1935 Riley MPH

The Riley Cycle Company began as the Bonnick Cycle Company of Coventry, England. In 1896, William Riley Jr. acquired the business and incorporated a company to own it named The Riley Cycle Company Limited. To go along with the bicycle business, a cycle gear maker named Sturmey Archer was later added to the portfolio.

Percy was Riley's middle son, and after leaving school, he began to experiment with automobiles. In 1898 at the age of 16, he built his first car. He had done it clandestinely as his father did not approve. He built motorcycles, quadricycles, and in 1900 sold a single three-wheeled automobile.

In 1903, three of Riley's sons - Victor, Percy, and younger brother Allan Riley - pooled resources, and borrowed funds to establish the separate Riley Engine Company of Coventry. Two other Riley brothers, Stanley and Cecil, later joined the business. During the early years, the Riley Engine Company supplied engines for Riley motorcycles and to Singer. Later, they focused on four-wheeled automobiles. The name was changed in 1912 from Riley Cycle Company to Riley Limited. They became a wire-spoked wheel supplier to the motor industry and distributed to over 180 motor manufacturers.

During World War I, they built airplane engines. After the war, they returned to building engines, cars, and automobile-related items. Their motto was 'As old as the industry, as modern as the hour.' Their products were innovative and imaginative, with designs that were extremely novel. The pinnacle of Riley production was arguably the MPH. It was the ultimate evolution of all the engineering genius, styling, and principles of the famed British marque. Introduced in 1935, total production would reach just 16 examples of these revolutionary cars.

The legacy of the MPH traces back to the introduction of the company's twin-cam 9hp model that was first offered in 1926. The four-cylinder engine had a displacement capacity of 1087cc and would remain in production for the next decade with around 10,000 examples being sold.

The design inspiration for the MPH was from the 1933 TT race cars. The chassis of the MPH was comprised of half-elliptic springs and rigid axles in the front and rear. The side members of the chassis were positioned under the axle at the rear, allowing the vehicle to have a very low stance. Fifteen-inch drum brakes provided the stopping power, and elegant and lightweight aluminum bodies were built over a traditional wood frame. In the front was a long bonnet, front flowing wings, running boards, with a short rounded tail.

The MPH was available with a choice of three different six-cylinder engine sizes, with capacities of 1458 cc, 1633 cc or 1726 cc fitted with triple or more common twin SU carburetors. The Riley engines had twin camshafts mounted high in the crankcase, and aluminum alloy connecting rods. The engines were backed by either a four-speed manual 'crash' gearbox or an ENV pre-selector gearbox supplied by Armstrong Siddeley.

Riley's cataloged production sports models for the mid-1930s were a 9hp Imp, a TT Sprite, and the MPH. The MPH cars were purchased, invariably, by privateer racers.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2019