Once Riley had announced its brand-new, and technically advanced twin-high camshaft 1,087 cc engine, complete with part-spherical combustion chambers, it became a prime target for sporting use. Even though Riley had not, so far, made a small sports car, the temptation to break into this new market was immense. The result, first seen in 1927, was the wickedly low and purposeful ‘Brooklands’ two-seater.
The engine had already been used in the Riley Nine family car of 1926, which was selling well, and clearly had a great deal of potential. Race driver and entrepreneur J.G. Parry Thomas had already started work on a ‘Brooklands Special’ before he was killed in a Land Speed Record attempt, and his work was continued by Reid Railton.
The first, and so far only, car was shown in mid 1927, with a unique low short-wheelbase chassis frame, and skimpy two-seater bodywork. A production version, the ‘Speed Model’, was put on sale months later, though this car had another totally different type of frame, a two-piece full-width screen and some rather skimpy all-weather equipment to make it more practical for road use. Priced at £395, and with a 50 bhp version of the engine (which was a very high specific output by late 1920s standards), it was obviously a fast little machine. |
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The whole car was tiny, light, nervous in its handling, and had a top speed of more than 80 mph (which made cars like the original MG M-type Midget look very slow indeed), though there was obviously much more to come as Reid Railton’s race car lapped Brooklands at 98.62 mph on its very first outing. Almost immediately in 1929 it became known as the ‘Brooklands’ Riley, a glamorous nickname for any machine, particularly one priced at £420. With the aid of sponsored runs in long-distance trials like the Land’s End (where Sammy Davis’s car won a Gold Medal), it was soon seen to be versatile, strong, and very likeable.
No-one ever bought a Brooklands as a runabout, no-one attempted to carry more than two friendly occupants, and there was never any question of transporting luggage or even many parts. It was, after all, a hard-sprung, super-sporting, utterly convincing sports car (or perhaps a competition sports car?), which made no compromises, and it was well loved because of that. The market for this car was very limited, however, and although Riley are known to have produced at least 30,000 Nines of all types, only 200 of them were Brooklands models.
In its day, the Brooklands was an immensely appealing little car, with low lines, purposeful detailing, and not a line, or superfluous bit of kit, out of place.
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