Going strong at 70: the Riley Register celebrates its Platinum Jubilee

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Some 126 years ago, in 1898, a red horseless carriage moved under its own power out of a workshop in Coventry which previously had only produced bicycles. William Riley was the prospering proprietor of the Riley Cycle Company, but it was his sons, in particular Percy and Victor, who saw a bright future for internal combustion, and it was the 18-year-old Percy who was responsible for that pioneering experimental motor car.

Thus was sown the proverbial small seed, and within a few years Riley had become a fully- fledged car-maker. By the 1920s, as the idea of sports cars was beginning to take off, the enthusiastic Percy and Victor diverted their attention increasingly towards the development of rakish sports models which could win renown for the marque in races, and family saloons and tourers with a distinctly sporty feel. It was the launch of the twin-cam, 1,100cc Riley Nine in 1926 which would ultimately lead to the Blue Diamond becoming internationally revered and established as one of the great sporting marques of its age.

During the 1930s, Riley cars continued to show sporting characteristics with a wide variety of bodies on a programme of continuous improvement to chassis culminating in the 2½-Litre for 1938. A sports model was available on a different chassis for the buyer that wanted a true sports car. The cars were excellent, but the management of the business was not going quite so well towards the end of the decade, resulting in Riley being bought out by the Nuffield Organization in 1938. Needless to say, Lord Nuffield's car-making philosophy was considerably different from the Riley brothers', and that takeover spelt the end of their influence.

Up to that point, the Blue Diamond's many enthusiasts had been well catered for by the Riley Motor Club, the factory-run club which supported owners and organised a calendar of top-class activities including rallies and trials. However, by 1954, there was a feeling among owners of the pre-war Rileys that the Motor Club was becoming too heavily skewed towards post-Nuffield models, to the detriment of the earlier cars.

To rectify matters, a group of enthusiasts banded together and formed the Riley Register, the club for all veteran, vintage and post-vintage thoroughbred Riley Cars, and it's still going strong as it celebrates its Platinum Jubilee this year. It now comprises some 1,300 members with around 3,000 cars between them, spread across most of the countries of the world. With all its cars now in excess of eighty-five years old, the Register works hard to keep them on the road. It actively commissions specialists to manufacture parts, using modern C.A.D. drawings derived from information in original factory drawings, and is busy researching and maintaining the histories of all its cars, making it a valuable source of information for owners and other enthusiasts.

Anyone with an interest in pre-war Riley cars will find themselves very much at home in the Register, which also follows the Motor Club's tradition of organising a range of social and non-competitive events throughout the year. More information can be found by visiting www.rileyregister.co.uk, but perhaps the best way of becoming acquainted would be to attend the Riley Rally at Woodford Grange Hotel, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, on June 28-30th.
 

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