1933 | Riley Nine Lynx

Introduced in 1932, the highly sought-after Riley Nine Lynx was Riley’s stylish four-seater open tourer based on the Riley Nine chassis. It was powered by the Riley Nine’s 1,087 cc inline-four-cylinder engine with twin camshafts and hemispherical combustion chambers, delivering approximately 32–35 bhp. The Lynx had a lively performance comparable to some much larger engines of the time and was known for its sporty handling, lightweight construction (weighing around 1,800–2,000 lbs), and rakish open bodywork.The ‘disappearing hood’ was a key feature of the Lynx’s design, having a folding soft-top roof which could be lowered and stowed to create a fully open-air driving. The hood frame was designed to collapse in a concertina-like fashion. When stowed, the hood was housed in a recessed area behind the rear seats or was covered by a tonneau or boot cover to maintain the car’s streamlined look.

Although some Riley's of the 1930s had a pre-select gearbox, the Lynx had a four speed manual crash gearbox and with the lively twin cam engine was a great performer. If the twin-camshaft engine had a weakness, it was a little fragile at high rpm. At great cost, this particular car has been recently fitted with a fully rebuilt Falcon version of this engine which has a much more robust crankshaft capable of coping with higher rpm. This engine is literally running in. The interior trim and other aspects of the car show great originality. The paintwork is old and slightly shabby in places but the car has great charm and will be an excellent useable pre-war tourer rather than a show queen.

Our Riley 9 Lynx was first registered on the 8th of February 1933 and the history file accompanying the car is a truly fascinating read. There are documents, invoices and correspondence with the Riley Register going back until 1979, the file details how this Riley has been in regular use with impressive maintenance for the previous forty six years. From the earliest logbook present it is detailed that the first 2 keepers of this superb vintage tourer owned it for a combined fifty two years before changing hand to its 3rd keeper in December of 1985. The Riley spent fifteen years with the London based owner before changing hands in 2005 to a new owner based in Pulborough, southwest of London. Twelve years passed with the Riley being enjoyed before travelling yet further south to join an owner in Eastleigh ahead of eventually joining us in the North of England where it has been with its most recent owner.

Testament to the years of careful ownership and recent recommissioning program, the Riley Nine took part in the Beamish Reliability Run 2024, an annual rally around the Northeast and North Yorkshire. In addition to the most recent Rally, the Riley has been exhibited at the Goodwood Revival Festival alongside Spitfires and Hurricanes for a number of years. It's a fabulous driving, usable pre war Riley and is idea of regular use, rallies and events. Examples of the Lynx rarely come to market and this little gem with its superb engine and still sporting its valuable period registration mark is sure to find a new home quickly.