Riley RMF Saloon

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Low-slung, rakish and elegant, the RM series was the last range of cars to be developed independently by Riley before the 1952 merger of Riley's Nuffield Organisation with Austin to form BMC. Originally made in Coventry, by 1949 production had moved to the MG works at Abingdon.

While the RMA and RME made do with a 1.5-litre engine, the RMB and its successor, the RMF, had the 2.5-litre 'Big-Four' with twin camshafts mounted high at the sides of the cylinder block, hemispherical combustion chambers and twin SU carbs. In RMF form the engine produced 100bhp giving the car a top speed just a whisker shy of the magic ton, driving through a four-speed gearbox linked to a new hypoid bevel rear axle by an open propshaft.

All the RM models were built on separate chassis assemblies with unstressed, ash-framed steel panelwork and a fabric-covered roof, although the RMF had a bigger rear window which improved visibility. The RMF also had fully hydraulic drum brakes rather than the hydromechanical system of the earlier cars and featured independent torsion bar front suspension and rack-and-pinion steering which gave excellent ride and handling for the era. In production for less than two years, just 1,050 RMFs were made before it was replaced by the Pathfinder in 1954.

First registered in Cambridgeshire in June 1953, this beautiful RMF was fully restored in the mid-1990s and remains in lovely condition today. The vendor acquired the car two years ago from an owner in Carlisle, Cumbria, and drove it almost 200 miles back home with no dramas whatsoever. As it was going to join a small fleet of wedding cars, he then went right through the car to make sure that everything was in tip-top order – few things being quite so humiliating as leaving a bride stranded at the roadside on the biggest day of her life!

To this end the braking system was fully overhauled; new shock absorbers fitted all round; a new fuel pump fitted; the prop-shaft reconditioned with a new centre bearing; electronic ignition installed for reliable starting and smooth running (although the original points etc. are included); the chassis and running gear greased; flashing indicators fitted to complement the semaphores and the bumpers rechromed.

The engine had already been rebuilt and converted to unleaded in 2005 by Coltec Racing Engines of Woodbridge at a cost of over £2,000 and has only covered some 18,000 miles since. A stainless steel exhaust had also been previously fitted along with a Kenlowe fan although the vendor has never needed to use this, even on the hottest days, but it may one day prove handy in a summer traffic jam.

Looking wonderful in Autumn Red over Black with a supple and nicely mellowed red leather interior, the car is said to drive superbly, being easily capable of keeping up with modern traffic. It certainly performed impeccably when we were treated to a lengthy test drive on the occasion of our visit with a notably good and rattle-free ride, effective brakes and excellent oil pressure and temperature.

A ‘matching numbers’ machine with the later shell bearing engine, it comes with a fair amount of history, two old green log books from 1965 and 1974 plus an original Riley Instruction Book. Due to have a fresh MOT in time for the sale, this is as good an RM as we have ever seen, with exemplary road manners, and is only being sold because the vendor is retiring from the wedding business. We doubt you would find a much better example anywhere.