanship made it an ideal buy for the racing man. The successes of the "Nine" are far too numerous to mention. The make won practically every event worth winning, including class wins at Le Mans and outright wins in the T.T. At one time the Eyston and Dixon team of drivers held practically every world's record in the 1100-c.c. class. Dixon, of course, became famous for his uncanny skill at coaxing an incredible amount of horses from the Riley engine. The speeds obtained by the Dixon cars are legendary.
The little "Nine" was continued for many years and always moved with the times. When pre-selectors were in favour, they were fitted as a matter of course. The engine remained basically unaltered throughout its life with the exception of inlet and exhaust manifolds, which came in for modifications from time to time. A bore and stroke of 60.3-mm. and 95.2-mm. gave the familiar capacity of 1089-c.c. The later Rileys also had a wonderful run of successes in competitions. Both in 1.5-litre and 2-litre form they were raced in every possible type of event, the former being produced eventually in out-and-out sports form as the four-cylinder Sprite two-seater, and the latter as the six-cylinder M.P.H., which was the last word in 2-litre wear. Before the concern became "Nuffieldised" the works took an active part in racing, the Riley family taking the view that if a sports car was to be marketed, it must first win its spurs in battle. The Sprite series were based entirely on the 1935 T.T. cars, and, even in saloon form, had an incredible performance. As everyone knows, the famous "White Riley" which Raymond Mays raced so successfully eventually evolved into the E.R.A., the most potent of any British racing machinery ever devised.
The last form taken by the "Nine" was as the Imp, a delightful little sports car which, if not so fast as its more illustrious Brooklands parents, was, nevertheless, ideal for competition work. Other type-names made famous by Riley were the Alpine, Gamecock, Lynx and Stelvio series - all magnificent sporting vehicles in their day, and the majority of which remained the pride and joy of their owners' hearts. Perhaps the most notable point about the large proportion of Riley successes was that the cars, in unblown form, often met and beat supercharged jobs. The Riley engine was one of the few that could be made to produce a prodigious amount of horses by utilising multi-carburetter induction systems. It was Frank Ashby who discovered this, and, of course, the inimitable Freddy Dixon developed the scheme still further.
The late Percy McLure also managed to extract phenomenal outputs from Riley engines in all three sizes, and made a name for himself by the extraordinary reliability of the machines he drove. H. G. Dobbs also made the 2-litre car go quicker than most, and won many races at Brooklands in his odd-looking, offset Riley single-seater, later owned by Salvadori. Although the marque quit the sporting world in favour of closed cars, the spirit of the old Riley remained safe in the hands of Riley enthusiasts. In Britian after the war there were enthusiasts such as T. C. Harrison, F. R. Gerard and many others who kept the marque alive.
