1929 Riley Nine

• One of only 110 Brooklands Speed Models produced
• Ex-works car used in practice at the 1929 Irish Grand Prix
• Later owned and raced by Riley specialist John Treen
• Superbly maintained and significant recent expenditure with marque specialist Blue Diamond

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

Designed to be a dual-purpose model that was just as usable on the road as it was on the race track, the Riley Nine Brooklands was one of the most successful sports cars of its era – and this particular example boasts a long and illustrious history.

Chassis number 8049 was built in 1929 and registered VC 485, and was used as a spare car for the factory team at that year’s Irish International Grand Prix. It was fitted with a larger fuel tank for the race, which took place at Phoenix Park in Dublin, and a photograph shows the famous Irish-born racer Kaye Don behind the wheel of VC 485 during a practice session for the Saorstát Cup race. 

The Riley was then sold in November 1929 to Sir Ronald Gunter of Wetherby Grange, Leeds. Gunter was an experienced racer who had finished second in that year’s JCC Double Twelve at Brooklands in a Bentley, and later drove a Lagonda in the 1935 Le Mans 24 Hours. 

In the late 1930s, VC 485 was acquired by John Treen, who had worked with Riley tuning ace Freddie Dixon. After the war, Treen set about modifying it for competition use and fitted a highly tuned engine that he described as featuring ‘Freddie Dixon’s best-ever camshafts’. After two years’ work, he also managed to reduce the car’s weight to just over 10cwt, which Dixon said was far less than he’d ever managed.

Treen and his wife raced VC 485 during 1949 and into the 1950s at venues such as Silverstone, Goodwood and Prescott, and in the Brighton Speed Trials. Along the way, he added a distinctive radiator cowl, and once competed at Blandford after spending the entire previous night rebuilding the engine.

The car inspired its owner to create a short run of ‘Treen specials’ before it was sold to Keith Gray, who was one of his employees. Treen later explained that, when he sold it, the Riley had been ‘stripped of racing essentials’. Gray refitted all of its road equipment, plus an ‘ex-Victor Gillow’ engine – Swiss-born Gillow having raced Rileys during the early 1930s. 

In 1971, VC 485 was bought by Cyril Bradford and would remain in the family until 2020. They raced it extensively throughout the 1980s, ’90s and into the 2000s – mostly in the UK with the Vintage Sports-Car Club, but also at events such as the Oldtimer Festival at the Nürburgring. In 2004, it even returned to Phoenix Park to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first Irish Grand Prix. 

After being sold in 2020, the Riley continued to be raced in the hands of its new owner. Meticulously cared for over the years by a succession of specialists, it has been treated to considerable recent work at Blue Diamond, including on the fuel system and the hydraulic brake set-up that Treen fitted.

The car is being offered for sale with a comprehensive history file that features invoices, a collection of period event programmes, photo albums of the car being raced, and correspondence between John Treen and Richard Bradford. The ex-Victor Gillow engine that was fitted in the 1950s has now been replaced, but has been kept with the car and is included in the sale.

This well-known and extremely successful Riley Brooklands not only makes an exhilarating road car, it is also ready to continue its long competition career, and is eligible for a wide range of events in the UK and beyond.

MODEL HISTORY  

The Riley Nine was a landmark model for the Coventry-based marque and was one of the most popular small cars of its time. Its 1087cc, twin-camshaft, four-cylinder engine was of particular interest to racing driver and former Land Speed Record holder JG Parry-Thomas. 

At the time, the 1100cc class of motorsport was keenly contested, and Parry-Thomas – along with Reid Railton – development a racing chassis in which to place the Riley engine. After Thomson & Taylor had carried out further development on the chassis, Riley built a short run of Speed Models – better known as the Brooklands.

The wheelbase was more than 10 inches shorter than on the standard Riley Nine, while the engine benefitted from high-compression pistons, different camshafts, a four-branch exhaust manifold and twin carburettors. 

With its low centre of gravity, fine handling and superb engine, the Riley Brooklands proved to be a popular choice for motor racing and was extremely competitive against its Class G 1100cc rivals from the continent. Among its numerous competition successes were a one-two result in the 1932 Ulster Tourist Trophy and winning the Index of Performance in the 1934 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Only 110 Brooklands Speed Models were built between 1928 and 1932, making it a rare and extremely desirable pre-war sports car from a venerable company that had as its motto: ‘As old as the industry, as modern as the hour.’