Riley 4/72

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Introduced in 1959, the Farina-styled Riley 4/72 was the last of BMC's range of badge engineered saloons to reach the market. Aimed at the affluent middle classes, its lashings of wood, leather and thick-pile carpet certainly hit the spot.

A far cry from its RM series predecessor with its separate chassis, ash body frame and pre-war engine design, the new model had a twin-carburettor version of the excellent ‘B’ series engine and a tough monocoque bodyshell. Capacity and power were increased in 1961 when the 1622cc 68bhp model arrived in the showrooms, in total some 25,000 finding customers. Sadly many were to end their days on the banger racing circuit as they went well and were pretty well indestructible.

Back in period, the press were a little lukewarm about the handling, although the new owner of this superb creation need have no qualms about this particular model. The vendor wanted a fast and practical classic and decided the only way to get what he wanted was to develop his own.

With the expertise of renowned Hampshire-based Valley Gas Speed Shop, the front suspension was completely changed, subtly dropping the car an inch or two in the process. A completely new suspension cross member was installed with coil springs and modern shock absorbers, the disc brakes being uprated at the same time. Believing in doing things properly, they then set about the rear end, adding four-link location and a Panhard Rod ensuring that the whole set up worked really effectively together. According to the vendor, this has totally transformed the way the car drives.

The problem then of course was that it craved more power. Having a ‘B’ series under the bonnet made that simple enough, a 2.1-litre version being installed fitted with a ‘stroker’ kit. All other details were attended to, including an oil cooler, proper fan, aluminium radiator etc., the resulting 140bhp bringing the performance in line with its new-found handling capabilities.

In order to attract minimal attention from the boy racer brigade, the only clue that might raise an eyebrow when looking from afar are the Minilite-style alloys. Otherwise it looks pretty well standard. On the road however, the vendor informs us that it is “now more than capable of getting out of its own way” and that “at 70mph the engine is only doing 2,700rpm in overdrive”.

The car has a whole host of well thought out and cleverly installed improvements, including a complete set of dark green leather seats from a Rover 600 and remote locking. The end result is enormous fun to drive, provides a surprisingly modern driving experience and is available at a mere fraction of its development cost. Come on, you know it makes sense!