Vehicle Description
Riley: “As old as the industry, as modern as the hour”
Riley was a British motorcar and bicycle manufacturer from 1890. Riley became part of the Nuffield Organization in 1938 and was merged into the British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968. In July 1969 British Leyland announced the immediate end of Riley production. Today, the Riley trademark is owned by BMW.
After the Mini was launched in August 1959, BMC started work on an upmarket ‘booted’ saloon version. This was first seen in 1961 as the Wosley Hornet and Riley Elf, as before the Elf was the sporty version. Over its eight years, it had two minor facelifts, the first of which, in 1963, saw the original Mini 850 engine replaced by the Copper’s 998cc. This gave added speed and better performance. The Mark III, launched in 1966, featured wind-up windows, and integral door hinges, which were not seen on the Mini until 1969. The car was killed off, in both guises, with the axing of all Riley Models in 1969.
In total, 30,912 Riley Elves were built. With such low production numbers these cars are very difficult to find especially in concours restored condition.
This 1967 Riley Elf MK III Saloon is a wonderful example. It was treated to a comprehensive no expense spared restoration by well-known British Automotive Restorer Craig Kindervater. Craig was the United States Historian for Lotus and he also built five Lotus “East Lake” Elevens. Craig was accompanied in the four-year restoration by owner Randy Burrows. It has less than 100 test miles since completion. Almost every piece of this car is original to the car and was restored to the highest standards. The color combination of Dove Gray and Yukon Gray is elegant, to say the least. The exterior is complimented with a Red interior that spacious and rich. The trunk compartment is also spacious and nicely assorted. The engine compartment is highly detailed and home to the original matching numbers 998cc engine. The engine was completely rebuilt and performs very nicely. The engine is coupled to the original matching numbers 4-speed gearbox. The undercarriage is also highly detailed and mirror quality. The exhaust system, steering system, braking system and suspension system was all rebuilt. This Riley Elf MK III Saloon looks, runs and drives excellently. It’s recently been completely serviced and detailed, which is documented with an invoice.
This car won “Best of Show” at the National Mini Meet East. It was concours judged and received the highest score ever allowed by the judges.
Many miscellaneous items are included such as the original restored jack tools, owners manuals, restoration receipts, restoration photos and memorabilia.
This is arguably the best example of a Riley Elf in the world.
