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Riley MPH and what one particular specimen has to do with GM, BMW and Ford

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Created on January 23, 2016

Reading time 7min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bonhams

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv

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Bonhams

14

Bruno von Rotz

4

Archiv

7

Riley MPH (1935) - lange Haube, kurzes Heck

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Riley MPH (1935) - einer der schönsten Vorkriegs-Sportwagen

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Riley MPH (1935) - Freude am Fahren kann auch aus England kommen

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Riley MPH (1935) - rund 140 km/h schnell

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Riley MPH (1935) - lange im Besitz von Bob Lutz

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Riley MPH (1935) - bereit für die nächste Fahrt

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Riley MPH (1935) - es wurden keine 20 Stück gebaut

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Riley MPH (1935) - Wendemanöver

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Riley MPH (1935) - Jaeger-Instrumente, Brooklands

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Riley MPH (1935) - geschaltet wird mit einem Vorwählgetriebe

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Riley MPH (1935) - der typische Riley-Kühler

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Riley MPH (1935) - Reihen-Sechszylinder mit SU-Vergasern

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Riley MPH (1935) - das Triebwerk galt damals als sehr modern

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Riley MPH (1935) - Chassis-Plakette

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Riley MPH (1935) - Preis von Bremgarten im Jahr 1936

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Riley MPH (1935)

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Riley MPH (1935) - grosses Lenkrad und funktionales Amaturenbrett

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Riley MPH (1935) - Blick auf den Motor

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Riley MPH (1934) - mit Rundheck und 1500 ccm verteilt auf sechs Zylinder, aufgenommen in den Achtzigerjahren

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Riley MPH Sports (1934) - Thomas Manson am AVD OGP auf dem Nürburgring im Jahr 1976

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Riley MPH Sports (1935) - versteigert durch Brooks im Jahr 1995

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Riley MPH (1934) - am Grossglockner Grand Prix 2012

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Riley MPH (1934) - am Grossglockner Grand Prix 2012

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Riley MPH (1934) - am Grossglockner Grand Prix 2012

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Riley MPH Sports (1934) - am Gaisbergrennen 2012 - Sportwagenklasse

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Summary

It is one of the most coveted and certainly the most beautiful pre-war sports cars of all time. The Riley MPH was not only responsible for a magnificent success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1934, but also for many other racing victories. And it impressed with its unparalleled elegance and good manners. Only one MPH was delivered to mainland Europe and this "Swiss" MPH was owned for five decades by Bob Lutz, who worked for General Motors, BMW, Ford and Chrysler, among others. This report describes the history of the MPH model and shows the last one built in many pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

Committed to sportiness
The success of Le Mans
The racing car for the road
Sporty elegance
A car to dream about
The man with gasoline in his blood
Like a go-kart
One of 16?
Further information

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The "Riley" brand still has a good reputation today, even though the last independent car left the factory in 1957. However, the sporty vehicles from Coventry reached their peak in the 1930s, when racing successes at Le Mans, the French Grand Prix, Brooklands and the Tourist Trophy were almost the order of the day. The Riley brothers, especially Percy, were committed to sportiness early on, but also to efficiency and reliability. The four-cylinder engine that Percy designed for the Riley 9 was extraordinarily progressive, as it already had hemispherical combustion chambers in the 1920s and was designed for high engine speeds. The Automobil Revue described the design in detail in 1936:

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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