Beschreibung:

Riley was a bicycle and car manufacturer dating from 1890. The company became part of the Nuffield Organisation in 1938 and was later merged with British Leyland; late in 1969 British Leyland announced their discontinuance of Riley production. Built as a more luxurious version of the Mini, the Riley Elf had longer, slightly finned rear wings and a larger boot that gave the cars a more traditional three-box design. Front-end enhancements incorporated Riley's traditional upright grille design resulting in a less utilitarian appearance. The car had larger diameter chrome hubcaps than the Austin and Morris Mini and additional chrome accents, bumper overriders and wood-veneer dashboards. The Riley 'Elf' recalled the Riley Sprite and Imp sports cars of the 1930s; the full-width dashboard was a differentiator between the Elf and Hornet. Both cars went through three versions; initially they used the 848cc engine changing to a single carburettor version of the Cooper's 998cc power unit in the Mk. II in 1963. The Mk. III facelift of 1966 brought wind-up windows and fascia air vents and also concealed door hinges two years prior to being fitted on the mainstream Mini. In total 30,912 Riley Elfs were built and today the Riley trademark is owned by BMW. The charming example presented here is a largely original and elegant little car, described by the vendor as being very good mechanically and a delight to drive. It is finished in grey with red leather trim and comes supplied with a V5 document and MoT test certificate valid until 17 th May 2012. This really is a great fun classic offered at a realistic price.