Lot Ended
Description
Sympathetically restored over
an extended period; choice upgrades including Newman cams and twin SU carbs;
floor-change gears; extensively used by the current owner, including various
long-distance tours; nice original number plate; lots to love about this
one!
Introduced in late 1926, the Monaco was the saloon variant of
the brilliant Riley Nine and is rightly regarded as one of Britain's most
successful and aesthetically influential light cars of the inter-war period.
The heart of the Monaco was its 1,087cc
four-cylinder engine. In an era of sluggish side-valve motors, Percy Riley
designed a high-revving unit featuring hemispherical combustion chambers and
twin camshafts mounted high in the block. This setup provided
near-overhead-camshaft performance with the simplicity of short pushrods,
allowing the car to cruise comfortably at 50mph – a remarkable feat for a
9hp-rated car at the time.
Initially fitted with
Weymann-style fabric bodywork over an ash frame, this made the car exceptionally
light, quiet and flexible on the rutted roads of the 1920s. The ‘close-coupled’
four-door styling with an integral rear luggage boot gave it a sporty
‘Continental’ silhouette that was widely admired at the time and still looks
great today.
The Monaco remained in production
until 1935, gradually evolving along the way with improvements to the chassis
and more substantial bodywork on the later cars.
First registered in East Sussex in 1932, this Monaco has the sloping
radiator and aluminium body panels and steel wings that were introduced for the
1933 model year. It also has the floor-change four-speed gearbox with silent
3rd rather than the Wilson pre-selector gearbox which was often
fitted to Rileys of this period.
The early
history of the car has been lost in the mists of time but in the 1970s, by which
time it had fallen off the DVLA radar, it was at least partially restored by a
previous owner, including a complete new wiring loom and repairs to the ash
frame. He succeeded in getting a V5 for the car in February 1979 and was to own
it for the next 10 years, although whether he actually used it on the road isn’t
clear.
In 1989 it was acquired by a Mr D Waite of
Somerset by which time the engine was partially dismantled and some parts were
missing. He spent the next 10 years slowly restoring the car, as detailed by
many invoices, various work sheets and correspondence on file, spending some
£7,000 in the process.
This included a full
engine rebuild with new pistons, bearings, reground crank etc. The cylinder head
was also rebuilt. The brakes, steering and suspension were overhauled as
required. The speedo was rebuilt and set to zero and it also had a new petrol
tank; exhaust system; radiator core; dynamo; front and rear windscreens; door
and window rubbers; rechromed headlamps; wheels rebuilt and fitted with a new
set of tyres plus much else besides. The interior was also sympathetically
refurbished by H Wroe of Yeovil, retaining as much originality as
possible.
The restoration was halted in 1998 and
in 2010 Mr Waite sold the nearly completed Monaco to a Mr M Jones of Woodbridge
in Sussex. He really went to town on the car, including hotting up the engine
with twin SU carbs, Newman Sprite cams and cam followers, refaced cylinder head
plus various other upgrades. He also had work done to the gearbox; fitted an
electric fuel pump; new rear hub seals; new exhaust sections; many new ignition
parts; rebuilt magneto; new wiper motor; battery isolator under the rear seat;
new set of carpets plus much else besides.
He
was to keep the car for the next nine years and it then briefly had one more
owner before our vendor acquired it in October 2021 as a sister car to the Riley
RMB that was his daily driver and is also in this sale (Lot 73). A seasoned
vintage and classic car owner, he describes the Monaco as
follows:
“Owned by me for five years and much
loved. We’ve been from London to Scotland and London to Cornwall more than once.
The engine was dismantled about 18 months ago to investigate excessive
crankshaft end-float. This was rectified (a loose grubscrew on the front main
bearing carrier). While the motor was apart I took the opportunity to examine
all bearings and bores and all were in amazingly good condition. I also
crack-tested the crankshaft and found no defects. The car is fitted with Newman
cams and twin SUs so performs well. Cruising at 54 or 56mph is very smooth,
though for some reason 55 is a little buzzy!
The
paintwork and interior are beautifully patinated but with no significant
blemishes. The front passenger seat still has a pneumatic cushion. The car has
the feel of a genuine ‘30s saloon in the way that recent restorations can’t
quite capture. I wish the new owner much joy in the car’s further
adventures.”
As you can see in the photos and the
video, this charming old Riley is exactly as the owner has described it,
with bags of character and a nicely mellowed patina. It has been starting easily
and running sweetly as we have driven it around on site, with healthy oil
pressure. The icing on the cake is the original Sussex-issue number plate, NJ
935, which is transferable according to the V5C and doubtless has a value of its
own.
Only
reluctantly for sale due to an impending house move and consequent loss of
storage, this judiciously pepped-up Monaco looks like
an absolute steal at the modest guide price suggested.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com