1961 Riley One-Point-Five

RILEY ONE POINT FIVE 1957 - 1965

The Riley One Point Five was the sister model to the Wolseley 1500 and widely regarded as one of the best light sports saloon of its era. It was a front engine rear-wheel drive four seater and was produced from 1957 to 1959.

The One Point Five was launched in November 1957, five months after the Wolseley and, as with its stablemate, had a unitary body with rack & pinion steering, floor pan and torsion bar front suspension derived from the Morris Minor. At the rear there were semi-elliptic leaf springs but unlike the 1500, the Riley boasted twin SU carburettors, a tachometer and improved drum braking.

In May 1960 the Riley was facelifted as the Series II with concealed hinges and an altered facia. The Series III of October 1961 had a slightly modified grille and new sidelight/indicator units and the engine was enhanced by had an improved crank.

The Riley One Point Five was replaced by the Riley Kestrel ADO16 in September 1965.

The engine for the Riley One Point Five was the BMC B-Series 1,498cc OHV S4 unit with a four speed manual gear change. There was synchromesh on the top three ratios

In 1957 there was a small amount of controversy that the Riley One Point Five may have been based around British Motor Corporation components but it was very much a car in the marque's pre-war tradition. In a nutshell, it is a car that offers virtually all of the Minor's considerable virtues together with an 83 mph top speed and a luxurious interior - plus a justly deserved race and rally reputation.

In terms of parts, the Riley's exterior bright work and original body panels can be very hard to find, as is the cabin trim. Attention should be paid to the headlining, which is known suffer from condensation, while the body should be carefully examined for rust, especially the bulkhead, front inner wings, sills and doors. Buyers should also bear in mind that BMC sold far fewer Rileys than Wolseleys - and that although the One Point Five derives from the Minor the two models have no major panels in common.

Alternatives to the Riley One Point Five include the Sunbeam Rapier, the Vauxhall VX 4/90 FB and the Ford Consul Cortina GT.