1938 Riley Ford Special news, pictures, and information

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Roadster

Like several other British motorcar makers, the Riley Company traces its origin to fabrics. By 1890 the weaving business was fading, and William Riley added a bicycle plant to his operation. The Riley Co. began to build bicycles with their first car being built in 1898 after the ingenious Percy Riley finished high school. During the late 1920's and most of the 1930's, this small family run Coventry firm produced some of the best small sporting cars in the world, whether sedans, tourers or out-and-out sports cars. The excellence of the engines, and the stylish coachwork and delightful handling all set standards for performance and design throughout the industry at this time.

The Riley Company was later merged into British Leyland which is now a trademark of BMW.

Around 1905, the first Riley motor car was created. Within a few years, Rileys other endeavors, like motorcycle production, was halted to focus on the automobile.

After World War I, Riley's efforts in motorsports increased, with their vehicles appearing in races by privateers and works cars. Appearances in hill climbs and races such as LeMans were met with moderate success. Famous drivers such as Stirling Moss would pilot a Riley during racing competition.

Ever since the creation of the automobile the design and mechanical components have continued to evolve and improve. Fuel sources, engine sizes, suspension, weight distribution, aerodynamics, braking, and more have all been experimented with and undergone rigorous testing and development. It is only suitable that at the local racing circuit, eager individuals were continuing this development in efforts of securing themselves a podium finish. To compete in races during the early years of the automobile, all that was required was a vehicle that could compete. Those who had more money often had more resources at their disposal and could take their vehicle to the next level in terms of power and performance.

At the time, the Ford Flathead V8 was an excellent resource to utilize. Parts were in abundance, power was plentiful, and it was fairly reliable. To fuel the fire, Fred Frame appeared in a 1934 Ford ad declaring 'I picked a Ford V8 for 1933… it brought me home in front. It takes a lot of automobile to average 80.22 miles per hour for 200 miles over a course like that.' Alone, this may not have meant much, but coming from the winner of the 1932 Indianapolis 500, it was a solid endorsement.

This vehicle is a Riley Special with power being supplied from a Ford engine. It is seen here at the 2007 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.

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Riley: 1931-1940

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