Lot Ended
Description
1948 Riley RMA
Ex-museum and film prop car;
over £9,500 spent since 2006 with many new parts; recent new clutch kit
and interior retrim; current owner 12 years; very tidy
indeed
The graceful RM series was the last range
of cars to be developed independently by Riley before the 1952 merger of the
Nuffield Organisation with Austin to form BMC. Originally made in Coventry, by
1949 production had moved to the MG works at Abingdon.
The 1.5-litre RMA Saloon was introduced in 1945 with low-slung
styling and a nicely finished interior designed to appeal to the middle class
motorist. The cars were built on separate chassis assemblies with unstressed,
ash-framed steel panels and a fabric-covered roof.
Power came from a 1,496cc overhead valve four-cylinder engine with
twin camshafts, mounted high in the cylinder block. Producing 54bhp, it
propelled the car to a top speed of 80mph. The running gear was advanced for its
time with rack-and-pinion steering and torsion bar independent front suspension.
Noted for its excellent handling, the RMA was replaced by the very similar RME
in 1952 which had a bigger rear window and no running
boards.
First registered in Exeter in 1948,
this RMA comes with records from the RM Register stating that it was in storage
from 1970 – 1991. It later spent time in the Eton Wick Motor Museum and was then
owned by a film prop company, appearing in various TV shows in the early 2000’s
including episodes of Miss Marples.
In 2006/07
the car was sent to David Brown Restorations of Notts for a thorough mechanical
overhaul with bills on file amounting to just over £6,000. This included a
complete overhaul of the brakes, steering and suspension with many new parts,
attention to the wiring, a full service plus much else
besides.
Our vendor acquired the car in 2010
and has improved it still further with bills on file for at least another
£3,500. New parts fitted during his ownership include: cylinder head gasket;
clutch kit; starter motor; gear lever bushes; coolant hoses; windscreen rubbers;
boot rubber; instrument bezels; door and boot handles; HT coil; washer pump;
petrol tank sender unit; Lucas trafficators and indicator flasher units plus
various other service items. The interior was also fully retrimmed in 2013
including new carpets, headliner and seat covers in tan leather with cloth
centres.
Said to run and drive well, old MOTs
on file show that the car has covered some 2,000 miles since 2006, the odometer
currently showing 53,453 miles. It has certainly been starting promptly and
running very sweetly as we have moved it around on site, although we did note
that the driver's seat is not secured to its runners properly. Two very detailed
Riley RM workshop/service manuals are also included along with a box of sundry
useful spares.
An unusually smart RMA, it
looks mighty tempting at the sensible guide price suggested.
For more information contact James on
07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com