Riley Nine Early-Mid-1930s Closed-Body Styles

During the 1930s, British carmaker Riley had a sporting reputation.  It offered three four-cylinder motors of various sizes along with other types, as mentioned here (scroll down to the "Riley (Coventry) Limited" section).  There also were a number of different body styles.  Most reference material I've read blame this proliferation as a major cause of the firm going into receivership in 1938.

Today's post deals with some early-to-mid 1930s closed body styles on Riley's popular "Nine" series that shared body styles with other Riley series.

The "Nine" refers to the British horsepower tax formula in place in the 1930s (Wikipedia entry here) that was calculated as follows: piston diameter (in inches) squared, times the number of cylinders, then divided by 2.5.  The Riley Nine being in the 9 tax-horsepower class (actual engine horsepower was higher).

In that scheme of things, a Riley Nine was comparatively affordable.  For example, a typical entry-level car was the famous Austin Seven, and a number of firms offered eight tax-horsepower models.  Luxury cars such as Daimlers and Rolls-Royces usually had RAC Treasury ratings of 30 horsepower and higher. The highest-rated Rileys were 16 taxable horsepower.

Below are images of some of Riley's 1930s car bodies as found on the Nine series.

Gallery

1933 Riley Nine Monaco Saloon - car-for-sale photo
Riley bodies the 1930s had some style features that helped to visually identify the brand besides the usual radiator grille.  Here we find side windows with dipped lower frame lines -- something we'll see again.  The top is clad in a fabric of some kind, a feature also found on other Riley models.

The Monaco features a "bustle back," something rare in 1933.

1933 Riley Nine Falcon - via Ashridge Automobiles
The Falcon's lower window frames are also not parallel with the beltline.  No bustle back and no fabric covering on this car.

But the two-segment backlight window has lower framing similar to what we'll be seeing on Kestrel side windows, below.

1934 Riley Nine Lincock Coupé - via Ashridge Automobiles
Here's a coupé, for a change of pace.

Another instance of a divided backlight, but the framing is nearly conventionally rectangular.  But not quite: lower edges are slightly angled.

1933 Riley Nine Kestrel Four-Light - car-for-sale photo
"Four-Light" was the British way of saying "four-window."  Window shapes are far from purely horizontal and vertical.

Note the after passenger compartment roof's panel separator.  This shape is found on other Riley bodies, including the one shown below.

1935 Riley Nine Merlin Saloon - car-for-sale photo
A slightly later design featuring a hint of fastback.  Side windows are less Riley-like than on some of the designs pictured above.

The spare tire is housed in the trunk.  Note the curve of the separation line between fabric roof covering and the lower body: similar to the Kestrel's.