Lot Ended
Description
From a deceased estate; older restoration in wonderful condition; last
on the road about two years ago; one of only around 800 made
Introduced at
the 1934 Olympia Motor Show, the Riley 12/4 successfully built on the Nine’s
greatest strength – its excellent twin-cam engine. Modified and enlarged to 1.5
litres, the new engine produced 51bhp and gave the 12/4 a top speed of 70mph,
impressive performance for its class.
As was
usual with Riley, various bodies were available including the Falcon, Kestrel
and Merlin saloons and the Lynx tourer, with buyers able to choose between
manual or pre-selector gearboxes. For 1936, the 12/4 was renamed the 1½ Litre
and this most tuneable power unit would remain in production right up until 1955
with the demise of the RME model. Only around 800 1½ Litre Falcons were made,
along with around 1,200 12/4 versions before production came to an end in
1936.
First registered in Bristol in March 1936,
this lovely Falcon 1½ Litre sadly comes with no history other than a V5C
recording five former keepers so we can’t tell you much about it. On offer here
from a deceased estate, it has been in the current ownership since February 2020
and kept in nice dry storage as part of a collection of interesting classic
cars.
As you can see in the photos, it has
clearly been restored to a high standard at some point in the not-too-distant
past with lovely willow green paintwork, beautiful beige leather upholstery and
what looks like an expensive Alcantara headlining and seat backs – very classy.
The engine bay looks equally clean and tidy, as does the chassis
underneath.
The icing on the cake is the original
Bristol-issue number plate, CHT 754, which is transferable according to the V5C
and no doubt has a value of its own.
The MOT
history online shows that it was tested in March 2011 and July 2020, passing
with no advisories on each occasion, but the odometer is presumably not working
as they both show the same 28,162 mileage which is still displayed
today.
We are told that the car was last on the
road about two years ago and was in good running order when parked up. We will
endeavour to get it running in time for the sale and will update the website
accordingly.
Supplied
with a useful assortment of technical literature (instruction book; parts
catalogue; wiring diagrams; Pitman’s Riley book; Riley Register Membership
List), this rare and sporting Falcon is on offer here at a modest
guide price and now needs an enthusiastic new owner who can get it back on the
road where it belongs.
Consigned by James
Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com