Registration
RT 9473
Year
1933
Chassis Number
6019395
Riley 9hp March Special
Year of manufacture: 1933
Registration: RT 9473
Chassis Number: 6019395
The Riley March Special came to be as a sportier replacement to the Gamecock model which was manufactured between 1931/32. The Earl of March, who had a long history of racing and competition and was a partner of Kevill Davies & March Limited, designed the body which took a similar adapted form of the bodies he had designed for AC. The bodywork was constructed by John Charles and Sons of Kew. It was built on the same chassis as the Gamecock but featured a 2+2 cabin arrangement with a rear mounted, 12 gallon fuel tank with twin fillers and twin spare wheels. The windscreen could fold down and the hood was designed to be raised whilst folding down completely flat when not needed. The car was offered with the 9hp engine as well as the 12/6 and 14/6 6 cylinder no engines although no 6 cylinder cars are known to survive.
This car was delivered to Ipswich on 21st March 1933. It then moved on to H.J Woodgate in Sussex up to 1960 when it was purchased by Terry Walker in Worcestershire. The car won the Special Class at the Riley Register Coventry Rally in 1963 and was sold to Edward Sangren in New Jersey, USA in 1969. It was sold again in USA in 1970 and in 1971 was restored by Clem Kornhoff which is confirmed by a plaque fitted in the engine compartment. It was then sold to James Laffey in the USA in 1977 who kept the car until 2003 when he listed the car for sale, remarking that the car has done no miles since a 7 year restoration. The car was purchased by Richard Perry in the UK and the car was shipped and arrived in 2004 with the chassis number present but no number plate. Mr Perry then took considerable effort to return the correct original registration to the car with all record of this on file. This research with assistance from the Register was able to match the original registration, RT 9473, with the chassis number 6019395. The car was then sold again in 2019 to it’s current owner requiring recommissioning.
This work has been carried out and the car now runs very well and, as the pictures show, is in excellent condition. The weather equipment works as it should, folding down neatly and flat and extending slightly wider than the windscreen when up giving a distinctive, attractive look. A full tonneau is included with a split zip at the front. As a sports model the windscreen folds flat if desired and the silent third gearbox is fitted with the desirable Brooklands remote gearchange. The engine is fitted with twin SUs and BTH magneto and pulls well with good oil pressure and exhaust note. The seats are comfortable with long adjustment in the runners.
The car comes with a vast history file documenting considerable expenditure on the car as well as the correspondence and research into assigning the original registration.
A very attractive sports tourer, suitable for road usage as well as a variety of events, be it road tours or even hill climbs and sprints.