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Riley 8/90 Kestrel. (1936-37)

The 8/90 engine was introduced in the 1936 Adelphi, and later made available with a new 6-light Kestrel body. The new Kestrel was greeted with high expectations, which it sadly failed to meet. The price of £450 was not unreasonable for a V8 car, but didn't provide much profit for Riley.

The chassis used was essentially that of the 8/90 Adelphi, itself a development of the 15/6 chassis. The engine was essentially 2 Riley 9 blocks set at 90 degrees (hence 8/90). The body was also essentially the same as the Kestrel 15/6, albeit with a higher standard of trim. However, hindsight suggests that rushed development led to gremlins sneaking in and the cars were not as high class as the customers expected. That and the predictions of another war and economic uncertainty led to few orders.

Despite numerous modifications to try and improve the engine/chassis combination the Kestrel was withdrawn in 1937. At least two made it out of the factory however, with cars known to have existed simultaneously in the Manchester and London areas in the late 1950s / early 1960s. Whether either survive today is sadly unknown, nor is there any survivng record of the chassis or registration numbers.

Chassis Types 86K