Riley Tourer
Chassis: |
| The tourer went out of fashion in the early 1930s, largely thanks to the advances in Saloon cars which allowed them to be built cheaper, and so the additional weather protection was desirable. Nevertheless, the 9 and 14/6 tourers were strong sellers in their time. |
Riley Archives Project: Riley Tourer
The Riley Nine Tourer as launched in late 1926 was a carry on from the ever popular open models produced since Riley had started car production in 1905. Offering a spacious 4 door, 4 seater body with a fold down roof, the car was little different to the many similar open cars produced by its competitiors. One of the major differences in appearance, however, was the Weymann type fabric body. This was no longer the lightweight, flimsy fabric bodywork of a cheap car, but a quality covering as used on the latest luxury models.
When the 6 cylinder engine was launched a couple of years later, it too featured a 4 door, 4 seater open tourer with fabric body, both bodies produced by the outside coachbuilder Hancock and Warman, located nearby in Coventry. Despite 4 models of 9 Tourer over the years, the bodywork changed little, the differences lying in the improvements to the chassis and engine that kept the Nine at the forefront of car design in those early years. The model was discontinued in 1931 due to a devastating fire at Hancock & Warmans, leading to their closure.
Whilst the 9 tourer ceased production, in favour of smaller 2/4 seater sports models, the 14/6 Tourer was replaced with a new Alpine Tourer, sharing its name with the new Alpine Saloon. Despite being available for 2 years, production seems to have been very limited, and the model was dropped in 1933 to make way for the new Lynx cars. Indeed, the Alpine Tourer and the last of the 9 tourers had the cut away front doors which were used on the Lynx, but with the body sitting much higher and taller, there is no confusion between the two models.
Weather Protection
All Tourers came with large hoods which covered all of the passengers. Unlike later cars, they seem to have originally had standard rectangular rear windows, not the Diamonds more common on the Lynxes. The hoods folded down behind the rear seats, on early cars they cantilevered out over the tail, but with later cars carrying a rear boot, the hood folded down on top of this. Side screens were also available, as well as tonneau covers
