1948 Riley RMC - $54,900 - Orange Village, OH - One of only 507 built and only 45 with left-hand drive. 10 miles on frame-off restoration. A wonderful, strong-running alternative to the usual British 2-seaters.
The cream panels on this 1948 RMC roadster line up superbly, probably better than new, and the surfaces are smooth and flat, evidence of a lot of time spent block sanding the sheetmetal. Built in the traditional fashion with a steel skin over a wooden skeleton, it has a fantastic vintage feel that works well with the pre-war styling of separate fenders and a long, narrow hood. In truth, the RMC roadsters shared no panels with their 4-door sedan siblings, and the roadster was actually several inches wider. There’s no evidence that this car was ever rusty or wrecked, and the many small details that are completely unique to these cars strongly suggest that this particular roadster has always been treated as an object of value. The paint has a lovely soft shine that’s totally appropriate to the car, and all the chrome was obviously restored with the rest of the car.
The interior is trimmed in the finest British fashion and looks like it belongs in a much more expensive car. Red leather covers the bench seat and door panels, stitched in narrow pleats that correctly replicate the original look. Lovely cream-faced instruments are housed in a hand-made burled walnut instrument panel and include all the relevant information, plus a dainty little clock at the base of the speedometer. Matching red carpets with lovely red leather bindings are in good condition, but might enjoy a deep cleaning to really make them look bright. Pedals with Riley’s stylized “R” emblem are probably original and are well-placed for heel-and-toe downshifts. Overhead there’s a neat-fitting tan canvas top that disappears completely when it’s folded, and it includes a full seat of weather equipment for touring. And speaking of touring, this car is an ideal candidate thanks to its spacious trunk, which is lined in matching red carpets.
Power comes from the larger of two 4-cylinder engines offered by Riley, and with 2.5 liters of displacement and 100 horsepower, it’s 40-50% more powerful than most of its lightweight 2-seater competition. Beautiful polished aluminum cam covers make it look far more exotic than it is, and the sporting exhaust note means that you’ll relish every opportunity to run it through the gears. The 4-speed manual transmission slips through the gears easily thanks to synchros on 2, 3 and 4, and twin side-draft SU carbs have the most wonderful intake moan this side of a Jaguar. It starts easily, runs cool, and delivers the kind of entertaining driving experience that makes all British 2-seaters such wonderful hobby cars.
Bigger and more elegant than the usual British roadster, but more unusual than a Jaguar, this Riley offers a great opportunity for the fan of things a little outside the mainstream.
For more information and photos, please visit www.VintageMotorCarsUSA.com.