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Riley RMD 21/2 litre

Please select a car...   Austin BantamAustin ChummyAustin CliftonAustin NippyAustin SwallowAustin TaxiBMW 327Jaguar XK140Jaguar MK VMG 1100MG J2MG TDMG YMorris MinorRiley AdelphiRiley KestrelRiley RMD 21/2 litreRover 8 VanStandard 8Sunbeam AlpineVolvo P1800 ES

What does RMD mean?
The RM stands for Riley Motors and the last letter designated which model it was. Alphabetically there were RMA, RMB, RME, RMF and quite different RMH saloons. In addition there was the RMC roadster and this RMD 4-seater drophead coupe like this one. Interestingly there was never an RMG.

Was there anything that made these RM models special?
They were very modern. Whilst the majority of manufacturers had simply dusted off their 1939 designs, Riley had created something new. Announced in late summer 1945, deliveries began in spring 1946. The basis of the design was a box section chassis, which had torsion bar independent suspension, which was a Riley innovation. The only carry over from the 1930s was the old 1.5 litre and big four engines.

When did the open RM's arrive?
1949 was when the RMC and RMD were launched, both aimed squarely at the export market to America. The RMC in particular was designed with export in mind. It had a big 20-gallon fuel tank and equally large so called 'cow-catcher' bumpers. The windscreen could be folded flat and the column shift gear lever was essential, because it sat three abreast. By contrast this RMD had a floor mounted gearchange, but neither model really caught on. Just 507 RMC and 502 RMDs were built before production finished in 1951.

So what happened to Riley after the RMC and RMD were discontinued?
Although Riley lost its independence in 1938 when Lord Nuffield bought the company in 1938, it was the creation of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) which signalled the end of 'real' Rileys. 1953 saw the new RME and a year later the 2.5 litre RMF saloons but sales were slow. They were replaced by a variant of a Wolsley the which was called the RMH - Pathfinder. It kept the 21/2 litre Riley engine and the torsion bar suspension, but everything else changed. So the Pathfinder soldiered on as the last true Riley until 1957 when all the Rileys became 'badge engineered' variants of other BMC models.