1930s Riley 1 1/2 (Riley 12/4) Kestrel - a pre war British car!

[@alexgreen1559]

Supplying this Kestrel was a pleasure, and Steph is an absolute pro. I've been banging on for years about how underrated Rileys are, so it's great to get them out to a wider audience! ❤

[@Nicks66Service]

Your Riley really is magnificent. Was a pleasure to watch- thanks!

[@bigjohno242]

Beautiful car

[@mickc7388]

What a lovely car inside & out, good luck with her Alex.

[@PaddyWV]

In the 1980's Practical Classics seemed to have endless RM restorations going on! 🙂 It's lovely to see this.

[@Musician-Lee]

I had one back in 1964. I loved driving her, but she was too far gone for me to properly restore. Congratulations on owning this beauty.

[@billmitchell7904]

A car with soul, made with love! Thanks you for showing us this beautiful car, so far removed from the bland offerings from today’s manufacturers.

[@idriveaclassic]

My pleasure! I wish today’s manufacturers would inject more beauty.

[@JohnEvans-zo7kk]

Could not agree with you more.

[@promerops]

@@idriveaclassic They're too busy packing them with user-unfriendly electronics, which are prone to leave you stranded. Riley is a marque that really should still exist.

[@danhubert-hx4ss]

Riley with Steph at the wheel is the EPITOME of style and upmanship.

[@gbentley8176]

Well demonstrated. At last a beautiful proper Riley. The engineering on them is second to none. I currently use a 1/1/2 RM, RMB 2 1/2 and a 1933 Lynx. The lynx knocks spots off the MG TB/TC range in terms of road holding. Looks like some steering wander on camera; having driven that model in manual form, I can vouch for their excellent cornering and ease of use. The owner certainly has a good machine ripe for sensitive improvement. I also have run a pre-selector Daimler. Parked just shy of the garage wall once and could not get it started next day. The box needed a little forward creep to engage and the wall stopped it, so I had to struggle to roll it back a bit. You learn the little foibles of classic motoring the hard way at times! Thank you for posting.

[@idriveaclassic]

If you know of anyone who’d like to get their Riley on the channel, I would dearly love to show more!

[@steveosshenanigans]

Well done Steph ….what a lovely Motor and hats off to Alex for taking up the Classic Scene at such a young age

[@RamPMonyPers]

A Kestrel! What a pleasure to see one! I saw one with a white body back in the late '80s, and utterly fell in love with it. So, it was such great happiness to see one again now. Alas, not many people today know about Riley.

[@richardhunt809]

Looking down that bonnet at those lovely old chrome lights gives a real sense of occasion.

[@gwheregwhizz]

To any young person with a pre-war car ❤

[@promerops]

My hat is off to Alex.

[@miroslavsynek6046]

A pre-war car owned by a young lady...that's great! Classic car movement needs young people more than anything else. Thank you for another superb video, Steph. Keep it up!

[@graemew7001]

Apart from maybe put some subtle indicators on it for safety reasons, I would not change another detail on that car. I cannot believe just how perfect it is, I am so jealous that you got to drive this one.

[@idriveaclassic]

I am jealous Alex gets to keep it 😂

[@scroggins100]

A stunner. Riley's were a cut above. I found a box of papers in the loft in a box. One item was a diary of a trip in 1947 by a couple from UK to Lake Como in a Riley. Fascinating insight into a world long gone... sadly! Thanks for posting.

[@robredz]

Absolutely gorgeous motor, those pre war Riley's were up with the best, Its great to see young drivers getting into the scene. Knocks spots off a Fiesta or Clio that does, would love a 2 seat sport version of a Sprite.

[@mw8653]

A big thumbs up for the good taste of the lady who owns it, a very hansome motorcar.

[@taxpayer1040]

So great to hear of a young driver / enthusiast owning such a ‘motor car’. Thank you Steph for the great additional notes which are a great reference.

[@Apollo949]

It's a beautiful car with bags of character from the heyday of British motoring. Thanks for the review.

[@philiptidmarsh]

What a great car , I have always had a soft spot for Rileys. I have much admiration for Alex owning such a brilliant pre war automobile

[@idriveaclassic]

She’s doing so well

[@stephenricketts7764]

As far as I can remember no one in our family has ever owned a Riley, plenty of Austins and Fords though. These are truly beautiful cars and well designed for their time. The pre-selector box is a great thing to have on such a car once you get the hang of it. I think we can deduce that it is easy to drive Steph! No need to apologise for emphasising that. Thank you Steph for a great review and thank you to Alex for taking on such a lovely Motor. It seems to have found a very good home and will be respectfully restored I am sure. 👍👍

[@josephmifsud8261]

Amother brillant video and a beautiful car. Its great to see younger people and women taking classic cars on and keeping them on the road. Young people are the future for classics. Well done to all

[@davidhinkson8856]

This is a very pretty car and your opening sequence really looked like it would have fit right into the era it would have come from. Kudos to the owner for keeping it in such good shape.

[@simon.easton]

This has to be one of my favourite videos so far. The car is beautiful. I am extremely envious of Alex, and I wish her all the best with this fabulous motor!

[@JB-np4lp]

Would love a proper interview with Alex & her Grandfather regarding the Riley’s 👍

[@FelloniusWizard]

Most of what I drive today, is more noisy inside than this. And that gear selection!! I like this!

[@idriveaclassic]

I really like a pre selector. Bring it back 😂

[@HROM1908]

Great presentation, far better than a lot of know it all blokes. I have loved this car ever since I saw one for sale for £100 back in 1965 ! Thank you.

[@philipwardle6820]

Thanks for showing us this transport of delight Steph - takes us back to the golden age of motoring 🥰

[@31wdriley]

A perfect car to start in. A sporting proper car that can be driven long distances at a good pace, great handling and the saloons are comfortable to take friends out. Most Rileys have been 'tickled' as time went on as into the 1950's they were still a very competitive car compared with a majority of new cars coming out. A lot were converted into racing specials, a trend which continues today. The marque is still respected on the track and the road with new spare parts available including race accessories. Try the early 9 h.p. cars which are just as magical, pre 31 tourers and the Monaco.

[@iansutherlandcraig]

Fabulous. My neighbour bought an unsavable 1 1/2 and made a single seater special from it which has done extraordinarily well at hillclimbs. 220bhp from that 1500 engine. Great video as ever.

[@idriveaclassic]

Sounds great!

[@bobwalsh172]

Hats off to Alex for taking on the care of this important piece of automotive history. Thanks to Steph for the very informative vid too - I've learned a lot more than I already knew about these quirky but surprisingly capable cars.

[@malcolmherbert5127]

Steph, that pedal is not a clutch, it’s a gear change pedal. You need to depress and release it very smartly to effect the change, I believe that Riley has a centrifugal clutch which engages smoothly and quickly as you press the accelerator. If you were releasing the change pedal in the manner of a normal clutch you will get that hesitant start which seemed to be there when you set off. Pre selector gearboxes are pure magic once you really get the hang of them. I also believe that Riley were a brand which never deserved to be killed off. If there was ever a British auto maker who could have effectively challenged the incoming BMW’s, Mercedes,and later the Audis, then that car was a Riley. What a disgrace it was when BMC just badge engineered their wallowmobiles of Farinas into supposed sporting saloons, no wonder true Riley afficianados gave up on them.

[@autophyte]

So to move off from a standstill, you select first gear, then punch the change pedal, releasing it instantly, then increase the revs using the accelerator pedal, and the car will move off smoothly?

[@malcolmherbert5127]

@@autophyte Yes, that’s exactly right. Pressing the change pedal and releasing it actually applies a brake band on an epicyclic gear much as a true automatic box does. If you’re at all hesitant in the action, in particular not depressing the pedal fully, the brake band will catch on the gear but not actually lock on and the pedal will then be propelled back up with all the power of the engine behind it. The usual result is the smashing of your knee against the hard steel rim of a pre war steering wheel. Now, ask me how I know all this!!!

[@autophyte]

@@malcolmherbert5127 Ouch! Were you maimed for life? Today, that would be cause for legal action and a recall. But I now know how the box worked -epicyclic gears and bands. I was trying to imagine how a gear could be selected in advance with regular gears, countershafts, etc. Thanks for that.

[@malcolmherbert5127]

@@autophyte My first car, bought when I was 18, was a 1937 Armstrong Siddeley 14 hp. It had a Wilson pre selector and the aforementioned knee smashing occurred quite a few times. Should you be further interested the antiques expert David Harper has a KZbin channel and one of his videos is a review, drive, and valuation of one of these cars. I bought it in 1966 for £50 and when I got it home my dad, who was an engineer, went out to look at it. His first words were “the man who sold you that should be in jail”.

[@kellybrickey4300]

Thanks for giving us a glimpse of this stunning Riley. What a beautiful little thing, and I love the colour. Great fun test.

[@jimcabezola3051]

This car is SUCH a BEAUTY! Perfect proportions. I've heard of pre-selector transmissions in some of those hoity-toity French marques, but I had not an inkling that British cars used them, too. Certainly, I've never seen them in operation...until now! You've just made a real reference work in expounding on this car's gearbox. The quiet running of that engine was truly a surprise to me. It's so smooth and well-mannered. Mahalo for yet another fine documentary. There's an urgency, I feel, in recording these cars in operation before events make that unlawful (heaven forefend). This Riley experience is really a rare treat indeed. Aloha!

[@idriveaclassic]

I walked away really wanting one after arriving with zero opinions! Loved it

[@paulqueripel3493]

Pretty certain London RT buses used them, the one before the routemaster.

[@jimcabezola3051]

@@paulqueripel3493 I never got to see any pre-Routemaster buses in London, but I very fondly recall the ones I saw in the 1960s. Can't say I miss the diesel smoke. Haven't lived in London in 42 years, though. I hope those diesel fumes have been long gone in these fine days.

[@davidperrott5743]

French marques, be they hoity toity or not, were more likely to have the Cotal box. People describe it as a pre selector but it wasn't. It was a semi automatic so you had a clutch to start and then a little lever to change gear. You didn't have to press a pedal as well.

[@paulqueripel3493]

@@jimcabezola3051 the RT was the one in Summer Holiday, similar to the RM route master, but the grille was narrower. They would have still been in use in the 60s.

[@michaelbacon561]

I love those Jaeger instruments - bring them back and those made by Smiths. Forget horrible modern digital displays!

[@idriveaclassic]

I really don’t like digital displays.

[@GeraldLambourn]

My late uncle, Frank Huggins was a salesman for Riley in Oxford. So Steph, you took his rôle perfectly! The British Lancia.

[@jamesengland7461]

Great car, Alex! Thank you for kindly sharing it with Steph and vicariously with all of us. ❤

[@gryfandjane]

Goodness, what a gem! I’ve long admired Rileys from afar (USA) for their keen styling and sporting attitude, not to mention the neat little details like their valve train design, etc. Excellent episode, Steph!

[@simonelliott5956]

A beautiful car, Riley made some really classy cars.

[@michaelhalsall5684]

Still an attractive looking car! Thanks for showing it here!😊

[@tombache3426]

A very elegant car! Thank you for showing it to us.

[@asciimation]

'Sometimes seem convoluted' is an understatement. I'm building a vintage Riley, have all the books and am in the register and I can't get them all straight in my head. I think Riley's are underrated cars still which is a good thing since the prices haven't gone as mad as some other makes. The name itself is now owned by BMW I think.

[@UncleBooBoo]

Wonderful cars. Great history too. Great video Steph!

[@idriveaclassic]

Thank you!

[@davidbarber6268]

Always loved pre war cars and the Riley’s in particular

[@67daltonknox]

What a pretty car. Better than my parents RME I think. Takes me back many decades.

[@mp3bbb]

Nice car Steph. I don't know how you do it but the range of cars you review is staggering. A great video, thanks.

[@TonyGregory-j6g]

Hi Steph, I've watched your videos right from the beginning and enjoy your enthusiasm for classics. I've also watched you gain knowledge over this time and now they are really excellent. You are becoming much more assured and professional in your presentations. Keep it up! I am also fan of preselector gearboxes, I have owned a few ( one a RT Leyland double decker) and they were introduced to make driving easy for stop start driving. You can't stall a preselector! Just one minor correction Steph! The left pedal is not the clutch pedal! It's known as the " gear selector pedal" I'm being picky!! The other one I owned was a Lanchester 14 which was a 4 cylinder version of the Daimler Conquest which had 6 cylinders. Most Daimler, Lanchester and B.S.A's of this era were preselector as well as some Riley's. If you maintained them well the were very reliable, less chance of abuse by the driver due to clutch slipping causing premature wear on normal clutch type gearboxes.

[@baggierols73]

17:54 The Millennium Falcon on start up lol. Great sound 👍

[@-DC-]

Wilson Pre Selector has a gear change pedal not a clutch, Only ever driven them on Buses etc absolutely fantastic transmission given what was around at the time.

[@johnrose7491]

The Wilson box uses a fluid flywheel instead of a clutch

[@49commander]

It's interesting how the gear box sound is so similar to Pre-War US cars too! Love that sound!

[@bobfrankish8883]

Beautiful car and driver, nothing more to say really. Keep the videos coming please Steph.

[@stephenluke2347]

For some years I had a friend at work who had a collection of Riley 9's that he was restoring. He also had a Daimler Special Sports that had the pre-selector gear change. He let me have a drive and, as you said, it was easy to use and get used to.

[@colrhodes377]

A thing of real beauty

[@paulhelman2376]

Very excellent presentation.

[@allanmollison6971]

Up there with the Morgan and MG cars of the era, Pre war cars are the best. Thanks again Steph.😊👍

[@robertmaitland09]

What an absolutely gorgeous car!

[@dennismccarthy7032]

Always loved these great reputation, thanks Steph ❤

[@bclark8495]

It was great to see you do a review on a car where I own the exact same model. Thank you

[@choryferguson2196]

Incredible car! And what a beautiful day for a drive; wherever you are driving is just heavenly.

[@dog8nut]

I absolutely love the style of that car. It just looks fast sitting still.

[@chrisgrahma5064]

Lovely car. I had a 1949 1.5ltr RMA in my early 20s, covered about 120,000 miles including in Germany, down France & across Spain also towed a small caravan in the UK. It also had the excellent twin cam crossflow engine, a precise gearchange with manual gearbox, sadly no overdrive, which would have given efoortless 70mph cruising. Had to sell when mortgage rates climbed to 17%!

[@c3vids_shorts]

Wow what a beautiful classic car 👍👍👍

[@idriveaclassic]

We agree!

[@MarshmaloWarrior]

I'm 23 and have recently bought a pre-war motor myself. It's great to hear about other young adults picking up this hobby! It fills me with insperation.

[@theclocker7406]

What an absolutely fabulous car, love Rileys, such classy cars. That horn was fantastic! I have to really admire Alex for driving and caring for such a truly splendid machine. My Grandfather had a Riley Pathfinder, as well as a Daimler with the Wilson pre-selector. I kind of wish there were still pre-selector boxes available today, they are so lovely. Awesome video Steph, as always; I really do love seeing these vintage machines and hearing those wonderful engine sounds, and the coach built standards they were made to.

[@lesklower7281]

That pre select gear box very nice and it would be great at deturing car thief's as the normal manual gearbox. I have never driven a car with a preselect gear box but it looks like a lot of fun also another great review of a great motor car

[@williampratt1066]

They also offered a Newtonian (centrifugal) clutch

[@lesklower7281]

@@williampratt1066 Now l have riden a motorcycle with a central fugal clutch a Honda CT90 l was a telegram deliverer for the GPO so l could probably get my head around a car with a central fugal clutch

[@ClassicGolfClubs]

Great review Steph, really enjoyable!

[@lobsterpotter]

A brilliant road test Steph. You've said all the right things. Thankyou.

[@mikewysko2268]

Beautiful machine inside and out. Thank you for sharing your Riley with us.

[@richardtomkinson9951]

What a beautiful car, great video Steph.

[@mattpipes5106]

What a beautiful and elegant car, and kudos to the young owner for keeping it on the road and sharing it with the world (I’m half a world away and get to enjoy being introduced to the brand Riley!). It’s incredible to see it on the road and in traffic, I’m sure it puts a smile on many faces!

[@brianparker663]

This would be my classic car of choice if I had the space/cash to spare. I've always loved them.

[@PeterMullinger]

*I noticed that the key code was MRN2 the same as my 1948 MGY tourer!

[@paulchenery8013]

A cracking car!!!! Thanks for driving it!

[@garethdavies2538]

Friend of my father had a mid 30's one and drove it through the 1950's and into the 60's, at a time when most drivers were scrambling to get a piece of post-war tin. Lovely car!

[@phillipevans9414]

Lovely car, and terrific review Steph. I really like the styling of the RM Rileys, and this one is not far short of them in the looks department. One day, if I get the chance, I would like to get something with those kind of classic lines (my fav's are Citroen Traction Avant, RM Riley's or even a similar era Rover), to go with my "modern classic" (a '93 Ford Fairlane). Thanks again Steph. Cheers!

[@raydelamare5014]

Thank you for this great video, and hats off to both of you!

[@Lee-cz6ss]

Back in the 60's our Family Doctor .." Dr Malcolm" we called Him , had one in Black ,,, & a daily driver ...Flash as you like ... Used to sit in his cars when he visited ...he had a Saab 96 2 Stroke Rally as well ..what days ... 200Kid

[@yorkshirewanderer9957]

Wonderful! Thanks Steph

[@barryporteous4904]

It's nice that you acknowledged the various supplier firms.

[@johnjtm1097]

Beautiful car and beautiful review Steph. Such a smart design these Rileys.

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

That quality vehicle looks a bit like my father's British Salmson.

[@thomasjoseph4718]

How enjoyable to get an idea of what such a great classic car from the 1930s car is like to drive. Great account of the history and the technical details. First class. Well done.

[@jkk244]

Another fantastic video from Steph! I absolutely love the honeycomb pattern of the radiator.

[@robdavies8254]

First time I saw Steph I thought, Oh look, some Dorris talking about old cars. Totally converted and now a big fan. I have a 1930s Daimler so cars of that era are my favourites. Great channel, big thumbs up 😊

[@deck614]

Thank you, Mademoiselle. I'm still French but now I want a Riley! In reality I already loved Rileys before :) but it's the first time I am seduced by the standard version too...

[@peterwilding1203]

Wonderful report on a beautiful car, likely the best British Twelve of its day. Great to see how quickly you got used to the preselector box.

[@IanOS-UK]

What a beautiful machine! Fabulous video review! Thanks Steph 😊

[@loveisall5520]

The styling on this car is so lithe And sleek. We really don’t have an equivalent in American cars pre-war to this in this price range. Thank you for a great video!

[@bobspeller2225]

Fantastic car, and sounded great. Well done you, All the best Bob

[@colnuttall9035]

What a beautiful Reilly this is, very cute. Modern cars are so bland, but this has car has character. Great vid as usual Steph, but its so good to hear that Alex owns the car. Always great to hear about young people getting involved in classic cars. I havent seen a Reilly since I lived in Melbourne. Australia

[@martinhaines6439]

Ahh. That sound of a pre-selector gearbox whine. Sounds just like my dad's Armstrong Siddeley 12 & 17hp cars

[@adehol]

someone in my road in the mid fifties had one of these (they were in the cheap-to-scrappit range) He was driving down the road with his sister, they had a row in the car, she opened the passenger door and hopped out as it was still moving...the open door smashed into a lamp post. you can guess the rest. I think he was very cross, but I didn't hang around to find out. Love your channel!

[@PaddyWV]

Absolute blast! 😍

[@Vince_uk]

Total class Steph, beautiful car with a superb interior. I always thought that preselectors were a good idea. The rear signal lights are very tasteful.

[@idriveaclassic]

It’s just an all round tasteful car which aged impeccably.

[@coldlakealta4043]

0:04 just what Canadians think British lanes to be - thanks for sharing!

[@pdunn1871]

Love the Riley brand Thanks for a great reiview Im in love with the english county setting ! Parellel universe Thanks again X

[@scottpeterMA]

Lovely, glamorous car, and stylish review - love the hat❤

[@robertseaman2254]

Thankyou Steph so pleased you did this video ,for us the Riley a wonderful car i feel that i may be looking for one ,keep the good work going enjoy watching them and your style and knowledge about these old cars.

[@grayfool]

Loving the pre war cars Steph. Good to see something genuinely unusual.

[@michaeld7409]

How lovely to see a Kestrel. What a delight to Drive it must be. I‘ve got a RMB, from Dinky Toys, Contemporary 🙂

[@charliegardner6804]

Beautiful car beautiful video thanks for sharing. ❤

[@idriveaclassic]

Thank you x

[@michaelburton5988]

Thank you Steph great as always love these prewar cars

[@darrenoak7187]

A very intertesting gearbox for its day, Thank you Steph.

[@johnbenson2919]

Beautiful looking car

[@idriveaclassic]

It sure is!