October '33
Classic Car Catalogue
Riley 1934
| Nine | |
| Short Six | - discontinued |
| Long Six | |
| 6/15 | - new model in October |
| 1½-Litre | - new model in October |
| Imp | |
| MPH |
Great Britain
The Most Successful Car in the World
The title of this book is a bold, perhaps a boastful, one. But it will be forgiven the manufacturers, who claim their product to be no less than the most successful car in the world, if they in their turn can convince the future owners of their cars that the title is justified.
What, then, constitutes success in the Motoring World? Surely, in the first place, ability to stay, and to progress, in the industry itself. The young, modern motorist will scarcely remember names, famous in their day, of Motor-cars long since forgotten. Yet at one time they were contemporary and competitive with Riley.
That so many have failed to stay the course in what is admittedly one of the most exacting and fiercely competitive of industries is perhaps not surprising. What is possibly more noteworthy is that, amid the many meteoric rises to fame and as many rapid falls into oblivionof numerous cars and their makers, the Riley Company has held, consolidated and advanced its status through thirty five years of automobile engineering in such a way as to express the very spirit of motoring.
For the Riley Car has made "motorists" in the best sense of the word. It is characteristic of the Company's products that they have never been cheap mass-produced cars; nor yet have they been expensive "only-for-the-few" models; but they have always been-and never to a greater degree than at the present time-"popular" cars.
October '33
December '33
New for 1934 is a Preselectagear, centrelock wire wheels, a one-shot lubrication system and chassis frames are now employing box-section construction for greater rigidity in areas of high stress. 12 volt battery of greater capacity is fitted. Triplex glass is a standard feature on all Rileys.
Two low-line saloons are offered, both on the Special Series chassis: the Kestrel, first introduced in 1932, and the Falcon, which had acquired a boot, making it look like a lowered Monaco. The Monaco continues as a fully coachbuilt saloon, together with the coupe Lincock. The Lynx has now four doors. The Kestrel and Falcon are both priced at £325 with the all-helical gearbox and at £352 with Preselectagear. The Standard Series Lynx, Lincock and Monaco are all £298, in Special Series £315 and with Preselectagear £325.
Riley Nine is available with seven factory-built body styles, ranging in
price from £237 to £325. The engine is an OHV Four of
1098-cc capacity (60.3 x 95.2 mm), rated at 9.02 HP
and developing 35 bhp at 4500 rpm. Most models are optionally
available with a less powerful version, developing 27 bhp at 4000
rpm.
Nine chassis for 1934.
Nine Falcon Saloon
Nine Kestrel Saloon with 'fastback'.
Nine Monaco Saloon
Nine Ascot Drop-Head Coupe
Nine Lynx Tourer
Riley Six-cylinder chassis are available with 1458-cc 12.08 HP and 1633-cc 13.53 HP engine with brake horsepower outputs from 44 to 57, depending on specification. All has overhead valves operated by high camshaft via tappets and short pushrods and four-speed gearbox.
12/6 Mentone
12/6 Mentone
12/6 Kestrel
Riley 14/6 six-cylinder chassis with Gamecock body and cycle wings. This car took part in the Alpine Trial this year.
Imp
The engine was mounted in the now-traditional Riley 3 point manner and power was transmitted to the rear axle via the usual enclosed propeller shaft. The MPH continued to be offered in i935, unchanged from 1934 except that it was now offered with the 6/15 engine instead of the 6/i4. The 12 h.p. engine also continued to be offered in the MPH for those people interested in having a car which could compete as a i z litre in International Class F.
Falcon 12 H.P.
The new 14 H.P. six-cylinder engine was annouced in October. Known as the 6/15 it bears an obvious similarity to its predecessor, but it has rounded rocker box lids like the new 4-cylinder 1½ litre and a gear driven oil pump and is mated to the Armstrong Siddeley preselector gearbox. An option on the Falcon isalso available: the 12 h.p. 6 cylinder engine-a new engine but with the same 1458 cc. capacity. The Falcon is an aero-line saloon in the same image as the Kestrel, but with a higher roofline to give more headroom. The chassis is entirely new with 9 ft. 4½ in wheelbase.
Although based on the old principle with two camshafts located high in the cylinder block, the 1.5-litre engine is completely new with bore and stroke of 69x100 mm. The Armstrong-Siddeley four-speed preselector gearbox, centrifugal clutch and traditional Riley enclosed propeller shaft are fitted. The car has all new Girling, mechanical brake system.
The new MPH model made its debut at the Scottish Rally. Two of those were entered along with four Imps. The enine features a pair of H3 SU carburettors and Scintilla magneto and has duralumin connecting rods. The car is a developement of the 1933 TT Six races.
MPH Sports prototype
The Imp is a scaled-down MPH with 9 h.p. engine offered with a manual (£298) or preselctor (£325) gearbox.
Racing MPH prepared for the 1934 24h Le Mans to be driven by Dixon and Paul.
Races:
| Event: | Entered: | Raced: | Finished: | Best results: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Australian Grand Prix | Nine | 1st | |||||
| Nine | 3rd | |||||||
 |
2-Litre | 3rd | ||||||
 |
|
6 | 6 | 6 | Sébilleau / Delaroche | MPH | 2nd (1101-1500 1st) | |
| Dixon / Paul | MPH | 3rd (1101-1500 2nd) | ||||||
| Becke / Peacock | Nine Brooklands | 5th (751-1100 2nd) | ||||||
| Newsome / Maclure | Ulster IMP | 6th (751-1100 3rd) | ||||||
| Trévoux / Carriére | Ulster IMP | 12th (751-1100 4th) | ||||||
| Champney / Petre | Ulster IMP | 13th (751-1100 5th) | ||||||
|
A. W. K. Von der Becke | 1087 cc | 9th (1100 1st) | |||||
| E. McClure | 1087 cc | 11th | ||||||
| P. G. Fairfield | 1087 cc | 12th | ||||||
|
1st | |||||||
| 2nd | ||||||||
2nd at 24h Le Mans: Riley MPH Six Racing 1,458 cc. chassis 44T-2127, reg. KV 9477 (Jean Sébilleau / Georges Delaroche; Riley Motor Co. Ltd.)
3rd at 24h Le Mans: Riley MPH Six Racing 1,458 cc. chassis 44T-2128, reg. KV 9478 (Freddie Dixon / Cyril Paul; Riley Motor Co. Ltd.)
Ulster IMP 1,087.0cc chassis 60-24868, reg. KV 9476 (Sammy Newsome / Percy Maclure; Riley Motor Co Ltd)
Nine Brooklands 1,087 cc chassis 80-93, reg. KV 5392 with Alex van der Becke and Kenneth Peacock (Riley Motor Co. Ltd.)
Riley Ulster IMP 1,087 cc chassis 60-24755, reg. AYK 597 with Dorothy Champney and Kay Petre at 24h Le Mans.
Riley Ulster IMP 1,087 cc chassis 60-24867, reg. KV9475 driven at Le Mans by Jean Trévoux and René Carriére (Jean Trévoux).
In 24h Le Mans Riley took first three places in performance index:
1st #36 Alex van der Becke/Kenneth Peacock Riley Nine Brooklands - 1.36970
2nd #37 Sammy Newsome/Percy Maclure Riley Ulster IMP - 1.36830
3rd #27 Jean Sebilleau/Georges Delaroche Riley Nine MPH Six Racing - 1.29560
Class winner Von der Becke at Tourist Trophy.
Class F Records Montlhery; Riley 6/12; 1000 miles, 12 hrs, 2000 km; 102.35 m.p.h.; 101.1 m.p.h.; 101.04 m.p.h.
Rallies:
| Event: | Entered: | Raced: | Finished: | Best results: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|
10 | ? | 8 | Riley / Gardiner | 7th (up to 1500 2nd) | ||
 |
International Alpine Rally | |||||||
Rallye Monte Carlo, no.39, R. Pelham-Burn, start: John o'Groats, finished 67th.
Rallye Monte Carlo, no.41 Rupert St.G. Riley / H. Gardiner, start: Athens,
finished 7th and 2nd in up to 1500 cc class.