Peter’s latest acquisition of a 1940s Riley marks the fulfilment of a 35-year ambition.
I’m feeling pretty chuffed with myself at present, as I’ve just managed to tick off another item from my wish-list of automotive lifetime ambitions and one that’s taken around 35 years to realise.
And here is the reason for that unbridled joy – meet my 1949 Riley RMB, which I spent a weekend driving home from Devon at the end of April. A fabulous car, and the route home via the A39 Lynton/Lynmouth, Porlock, Minehead, Watchet and Bridgwater road is one of my favourite old-car driving routes in Britain. It really does have everything – fabulous views across to South Wales, challenging hills up and down, and to cap all that, two preserved steam railways. Just outside Lynton, there’s the relatively new preserved section of the former Lynton & Barnstaple narrow-gauge railway, while from Minehead to Watchet the route follows closely the West Somerset Railway – now generally considered one of Britain’s top-five.
But back to the Riley. As I say, I’ve sort-of wanted one since the late 1980s, but for various reasons the time has never quite been right. I’ve also watched with some dismay how values of all RMs – the 2½ litre RMBs and RMFs especially – have risen in that time. And it was a 2½ that I wanted. But as well as getting dearer, the 2½ litre cars have become something of a rarity on the market. They exist, but either with people who aren’t selling them, or they change hands privately without being advertised.
And that is how JTG 342 came my way – and the actual purchase was pretty swift. From hearing about its availability to viewing and agreeing to purchase took just four days. The car was formerly owned by the late Nick Baldwin. Some of you may have of heard of Nick as he was for more than sixty years one of Britain’s foremost motoring writers and transport historians, and a particular specialist in the history of commercial vehicles. In the latter context, he was a regular contributor to Classic & Vintage Commercials. As, again, I think some of you know already, editing CVC is my main job these days. Nick was also for many years on the advisory committee for the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, and the author/ editor of more than 50 books on old vehicles including, from the 1970s, the Observer’s Book of Commercial Vehicles series.
Anyway, following Nick’s passing, one of his close friends got in touch to say that Julie Baldwin wanted to sell four of Nick’s vehicles, and asked me to mention this in print. And one, which he had driven regularly, was his Riley RMB. So, I made a discreet contact via said friend, who informed me that the car was up and running, and while no show queen, it was a sound and presentable car – “the sort of vehicle that will get you anywhere.” But even more significantly, apparently Mrs Baldwin was, unde
