Registration No: BXO 32
Chassis No: 6027484
MOT: Exempt

• Subject to a full restoration in the 1980s and kept in fine running order since
• Owned by the vendor since 2013, with over £20,000 of expenditure in that period with receipts to show
• Matching original chassis and engine numbers
• Extensively uprated for competition work, with some 57hp on tap, as shown by the dynograph print out on file

Spiritual successor to the ‘Brooklands’ competition model which had achieved such success around its namesake not to mention on the Tourist Trophy, Irish Grand Prix and Le Mans 24-hours etc, the Riley 9hp ‘Imp’ debuted in prototype guise at the October 1933 Olympia Motor Show. Fast enough to accrue silverware but tractable enough for road use, the newcomer was also among the prettiest automotive designs of the 1930s. Notably compact, its 7ft 6in wheelbase chassis featured all-round leaf-sprung suspension, four-wheel drum brakes and an underslung rear axle. Fed by twin carburettors and utilising an (optional) Scintilla magneto, the two-seater’s free-revving 1.1 litre engine developed some 42bhp and was allied to four-speed transmission. Tipping the scales at just 17cwt, the Imp was reputedly capable of 80mph (a speed few class rivals could match). Total production figures are unknown but have been estimated at 120–150 cars of which some 80 are known to have survived.

According to its accompanying buff logbook, chassis 6027484 was first issued with the London number plate 'BXO 32' on 20th May 1935. Surviving World War Two, the Riley belonged to K.F. Rouse Esq of Birmingham for almost thirty years (1948-1977) before being bought by noted collector Graham Galliers. Finished in White with Cream upholstery at the time, the Imp then passed to Tony Smith of Cheshire who had specialist Bill Morris overhaul and uprate the ENV four-speed pre-selector gearbox (needle roller bearings supplanting the original bronze bushes) as well as attending to the oil pump and brakes etc. Taking possession in 2006, the two-seater’s previous keeper entrusted it to marque specialist Blue Diamond Services for a full service and thorough going over. The same company were tasked with repainting the Riley in its original Maroon hue and overhauling its factory-fitted engine. The latter having its white metal bearings renewed, Omega pistons fitted, power-sapping, lag tappets removed and crankshaft balanced etc. The SU carburettors were refurbished and the copper piping renewed / replaced as necessary. A dyno report on file shows an increased power output of 57bhp (some thirty-five percent up on standard).

Entering the current ownership via Bonhams’ 2013 Goodwood Revival auction for £74,300, the Riley is said to have since benefited from a further £20,000-plus worth of expenditure. A former yacht skipper and horologist with a consequently fine eye for detail, the vendor has had the rear axle ratio raised from 5.25 to 4.55 which he feels has ‘transformed the car’ by making first gear a usable ratio and increasing the cruising speed. A Riley Register member, the seller considers the Imp to be in ‘very good’ mechanical condition such that he is ‘not afraid to use it for any occasion’. Deemed to be ‘very good’ cosmetically aside from the odd blemish, ‘BXO 32’ is potentially eligible for a variety of Vintage Sports Car Club events. Pretty and rare in equal measure, this delectable Imp is offered for sale with V5C Registration Document, numerous bills / invoices and history file.

For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430