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1926 Riley 12hp Side Valve Saloon
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Registration No. SE 2386
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Motor Cars
1926 Riley 12hp Side Valve Saloon
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Registration No. SE 2386
Chassis No. 69/285
Engine No. 4807
Estimate £12,500 - £15,000
The old Riley Company of Coventry was independent for just over 40 years, and in that time established for itself a magnificent reputation for quality vehicles, from the earliest Royal Riley Quadricycles of 1899 to the superb sports and touring cars of the mid 1930s.
So although the later cars are very well known, and many excellent examples are still in use, the earlier
models, covering the first 25 years of the firms existence are almost unknown, as so few exist. After
producing a first prototype car in 1898, Percy and Stanley Riley went on to build tricars, V-twin light cars, and finally 4 cylinder touring cars of exceptional quality, culminating after the First World War in the 11hp model introduced in 1919 and which eventually gave us the superb Riley Redwing.
These 11hp models were available with a very wide variety of coachwork, mostly built in-house by the Midland Body Company, but all used the same 9ft chassis with semi elliptic springs all round, and at first a sidevalve engine of 1498ccs.
For the 1926 season the cars, by now called the 11/40 or 11.9 model were fitted with an engine enlarged to 1645ccs, installed in a strengthened chassis with 4-wheel brakes on most models, as in this case.
No less than 14 different body styles were available, and the ‘Coach’ was a newly introduced 4 door 4 light saloon, priced at £395 which was a substantial price in 1926 and demonstrated the quality of the cars
offered.
SE 2386 was supplied by Andrew Donaldson of Buckie (Grampian) and registered with its Banffshire
number on 16 January 1926. The car remained North of the Border, and by 1970 was found derelict on a Scottish farm being used as a hen house. It was rescued by Peter Frankland of Cheltenham, who spent three years replacing the rotten wood of the body, but sold the car in 1973, and in 1980 it was discovered again in a scrap yard in Morton-in-Marsh in the same state, and rescued by present owner. An eight year total
restoration was then commenced; the body was repanelled using original parts where possible, new
upholstery made-up and of course a full mechanical rebuild undertaken, mostly at the hands of its very
competent owner. The results were spectacular, and by 1988 the monumental task was almost complete and the car attended the Riley Register Coventry Rally. Upholstery on new frames using finest hides was later completed, and the car eventually won the major Register Concours, also being in demand as wedding
transport on no less then 330 occasions. During this period, the car was in constant use and had the
necessary attention paid to maintenance, with new rear springs by Jones Springs of Darlington in 1985, a recored radiator by maestro John Underwood of Carleon in 1987, a replacement needle roller prop-shaft in 1988 (original available) and finally an engine rebuild with rebore, crank grind and all new white metal
bearings in 1995 by an ‘old school’ craftsman, John Kirby of Croyden.
All this results in a splendid and near immaculate car, very rare (about 60 sidevalve cars, of which 5 are saloons are known to the Register) and exceedingly reliable, being totally rebuilt, endlessly cherished and never neglected.
A new battery was fitted this summer, and the tax and MoT certificate run until July 2011; a V5c protects the original Scottish registration number.
Top speed is around 60mph and the Riley will cruise effortlessly at 45-50mph, so this is an extremely
useable high quality car, of great interest to the Riley fraternity and very acceptable in all forms of VSCC activity.