1932 Riley Nine-Plus pictures and wallpaper

1932 Riley Nine-Plus news, pictures, and information

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 Nine engine was introduced in 1926, and featured twin camshafts, hemispherical combustion chambers with a gas cross flow features which made these cars much more a race car than a family sedan. The Plus Ultra was introduced in 1931 with a new dropped chassis frame and improved body construction. Designers echoed the diamond shape of the radiator badge in the rear window and hood louvers. The company seemed to be going from strength to strength, but in the end, too many models and not enough capital forced the company to sell out to Morris in 1938 with the name finally dying in 1969.

Donated to SDAM by Alan R. Toffler

Source - SDAM

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Riley: 1931-1940

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