KEEPERS
Paul wanted a Sunbeam Tiger but bought a Riley instead. Not that he’s complaining – this saloon boasts an MGB engine and other mods
My children said that I should own a classic because I’ve always had an interest in cars. I always said I would buy one that wanted an engine or gearbox re-build but, after thinking about it, fully restoring a car would take too long so I decided to enjoy one now rather than later.
One of the toughest decisions was what to buy. I've owned a fair few in the past; my parents bought me my first car, a 1965 Morris 1100, and others I’ve owned include a Hillman Husky van of the Imp-based, Ford 105E Anglia estate and Thames 307E van,Ford Corsair 2000E, Opel Rekord coupé, Ford Fairmont estate, Morris Marina 1.3 coupé, Vauxhall Viva estate, Triumph 2000, Ford Capri 1600, Ford Escort 1600 Ghia MkII, Toyota Space Cruiser and BMW 3 series. Some of these must be worth a small fortune now.
‘I went to a few shows and museums to get some ideas. Then I remembered that my father knew a man who owned a Princess Vanden Plas 4 Litre R, which I had a ride in as a child; the luxury and power impressed, so that’s what I focused on. But the cars for sale at the time were either rotten or too expensive. I became amember of the Cambridge and Oxford Owners’ Club (co-oc.org) and looked at what was for sale. I liked the Riley 4/68, then I found out about the later 4/72, which was slightly better – and I do like engines with twin carburettors.
A 4/72 came up for sale through the club. It was nicely described with photos so my wife Heather and I went to Devon to view it. Alovely man had owned the Riley for 11 years yet decided to sell to start working on his next project. Heather later told me that when the chap opened the garage door and pulled off the cover to reveal it, my eyes said that this was the one. It was a beautiful car with loads of history and careful owners – one of whom used to drive it to Blackpool for holidays but park it a few streets away to keep the salty sea spray away, and another who stored it for 19 years. Imade my mind up to have this car and came away as its very happy fifth owner.
We transported ‘Mr Riley’ (as it quickly became known) 238 miles back to its new home with the help of my brother-in-law Dave Gilbey and his pick-up truck and trailer. That was in May 2021, since when general servicing, tinkering and titivating – such as renewing the Riley badges on the hubcaps – have been the order of the day. What makes this 4/72 even more special is that the last owner fitted an early three-bearing MGB engine (now very sought-after, particularly for classic motor sport because it revs better) along with its taller 3.9:1 rear axle ratio that makes it more suitable for modern roads. It didn’t run too well at first but, being a mechanic for most of my working life, with a love of
