1951 Riley RMA 1.5l Saloon

This is the second of a brace of Riley RMA 1.5-Litre saloons that vendor is selling and, just like the first, it will be sold in a No Reserve auction. That means it will definitely find a new home no matter the value of that final bid.

First registered in 1951, making it one of the last RMAs to be built, this glorious green example has been in the care of the same titled vendor since 1995 as part of a large collection of classic cars.

He purchased it at the same time as the red and black example, from the same person (who again had owned it from new) and its next owner will be only its third in 70 years! Who says lightning doesn’t strike twice?

With plenty of evidence of care over the years, it is presented in almost identical patinated condition to its sibling. Again it’s in need of some further re-commissioning, which should be a joy to complete. Fancy a lovely post-war project with a son, daughter or grandchild? Then this car could provide a lovely drive down memory lane.

As we mentioned in the posting for the other RMA, the vendor is a lovely chap and also has sufficient faith in this car to offer it with no reserve, trusting that the market will value it fairly.

Two careful owners have ensured that this car’s sports saloon body presents in fine condition; it wears the odd scar and scrape here and there so think of it as a bluff older uncle, still fighting fit but with evidence of having lived a life.

The paintwork is hand-painted (normal back in the day) and stands up pretty decently. It too features a black vinyl roof and the green paint sits over contrasting black wings and running boards. It’s perhaps the more reserved in terms of colouring of the two cars, so may be preferable for someone of a (very) marginally more sober disposition.

It has all the same exterior character goodies including a separate compartment for the spare wheel, the twin fuel filler caps, and centre-hinged bonnet. It also sports an identical pair of auxiliary Cibie driving lights mounted up front.

Once again, the tyre sidewalls are heavily cracked; the first thing we’d advise any new owner to do is invest in some new rubber boots, to ensure safety and confidence in their new steed.

The bright work ranges from good (front and rear bumpers) to a bit tarnished (rear overriders and door/wing mouldings), but you could be surprised just how well the latter respond to a vigorous polish with restorative product.

Cars are only original once and there’s no doubt that this highly patinated interior provides both visual and olfactory treat. Settle your derriere into its leather driver’s seat, and instantly transport yourself into a different time and place. It is all rather charming.

The Jaeger dials set centrally in the wooden dashboard are elegant, while the combination of Bakelite switches and chrome controls add to the ambience.

The large three-spoke wooden steering wheel remains in very good condition, while up top the headlining remains securely fixed to the timber-framed roof.

The leather seats have a wonderful patina, although may benefit from a feed in order to preserve them, as do the door cards (although the nearside rear door’s is a touch frayed and cracked at its very lower edge) and the carpets are in decent nick.

Unlike its mildly recalcitrant sibling, turn the key, pull the button and this car bursts into life straight away (see vendor’s comment on this in our ‘What We Think’ section, below). The RMA sits on a robust chassis and you’ll be surprised just how nicely it drives; you get independent front suspension and semi-elliptics at the rear, but best of all is the smooth ‘hemi’ twin camshaft 1.5-litre engine – it really is a jewel and just purrs along quite the thing. Agra Motor Engineers (of Banff, Aberdeenshire) rebuilt it in 1992 at a cost of £643.30.

Again bought from the vendor’s long-time solicitor, this car was added it to his extensive collection of classic cars to preserve it. “It’s now time to sell; cars need to be used regularly and it’s no longer seeing as much use.”

The engine bay presents in similar fashion to the rest of the car, but it’s undercarriage where you’ll find evidence of just how well preserved it is… for the regular anti-corrosion works mean that, save for a tiny bit of surface corrosion the scraped edge of a crossmember, it looks absolutely solid underneath.

You’ll find the car’s V5 document in the history file and it indicates that the Riley was first registered on February 2, 1951. It also confirms just two owners have sampled its wares in that time.

There is an invoice dated 06/09/2019 for servicing, an anti-corrosion kit and labour (£312.73) from James W Shearer Motor Engineer of Huntly, Aberdeenshire. In the immediate preceding years, it visited the same specialist for general servicing and fettling in order to keep it ticking over; in fact there’s a run of (almost) annual invoices going back to 2001! You can see the change from the handwritten to printed version, which took place in 2004. What’s indicative is the suspension was regularly greased and the RMA also received frequent rust proofing works, which combined with servicing, helps to explain how it’s survived in such good condition.

Prior to that our chap (a very loyal sort) used several specialists, but mainly H.A. Chalmers (Glenbarry Ltd) of Cornhill, Bannffshire. If you take time to flick through the invoices then you’ll be rewarded with a comprehensive record of completed works going back to 1991, when the current vendor took ownership.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very decent standard. NOTE: all the service history documents in the gallery are facsimiles. We do not have the originals. The seller will supply the originals to the winning bidder. 

“The only difference between the two RMAs is that the green one has always been a fantastic starter,” states the vendor. “It was bought on the exact same day, has the exact same provenance and has had the exact same usage.”

So, there you have it, two identical peas in an automotive pod. Just as with our other Riley RMA offering, it’s been lovingly preserved, and regularly driven and enjoyed. The result is a joyous survivor, which is now ready for fresh adventures.

Once again we think it’ll sell for somewhere between £6,000 and £10,000 (no premium here for its superior starting propensity!), which is a fair price for a car of this vintage and condition.

So if you’ve ever fancied a lovely old slice of Blighty’s finest post-war motoring, then this is your chance to get your hands on a wonderful piece of history for (possibly) not a lot of money. You could even buy two for (possibly) still not a lot of money.

Inspection is always encouraged (within government guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.