1928 Riley 9 Brooklands - Chassis number 8021
KV 7296 is the last in a long line of pre-war cars owned over the years by the current owner for competition, and is now prepared with a much improved fresh engine for the next owner.
The last owner - John Williams of Pembrokeshire - was known to the owner for more than 10 years until he passed away .
The car is then said to have spent a short while in storage and was not used either for competition or general road use.
The owner goes on to state:-
"When I purchased the car I decided to have the engine refurbished using the Keith Pointing block based on the stronger Works units. A number of small improvements were also made to the Cylinder Head and Camshafts.
There followed over the years a series of detail changes and modifications all based on track performance. Carburettors were modified, head was gas flowed, brake drums lightened and balanced, differential changed, exhaust system modified etc., while keeping within the requirements of maintaining a standard VSCC specification.
All changes take time and could only be based on the short season of racing available. The car is now quicker and very close to all that the VSCC will allow to remain in their ‘standard’ class."
With the current owner since February 2014, this immaculate car is now prepared for sale with the engine just rebuilt – with specification as follows:-
Keith Pointing new modified stronger cylinder block. Original available
3 bearing reground Allen crankshaft after Nash Sharma
New Arrow Connecting Rods
New Omega domed pistons
Valves reground, with new valve guides
Cylinder head gas flowed by Paul Rogers Engineering
Keith Pointing camshafts for fast road performance
Pair of bronze bodied 1 1/8th SU carburettors
Block bored to suit new pistons
New timing idler gear
Recent work done
2022 December – engine balanced at Basset Down at Hungerford www.bassetdownbalancing.co.uk
Bottom end assembled by Brooklands Enginecraft with attentionto copper oilways within sump
Flywheel lightened and re-faced
2020 New clutch to original design
2019 Water pump with modern seals
2019 electronic SU fuel pump
2018 Alternator – easily changeable
2017 Keith Pointing crown wheel and pinion – Sprint Race / Road
Owners recorded
1953-65 ? B E Rutland – Isleworth Middlesex
1974 Acquired by Danny Margolis, Queens Gate Place Mews
1975 Fuad Majzub of Redditch
1984 Patrick Gardner of Great Bookham
1999 John Williams of Pembrokeshire
2014 Current owner
Former owner, the late Patrick Gardner (who I knew) states on a previous FIA paper submission that it is recorded that “the car carries chassis no 8021 which has been authenticated. However there are two original chassis with that number (not unknown for the Riley Works) Chassis No 8021 was raced in the 1929 Ards TT and suffered subsequent damage. It is possible that the Works issued a new chassis to the car and subsequently mended and sold the original chassis with another body. Otherwise there is no subsequent history available until 1984 when the car was acquired (by Patrick Gardner) with an original rolling body that was subsequently replaced when in the ownership of Fuad Majzub with a replica Works body and subsequently rebuilt back to original specification by Barrie Gillies once I had acquired the car. I am in no doubt that the chassis is original and all the major parts are contemporary to the Brooklands model except the body.”
A RILEY advertisement in Motor Sport’s November 1953 edition offers chassis 8021 at either £150 or for £235 with virtually new racing engine fitted – see photo of advertisement
Former owner Fuad Majzub in 1975 -
Fuad Majzub was a serious car collector and father of Blockley Tyres’ owner Julian Majzub. A letter on file refers to Riley specialist Nev Farquhar, written by his wife Barbara Farquhar, to a previous owner John Williams , confirming that the car passed through their hands for some remedial work as follows :
“All Nev did for Majzub was fill in all the excess holes & make sure it was all-square – then a body builder whom Fuad liked said he’d make a body. Tail was awful, later replaced but FM had to close down the workshop as he had bent far to many rules, there and at his home with the planning folk – I think 8021 was sold to Gillies who did some rather careless work & much later it came to us for us to try to sort out the engine, etc. This was when the late Patrick Gardner had it & it was slightly easier then to find a Regis No. (Sic) I wish we knew more about the cars past, but one thing I must tell you is that there is another 8021. Jim Trotter up in Sheffield whose writing is neater than mine but almost illegible. Jim’s OK – his Brooky has all 12/4 bits – engine gearbox brakes – the whole caboodle. He calls it “35 12/4 Special” & used to come regularly to Loton. I tell you this now as I’m in the middle of a GIGANTIC FIGHT with a Yank who says Basil McCoy’s pinched his ch. No. So. Unfortunately the powers that be in the Register have got in touch with DVLA and I’d rather they’d left it to me as I have a way of sorting things…”
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Riley 9 Brooklands background
"Almost as soon as these new (9hp) models arrived on the scene, interest was shown in the engine by J G Parry-Thomas, who joined forces with Reid Railton to produce an 1,100cc racing chassis which Railton drove to undreamed-of success at Brooklands. Later, after Thompson and Taylor had developed the chassis, Riley put into production the 9hp Speed Model, which quickly became a legend as the Brooklands Nine. It was a Brooklands Nine which won the Rudge Whitworth Cup at Le Mans in 1934." - As Old As The Industry: Riley 1898 - 1969, David G Styles.
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 marque's pre-war offerings were among the world's finest small-capacity sporting cars, none more so than the rare and highly desirable Brooklands Speed Model, made between 1928 and 1932, and capable of 80mph in standard form,
The chassis number prefix '80' equates to the Riley-built cars, the 21st of approximately 93 factory-built Brooklands models. We are informed that chassis over-production saw some 200 reputed to have been made, this ultimately making it inexpensive to simply replace accident damaged chassis, accounting for the absence of many chassis numbers today.
The production Brooklands boasted a chassis shortened to an 8' wheelbase from the standard Nine's 8' 10 1/2" and was low-slung in the extreme, it being possible for the driver to touch the ground while normally seated at the wheel. The bodywork was so low that when measured, the radiator cowl was only 36 inches from the ground, or 4 inches less than the roof height of a 1960s Le Mans Ford GT40! Body construction varied considerably, ranging from wood-framed, steel-panelled, two-door types intended for touring, to the lightweight, door-less, alloy ones used at Le Mans. The engine differed from the standard Nine's by virtue of its water pump, high-compression pistons, different camshafts, four-branch exhaust manifold and twin carburettors, in which form it produced around 50bhp at 5,000 rpm.
The project was picked up by Reid Railton, the first few 'Brooklands Speed Models' being built by Thomson and Taylor. Driven by Railton, the new racing car won its first race at Brooklands in the Autumn meeting of 1927 at 91.37mph, astonishing for an 1100cc car. Many Brooklands Class G records were established in 1928, including the 500 miles at a respectable 87.09mph.
The Brooklands was enthusiastically received by the British motor racing fraternity as it provided a most competitive entry into the 1,100cc sports car class (Class G), hitherto dominated by Continental makes. As well as the aforementioned 1934 team award at Le Mans, Riley Brooklands successes included various Class G world records, a class win in the RAC Tourist Trophy, an outright win at the 1932 Ulster Tourist Trophy and victory in the JCC 1,000 Miles Race and countless other events at Brooklands.
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Although we attempt to ensure accuracy of any statement or detail, the customer must make his or her own judgement in purchasing this car. The purchaser of the above car understands that he or she is purchasing a pre-war motor car with components that are up to 97 years old and sold as a collector item. There is no warranty given or implied due to the age of the car
Call 07973 731508
