Lot details
Registration No: 13 SMM
Chassis No: VAAM131763
Mot Expiry: July 2013

The Riley Pathfinder that replaced the company's venerable RMF model in 1953 is generally regarded as the last proper example of the marque. In common with the visually similar Wolseley 6/90, it had been designed for the Nuffield Organisation before the merger with BMC, and was powered by Riley's own twin-cam four-cylinder engine. Some 5,536 examples were manufactured before the model was superseded by the 2.6 in 1956. Clearly from the same mould, the newcomer's beating heart was, however, no longer a Riley engine, but the BMC C-Series straight-six unit of 2639cc (hence the car's name), the output of which was 101bhp. The external differences between old and new bodies were few, the most obvious being that while the Pathfinder's radiator grille had lifted with the bonnet, that of the 2.6 was fixed. As befitted the trend, there was now a choice of both monotone and duotone paint schemes - the latter being facilitated by a chrome strip along the waistline. The model was short-lived, and replaced by the 4/68 in 1959 after just 2,000 had left the factory. Good examples are not surprisingly now hard to find.

The 2.6 being offered hails from 1956 and has remained within the same family its whole life, passing from father to son. Last used back in 1972, it has this year been recommissioned as required - an operation that caused the overhaul of both the brake and exhaust systems. Finished in the imposing combination of Black over Yellow and trimmed in a mix of Beige and Green, `13 SMM' is now described by the vendor as having "good" bodywork and paintwork, "worn headlining and carpets", and "superb" engine. Of the gearbox he notes that "first and reverse gears are slightly noisy". The mileage stands at an unwarranted 34,000 and the current MOT lasts until July 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: This vehicle dates from 1958 and not 1956 as previously stated.