Riley 16/4 Special

THIS CAR

• This fantastic pre-war Riley special was conceived, designed and engineered by Ian Gladstone (former owner of Blue Diamond Riley Services) and Roy Williams.
• Their vision was to create a highly competitive historic rally car that was capable of competing at the highest level at the world’s toughest endurance events – and that’s is exactly what they achieved.
• The car was based on a 1937 Riley “big four” Adelphi saloon, and mounted on it was a 1939 16/4 engine (chosen specifically for its high torque output).
• The car was almost entirely constructed using parts from contemporary pre-war models, to ensure its eligibility for VSCC and Hero-ERA events.
• In view of campaigning the Riley in a number of cross-continent events, Ian & Roy were mindful to engineer into the car a host of ‘long distance’ upgrades:
  • Twin Fuel Tanks (range approx. 300 miles)
  • Intake Filtration System
  • Comfortable Seating with Extended Pedal Box
  • Twin Ignition Systems
  • Twin Fuel Pumps
• Once completed, the Riley was immediately flown out to compete in its first major event – the arduous and gruelling Peking to Paris rally.
• Not only did the car finish, it was awarded a Gold Medal for its achievement. Quite remarkable for a rally car’s debut.
• Upon returning to the UK, the car was then lightened, recommissioned and performance tuned ahead of being sold to its current owner in 2010.
• In the 14 years since, the car has competed in an array historic rallies, often with great success, including:
  • First in Class – Le Jog
  • First in Class – Alpine Trial
  • First Overall – Blue Train Rally (Deauville to Cannes)
  • Numerous finishes on the Flying Scotsman
• As you might expect, competing at this level requires a great deal of on-going maintenance and improvement, and so its no surprise that the car’s history file amounts to almost 90 pages of work, invoices and receipts.
• Most recently, the car has benefitted from a full engine rebuild, and just prior to launching the car for sale, Blue Diamond Riley Services carried out a full inspection of the car along with the following recommissioning work:
  • Carburettor overhaul and tune
  • Brake Rod Pivots
  • Rear Axle Shackles, Pins & Bushes
  • Front Axle Kingpins
  • Front Wheel Bearing
• What we have here then, is a fantastic opportunity to acquire a unique, well known, and highly respected pre-war Riley Special that’s not only a total joy around the B-roads of Britain, but is also capable of competing at the highest level in the world’s toughest historic endurance rallies.