1933 Riley Lynx Two Door Tourer

Probably one of the prettiest of the pre-war sports cars produced by the Riley Brothers, the low slung Lynx has not only the looks but is remarkably sprightly too. The Lynx was launched in late 1932 as a two door open tourer with an innovative disappearing hood, which folded neatly away under a lifting rear panel, hence maintaining the smooth lines of the coachwork. A cut away door allowed the driver to make an impressively dashing entry and exit without having to open the door, and a preselect gearbox was often specified, as used in the racing ERAs. 

This Riley Lynx is an early example of the model, the date of its first registration was 17th February 1933. The current owner purchased the sports car way back in 1971. At that point, the Riley was fitted with a 1500cc British Salmson engine (originally it would have had a 12/6 unit, which we are told had failed during a previous ownership). The following year, the vendor fitted a Riley 12/4 engine (which he had rebuilt in 1970) and a Wilson pre-selector gearbox. The heavy centrifugal clutch was removed and the clutch plate bolted onto the flywheel, therefore giving the advantage of lightening said flywheel, competitive types will know this to be a similar configuration to ERAs. The engine has covered just 15000 miles since the rebuild and the vendor feels that it’s a more robust and reliable unit to the original 12/6. The car ran well with the rebuilt 12/4 engine / pre-selector gearbox configuration for twenty years, including being used for several weddings and trips to France, before being taken off the road for a full restoration.

The ash frame has been fully repaired. The bodywork was rebuilt and restored by SVW Restorations of Hull to a very high standard and the paintwork is excellent. The Lynx comes to the market now as a partly restored project that requires the following work to complete: the cable brakes need some attention, a new complete wiring loom is required, the seats are missing, as is the upholstery and hood (although the hood frame is present), and the headlights, windscreen, gearbox controls are all supplied but require fitting. The present owner has not been able to complete the rebuild due to ill-health, but for the new owner, this exciting British sports car has the potential to be a very handsome pre-war four seater with excellent performance.

The history file contains ‘Riley cars’ by S F Drake, covering cars from 1936 and printed in 1958, the V5C registration certificate, the RF60 registration book and its duplicate, Brooklands books – two copies for Riley Cars, instruction books for the Riley 1 ½ Litre and the Riley 6 (both in well-thumbed condition), an original wiring diagram for Rotax 2 volt, other wiring diagrams, trimming specifications for the Riley 14/6 Lynx, information for braking system maintenance and images of the body restoration and mechanical rebuild.

SOLD