In the late 1920s and '30s, Riley, based in Coventry, crafted some of the finest small sporting cars globally, spanning Saloons, Tourers, and dedicated sports models.

Percy Riley's famous marque really took off thanks to the 1926 Motor Show exhibited Riley 9, the main feature of which was the engine, which became a talking point amongst the sporting motoring fraternity.

For when most of the rival firms were still employing side valves, Riley's 9 engine had not one, but two camshafts, mounted high up in the cylinder block, driving inclined valves via short pushrods and rockers, and was fitted with hemispherical cylinder heads - a layout which responded well to some further power increasing tweaking.

Indeed, the Thompson and Taylor team Brooklands 9 (Nine) became one of the biggest winners in British motor racing pre-war.

Such racetrack credentials quickly rubbed off on the street models, which the 'Brooklands crowd' bought in great numbers.

The late vendor purchased this 1938 Riley...