Classic Car Catalogue

Riley 1937

Nine  
1½-Litre  
Fifteen-Six  
8-90  
Sprite  
Blue Streak 16 h.p. - new model in September

Great Britain


October '36

September '37
 

Nine

wb: 8ft 10½in 4 cyl. 2 ohv
1087 cc
9.01 HP		  
Saloon Merlin - discontinued
Saloon Monaco - discontinued
Saloon Touring - new model - discontinued
Saloon Victor - new model

   

The Merlin Nine continues in production, at the price of £269, and is little changed for the new season. During the year it was joined by the Touring Saloon. It is basically a Merlin with a boot. It costs £290 and is offered with the preselcctor gearbox or a new 3 speed overdrive gearbox with synchromesh on second and top gears. It disappeared from the Nine range in September, replace with the new Victor Saloon. The Monaco has two carburettor engine and is sold for £298.

Nine Monaco
 

1½-Litre
12 h.p.

  wb: 4 cyl. 2 ohv
1496 cc
11.9 HP		  
Saloon 9ft 4½in Kestrel  
Saloon 9ft 4½in Adelphi  
Saloon 9ft 4½in Touring - discontinued
Saloon 9ft 1in Falcon - discontinued
Tourer 9ft 1in Lynx  
Saloon 8ft 10in Merlin - discontinued
Saloon 8ft 10in Victor - new model
Saloon 9ft 1in Touring - new model

   

All the 1937 models has water pumps and mechanical fuel pumps. The Third Type Newton-design centrifugal clutch is fitted on all chassis. Built-in jacks are deleted.
The Falcon has an all-steel body built by the Briggs body, with price reduced by £20. Experiment with the Sprite engine made available on Kestrel and Lynx last year proved very popular this variant is now available on all models.
All new is the very pretty Touring Saloon known unofficially as the Continental Touring Saloon. Like the other cars in the range, it is offered with Standard Series engine at £350, or with the Special Series engine at £377 and the Sprite engined version is £398. An interesting feature of the design is the boot lid, which is in two sections: one top hinged and the other bottom hinged, carrying the spare wheel.
The 1937 Motor Show at Olympia saw the new season's range consisting of Kestrel, Adelphi, Touring saloons and the Lynx. The most significant revision was actually announced in mid-1937 and is the option of a three speed dual overdrive gearbox instead of preselector. Also introduced is the 'Hi-charge' induction system to improve the volumetric efficiency of the engine by lengthening the inlet manifold pipes and putting them in the vertical plane. This system did not meet the expectations and by the time of the Motor Show was abandoned.

Touring Sprite Saloon

Adelphi for 1938.

Touring Saloon for 1938.
 

Fifteen-Six

  wb: 6 cyl. 2 ohv
1726 cc
14.3 HP		  
Saloon 9ft 4½in Adelphi - discontinued
Saloon 9ft 4½in Kestrel - discontinued
Tourer 9ft 4½in Lynx - discontinued
Saloon 9ft 8½in Adelphi  
Saloon 9ft 8½in Kestrel - discontinued

   

For 1937, apart from a few minor cosmetic changes, the range continues as the previous year, with the Falcon, Adelphi and Kestrel as the saloons and the Lynx as the six-cylinder tourer. Among the cosmetic changes made was one of title. Previously, the Sixes had been identified by the word `Six' and then the R.A.C. horsepower rating.
 

8-90
19 h.p.

    V8 cyl. 3 ohv
2178 cc
18.05 HP		  
Saloon wb: 9ft 4 ½ in Adelphi - discontinued
Saloon wb: 9ft 8 ½ in Adelphi - new model

   

The company also produces an Adelphi model with 18 HP V-8-cylinder engines. These engines are made up of two 9 HP blocks and has a cubic capacity of 2178 cc (60.3 x 95.2 mm). For 1938 it adopted the Big Four 16 hp chassis.

8-90 Adelphi Saloon for 1938.
 

Sprite

wb: 8ft 1½in 4 cyl. 2 ohv
1496 cc
11.9 HP		  
2-seater    

   


12/4 Sprite
Riley Sprite Open Two-seater has twin-carburettor 1½-litre (1496-cc. 69 x 100 mm) 12 HP OHV four-cylinder engine and pre-selector gearbox.
 

Blue Streak 16 h.p.

wb: 9ft 8½ in 4 cyl. 2 ohv
2443 cc
16.07 HP		 - new model in September
Adelphi Saloon    
Lynx Tourer    
Touring Saloon    
Close Coupled Saloon    
Kestrel Saloon    

   

Riley 15 HP `Blue Streak' (the 8-90 is the `Silver Streak') model is powered by a 1726-cc four-cylinder engine having a bore of 80.5 mm., a stroke of 120 mm., and an R.A.C. horsepower rating of 16.07. In saloon form it costs £380. The engine has a number of details in common with the 1½-Litre, including the Riley hemispherical combustion chambers, a gear-driven oil pump and two camshafts high in the cylinder block. Unlike on older Riley car it is mounted in the chassis on four rubber blocks, has different crankshaft design and many other details. The chassis is shared with the 8-cylinder 8-90 model. The borg Warner gearbox has three speed and dual overdrive on thitd and second, giving effectively five ratios.
Five coachwork models are offered. Two saloons - Adelphi at £405, the Kestrel at £415, the Close Coupled Saloon is offered at £415, the Touring Saloon is priced at £385and The Lynx Tourer.
 

TT Sprite   1.494 cc     - discontinued

   


TT 1½-Litre
Races:
  Event: Entered: Raced: Finished: Best results:
South African Grand Prix             2nd
                3rd
                7th
British Empire Trophy           Nine 2nd
19-20.06.1937 24h Le Mans 2 2 0       acc., fail.
04.09.1937R.A.C. Tourist Trophy           1½-Litre 7th (1500 cc 1st)
              1½-Litre 9th (1500 cc 2nd)
18.09.1937 B.R.D.C. 500 Brooklands             2nd
                3rd
                5th

TT Sprite at Le Mans (Forestier / Caron) entered by Ecurie Eudel.

TT Sprite (Trévoux / Lapchin) at Le Mans. 
Rallies:
  Event: Entered: Raced: Finished: Best results:
26-30.01.1937 Rallye Monte Carlo   2 2 58 Innes   23rd (3rd up to 1500cc)