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Riley 16hp Drophead Touring Saloon. (1939-40)

Riley 16 Drophead Touring Saloon

With the takeover of Riley by the Nuffield group in 1938, the entire model range was revised, and reduced to the 12/4 and 16/4 engines. There were also only 2 body styles avaialble on each chassis - a 6-light 4-door saloon with swept tail, or 2-door drophead coupe. Whilst the saloon had been developed prior to Nuffield taking over Riley, the drophead may have a little more Nuffield influence in it. It is thought that less than 15 16hp Dropheads were built.

Essentially, the drophead body is a two-door, roofless version of the saloon, virtually identical at front and rear. The middle however is markedly different, with much longer, heavier doors to maintain access to the rear seats, and obviously a folding fabric roof in place of steel. Combined, these proved to destroy the bodies on many dropheads, with the heavy doors distorting bodies when opened, unless the cars were well looked after and structurally maintained.
One good thing with the new Riley 12hp (later renamed 1½ litre) was that the 12hp Sprite engine was still available. The cars were discontinued in early 1940 with the outbreak of war. The 16 Drophead is a very rare beast - none are thought to have survived. Of the 12 probably built, only one is known of, and that was scrapped in Hull in the 1960's.

Chassis Type 49D