1929 Riley 9 Monaco

Description

Wonderfully original with bags of character and lots of history from new; as good underneath as it us up top; hard to find in this condition and just how we like them!

The magnificent Riley Nine made its debut in 1926 and quickly became the most desirable small sporting car on the market, contemporary road testers running out of superlatives in their enthusiasm for the car. Its chassis, suspension and bodywork were the work of Stanley Riley, while Percy Riley designed the brilliant little 9hp engine.

The 1087cc unit thrived on high revs, which it would happily and reliably maintain for long periods of time thanks to its clever design. Twin camshafts were mounted high in the block, making for short and light pushrods which operated valves set at 45 degrees to the head. This, coupled with a crossflow head design, enabled prodigious power to be extracted from this willing unit.

The vast majority were sold with attractive saloon bodywork, although the Nine also cemented its sporting credentials with some giant-slaying performances by the Brooklands and Imp models that were also supplied by the factory.

The mainstream models were named after exotic French holiday destinations such as Biarritz, San Remo and Monaco. The fabric-bodied Monaco made its debut at Shelsley Walsh in 1926, racing driver Tony Rolt recalling in his memoirs: “The sensation it caused… how we flocked to the finishing paddock at the top of the hill to make a closer examination. We had never seen anything like it before. How low it was!”.

First registered in London in February 1929, this delightful Monaco comes with an interesting history file from new. First owned by an Edith Lewis of Kensington, it then had three further local owners before passing to a PJ Preece of Northampton in 1966 and then to DH Hewitson of Cheadle in 1968.

A letter from Preece to Hewitson dated January 1968 states that he wanted £175 for the car and that it had been extensively overhauled including a rebuilt engine with new pistons, bearings, valves and guides. The chassis had new king pins, spring shackle buses, brakes and tyres. The body had new Triplex windows, new bulkhead, new running boards and floor boards but was otherwise highly original. It also had new carpets, all the interior wood was revarnished and it had been completely rewired.

Hewitson kept the car until 2008, invoices showing that it had a fair bit of work carried out in 1992/93 by Henry Stringer of Ilkley following a period in storage. This included an engine overhaul with new piston rings; cylinder head overhaul; complete rewire; new door check straps; both front wings restored and repainted plus various other recommissioning jobs.

An old MOT shows that the car was recording 18,568 miles at that point and, assuming the odometer works correctly, it has only covered around 200 miles since. The Riley then had two further owners, invoices showing that the magneto was rebuilt in 2017 and the armature was replaced in 2019.

As you can see in the photos, the car looks wonderfully sound and original and has been starting promptly and running well as we have moved it around on site. It comes with an interesting file of invoices and correspondence, some useful technical literature and a Pitman’s Book of the Riley Nine.

Light, stylish and comfortable, the Monaco remains ever-popular as it combines sprightly performance on the road with good handling and a vast supply of affordable spare parts. This beautifully patinated and nicely preserved example looks mighty tempting at the sensible guide price suggested.

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com