The White Riley (1933)

The most famous of all Riley Specials is The White Riley, built in 1933 by Raymond Mays. It was based on the 12/6 TT Chassis, with the 1486cc version of the 12/6 engine, albeit in Supercharged form. This allowed the engine to rev up to 8000rpm, and provide a peak of 147bhp.
The car was built to take the record at the Shelsey Walsh Hillclimb, and whilst it did acheive this, briefly, the bar was raised further by an Austro-Daimler before the meeting was finished. Nevertheless, The White Riley was and indeed remains a formidable machine at countless racing events across Europe.

The White Riley was, in essence, the prototype for the hugely succesful ERAs that proved so successful in the late 1930s.

Links

For more information on this car see the following links:
  • Blog Post from Steve McKelvie with comments on the White Riley and ERAs
  • Motorsport Magazine Archive

    Chassis Number: 4/103 (Spec based on 12/6 TT Racing Cars)

    ENGINE

    6cyl Overhead Valves
    RAC Rating 12.01hp
    Bore 57 Stroke 95.2
    Capacity 1486 cc
    Compression Ratio 5.8:1

    TRANSMISSION

    4-speed gearbox.
    Top G/r 4.77:1
    3rd G/r 5.96:1
    2nd G/r 7.15:1
    1st G/r 11.78:1
    Reverse 18.51:1

    SUSPENSION

    Semi-elliptic

    BRAKES

    Riley Continuous Cable with Cam-Operated Shoes
    15" Drums

    PERFORMANCE

    Standing Quarter Mile 23secs
    Max speed 70mph

    DIMENSIONS

    Wheelbase 8'1½" (aprx 2460mm)
    Track 4' (aprx 1200mm)
    Wheels Six-Stud Wire Centre Lock 3.0x19
    (1934: 3.0x19)
    Tyres 5.00x19 (1934: 4.75x18)
    Fuel Tank 15 Gallons