Sold for £5,175
(including buyers premium)
Registration No: LMW 262F
Chassis No: R/A2531083953A
MOT: Exempt
Nobody living in the UK in 1959, will ever forget the birth of the Mini - the phenomenon that changed small cars forever. Following on just two years later, the Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet were luxurious versions of that car. They sported longer, slightly finned rear wings and larger boots that gave the cars a more traditional three-box appearance, plus 2.5 cu ft of extra stowage space. The front-end treatment incorporated each marque's traditional upright grille design, giving the cars a less utilitarian appearance than their deliberately basic sibling. They sported larger-diameter chrome hubcaps than the Austin and Morris Minis, plus additional chrome accents, bumper overriders, part-leather seats and wood-veneer dashboards - the full-width version on the Riley being one of the main differentiators between it and the Wolseley. The Riley was the more expensive of the two - the dearest factory-built Mini of all. The Elf name was intended to recall the Sprite and Imp monikers used by Riley in the 1930s. There were three versions of the Elf during the model's nine-year reign. The MkI was powered by the 848cc version of BMC's ubiquitous A-Series engine, while a single carburettor version of the Mini Cooper's 998cc power unit was employed in the MkII variant of 1963. In tune with upgrades on the standard Mini, Hydrolastic suspension was fitted from September 1964. However, it was the MkIII Elf of 1966 that embodied the longest list of upgrades the model was to enjoy, including wind-up windows, fresh-air fascia vents and the remote control gear linkage from the Mini Cooper; also, concealed door hinges two years before they were seen on the mainstream Mini. Some 30,912 Riley Elfs were produced all told.
First registered on the 1st of April 1968 to W T Hall, a Ford garage, this particular Elf is a rare automatic example and was presented in the ever-popular Cumberland Green with Snowberry white roof and matching Green leather interior, ‘LMW 262F’ was used for a number of years until 1987, when it was laid up in a barn on a farm and remained there until it was discovered and acquired by its previous owner in 2002. The car was registered in their name in 2004 and subsequently restored over a period of 6-7 years, being resprayed in 2010.
Now in current family ownership for some 8 years, this Elf was purchased by its current owner’s late husband in July 2014 and has been used sparingly since. Now showing an unwarranted but credible 32,284 miles at time of consignment, the car comes accompanied with an impressive history file for a genuine ‘barn find’, including an original driver’s handbook and supplement handbook, an original instruction manual envelope, a vehicle registration document from its first owner WT Wall of Warminster, an original WT Wall Ford tax disc holder, an original key and barrel, a small collection of previous MOTs and invoices, some photographs from prior to restoration and after and the current V5C document which displays 4 former keepers. As well as this, a small number of spare parts are included. Please note that although the release catch was actuating, we were unable to open the bonnet on viewing, so this may require some attention.
For more information, please contact:
Andreas Hicks
andreas.hicks@handh.co.uk
07943584762
Auction: Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, 30th Nov, 2022
An auction of classic & collector motorcars
VIEWING TIMES
Tuesday 29th November 2022 from 12pm to 6pm
Wednesday 30th November 2022 from 9am
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