Introduced in 1926, Percy Riley’s 9hp, 1,087cc twin-camshaft ‘four’ was an outstanding engine design by any standards, various versions powering Rileys until 1957.

Clothed in stylish bodywork by Stanley Riley, the Coventry manufacturer’s pre-war offerings were among the world’s finest small-capacity sporting cars.

Right from the start it was obvious that the 9hp Riley engine possessed enormous potential as a competition unit, and at Brooklands J G Parry-Thomas and Reid Railton were the first to demonstrate just how good it was.

The success of their racer led to a production version, the Speed Model, which would turn out to be merely the first in a lengthy series of memorable Riley sports cars.

1929 saw the introduction of the MkIV chassis featuring wider front/rear track and much larger brakes than hitherto.

Models available were the Monaco saloon, Biarritz saloon, fabric-bodied four-seat tourer and a brace of coachbuilt tourers.

First registered on the 1 st July 1930, ‘FB 8604’ ...