Riley Riviera. (1960-61)

B-Series Farina 4-Door Saloon

The Riley Riviera was a fully approved after market conversion of the Riley 4/68 carried out by Wessex Motors in Salisbury. There were 3 levels of work that could be selected, ranging from £100 to £271 over the standard £725 price of the car. Figures below are for the stage C.
The biggest change was the replacement of the standard engine with one from an MGA, providing higher performance figures. Brakes were improved accordingly, and wire wheels were installed with higher speed tyres. The suspension was left unchanged, which was perhaps the one failing in the revisions, as excess body roll oversteer was reported by contemporary magazines.

Styling touches included reprofiled rear wings, with cut down fins, and a range of additional lights available. Inside the front bucket seats could be replaced with the Wolesley Bench seat, although this was somewhat at odds with the sportier nature of the car.
Following on from the success of the Riviera - with 15-20 examples believed to have been produced, Wessex also offered a modified 4/72, the Riley Silhouette.

Link: Cambridge-Oxford Owners Club

ENGINE

1588 cc 4 cylinder
Bore 73mm Stroke 88.9mm
66.5bhp at 5150rpm
Compression ratio 9.2:1
Carburation 2SU

TRANSMISSION

Overall gear ratios.
1st 15.64
2nd 9.52
3rd 5.91
4th 4.33
Reverse 20.45

SUSPENSION

Independent Coils at Front
Semi Elliptic at rear

BRAKES

Front Discs with Mot-a-vac Servo,
Girling hydraulic drum brakes with wedge operated shoes at rear,
9in drums.

PERFORMANCE

0-50mph 10.1secs
Standing ¼mile 19.5secs
Top Speed 97mph
Fuel Consumption 22.2mpg

DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase 8'3" (aprx 2520mm)
Track 4'2" (aprx 1270mm)
Length 14'11.5" (aprx 4560mm)
Width 5'3.5" (aprx 1610mm)
Tyres 5.90x14
Weight 21.75cwt
Fuel Tank 10galls

PRICE

£996 exc. tax