1952 Other Makes RMF

Saloon (Sedan)

2.5L Big Four

Manual

RMF62510120

Clear

Gasoline

1952 Riley RMF This is a very nice post-war Riley RMF, one that you can drive and enjoy now on your favorite back road or jaunt around town. Though it could be restored, I liked the patina and suspect the new owner will enjoy it as-is. The Riley RM series was a popular car sold in the UK during 1945-1955 in a sequence of evolving models that culminated with the RMF, and was replaced by the Pathfinder in 1953. The RM Rileys were a remarkedly successful design in almost every aspect combining the best of pre-war quality and elegance with advanced (for the day) and well executed modern features. Riley is one of the oldest and most respected British cars, definitely not Everyman's car but more in the category of a connoisseur's piece - a specialist conveyance. If you compare the build quality to the Triumph or MG of the day, you will notice the difference. The 2.5L engine was an upgrade to the earlier 1.5L Saloons of a similar body style. The 2.5L engine dates to 1926 and features hemispherical combustion chambers, twin cams set high in the block, large over-head, inclined valves, and large polished ports. The engines have a reputation for long life and put out 100 horsepower at 4500 rpm. Twin SU carbs. Rear suspension is half elliptic springs and airplane type shock absorbers while the front suspension is "an engineer's dream"- tubular struts and A frames while torsion bars carry the stress away from the independent front suspension. The body is steel over a steel chassis with a little bit of timber around the wind screen pillars and rear window, door frames, and sills - all appear to be in good shape. The doors all close with a solid thunk/click. The RMF has sleek, flowing lines (good breeding), real front fenders in the classical style, with lot of chrome on the front, rear, and sides. There are only a few small rust spots hear and there (e.g. next to boot handle) that could be ground out and repainted at some point, but there are not noticeable unless you get up close. I am 6'3" and the seats have enough travel for me to barely rear the pedals, and there is headroom to spare. The headlights and the little marker lights on the front fenders are nifty as are the fog lamps (not wired up presently). The distinctive fabric-covered roof appears to be in good shape and not a source of water intrusion. The paint is in fair to good shape - a few minor blemishes, it looks very presentable and given the car is 61 years old, it has likely been resprayed along the way. The interior is original and the leather is in serviceable shape, a thorough cleaning and conditioning is all that is needed. The wool headliner and carpets are also in good shape. The wood appears to have been redone at some point, and looks okay, but there are some cracks and it would be nice to have it redone at some point, perhaps by the owner rather than Madera Concepts who does my other cars (highly recommended). The car has a heater that has two fan speeds and works well. No A/C of course. I like the little details like the rotatining ash trays in the front and back, and the dainty rear view mirros and font style on the guages. The oil pressure, water temp, fuel gauge, and amneter all work as does speedo and odo. The large clock does not work but can likely be fixed. It's very cozy inside this car - front or rear, just the trick for a quick run to the restaraunt or nearby pub. The steering is rack and pinion (non-assisted) and is somewhat heavy when parking, but livens up underway, and is very precise at speed. The banjo-style wheel is original with its marbelized finish. The brakes, clutch and accelerator work as they should. Transmission shifts well, though one must be delicate when shifting into first gear. Third gear is a money-maker and four gear is where you will spend most of your time. The brakes are hydraulic front and rear, drum-type with leading - shoes. I recently took the car to the Plano Cars and Coffee event and it enjoyed stretching out its legs on the Sam Houston tollway. The car tracks straight and true and corners well (for it's age). Recall this car weights 3300 pounds - there's a lot of British steel in this saloon ! A fair amount of luggage can be carried in the boot, which is very original in it's condition. The spare is beneath the boot floor and is accessible via a fold-down panel where the rear license plate is located, making it possible to remove the spair without removing the luggage. My favorite advertising slogans: "Riley - for magnificent motoring" ... "Riley - as old as the industry - as modern as the hour"......"Everybody notices a Riley" Performance (as advertised): Standing 1/2 mile: 19.6 sec, Flying 1/4 mile: Upwind (86.5 mph), Downwind (105.2 mph) Average: 94.9 mph (you can't make this stuff up), I don't think I would take this car above 60-65 mph, but reportedly it is good for it over rough, pitted, and corduroy roads without loss of control. I will include the literature and book I have on the car of course - reading them is like time travel and makes you want to go out and jump in the car - which you should ! Why am I selling the car ? I bought this car in the UK from pictures posted by the dealer, and it arrived a fort night later matching the description and photos. I had it shipped over with another car in a 40 foot container (an AC Two Liter saloon if you were wondering). The Riley has been VIN certified, inspected, titled, and registered with a clean TX title, so I have done the hard work already and title can be transferred as with any other used car, no emissions testing in TX at this age. I have too many cars (25) and need to thin the herd. All my cars are garaged in a warehouse and kept on battery chargers (postive ground in this case). I will be selling other cars soon as I bought several over the last two years and I hate to see them sit, they should all be driven and enjoyed. I want someone who enjoys British cars to buy this car, someone who likes the styling as I do, and likes driving cars that no one else has. I am not hard up for cash or a dealer, I am a collector of interesting, mostley British cars. What do I want for the car ? I am selling this with a very reasonable reserve that would be a loss on sale for me, but I want to see what the market says the car is worth. It cost 925 pounds (plus 386.10.10 purchase tax) or around $3000 when new (big bucks !) I don't know what that converts to in 2013 dollars, but let's find out together. I have put new tires on the car and gas - that's all it needed to get out on the road. Thanks for reading my ad - I am sure the new owner will enjoy having something a little different like this pretty RMF in their stable. Will help coordinate shipping. No warranties of course - car is sold as-is, where-is. My feedback speaks for itself. On Mar-04-13 at 20:48:17 PST, seller added the following information: Hello, I have received several private questions from the 200+ people watching this auction. Here are a few answers: Car has green inset panels on the side - you can see the color in one of the engine bay shots. It looks much better than all-black cars which look like, well, black sedans, not sporting saloons. Car is very clean on the underside - surprisingly so. It appears to have all the original running gear and exhaust which is in good shape. Can send photos to highly motivated bidders as eBay will not let me add more than 24 photos. Car has brand new tires, less than 100 miles on them. They are tubeless tires, but the dealer who put them on for me installed tubes. Parts for car can be obtained on where else, eBay. This would include plugs, rotor cap, points, oil filters, etc. I suspect your local British parts house can get other parts like startes, relays, etc. Not sure if trim is available still. There is a Riley car club in the UK - google it. There are also some nice youtube videos of Riley RMA, RMB, RMFs, etc. Check them out. Engine bay is clean, but not so clean you could eat off it - who does that anyway ? Car has an emergency handbrake under the dash that works fine. Car has working headlamps, tail lamps, side markers, and interior light (1 of 2, the other must need a new bulb). Yes, there are some Lucas electrics on the car. Car looks great at night. I would not drive the car across the US, but I would take it on a rally no worries.