The Riley RM Series is an

executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car which is equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars), and sm ...

which was produced by Riley from 1945 until 1955. It was the last model developed independently by Riley prior to the 1952 merger of Riley's still new owner Nuffield, with

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

to form BMC. The RM series was originally produced in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

, but in 1949 production moved to the MG works at Abingdon. The RM models were marketed as the Riley 1½ Litre and the Riley 2½ Litre. There were four types of RM vehicles produced. All used Riley engines with four cylinders in-line, hemispherical combustion chambers and twin camshafts mounted high at the sides of the cylinder block. The RMA was a large saloon, and was replaced by the RME. Both used a 1.5 L (1496 cc) 12 hp (RAC Rating), developed before WWII. The RMB was a longer car: it was replaced by the RMF. Both cars used a larger engine, new in 1937, a 2.5 L 16 hp (RAC Rating) "Big Four". The RMC and RMD were limited-production cars, an open 2 or 3-seater Roadster and a 4-seater Drophead. The Riley Pathfinder was the RMH and the last saloon to have the Riley Big Four engine. __TOC__

Kestrel

The RM was inspired by Riley Motors' successful and stylish pre-war 1.5 and 2.5 Litre Kestrel Saloons but the new cars featured a new chassis. The new chassis with its Riley "torsionic" independent front-wheel suspension incorporated the experience of the wartime years. The RM series was new because the patterns of dies for the old models were destroyed in the air raids on Coventry.

Riley RMA

The RMA was the first post-war Riley. It was announced in August 1945 with the news it would become available in the autumn. It used the 1.5 L engine and was equipped with hydro-mechanical brakes and an

independent suspension Independent suspension is any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i.e. reacting to a bump on the road) independently of the others. This is contrasted with a beam axle or deDion axle system ...

using torsion bars in front. The body frame (not to be confused with the

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpar ...

) was made of wood in the English tradition, and the car featured traditional styling. The car was capable of reaching . The RMA was produced from 1945 until 1952 when it was replaced by the RME. File:Riley RMA 1,5-Litre Saloon 1949.jpg, Riley RMA 1½-Litre 4-Door Saloon 1949 File:Riley RMA 1,5-Litre Saloon 1952.jpg, Riley RMA 1½-Litre 4-Door Saloon 1952

Riley RMB

The 2.5 L (2443 cc) RMB was a lengthened RMA launched a year later in 1946. It used the 2.5 L (2443 cc) "Big Four" engine with twin SU carburettors, starting with 90 hp (67 kW) but increasing to 100 hp (75 kW) for 1948 with a top speed. The wheelbase was longer and the overall length was a full longer. The RMB was replaced by the RMF for 1952. A car tested by ''

The Motor ''The Motor'' (later, just ''Motor'') was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903 and published by Temple Press. It was initially launched as ''Motorcycling and Motoring'' in 1902 before the title was shortened. From the 14 ...

'' magazine in 1949 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 16.8 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £1224 including taxes. File:Riley Saloon 1949.jpg, Riley RMB 2½-Litre 4-Door Saloon 1949 File:Riley Saloon 1950 2.jpg, Riley RMB 2½-Litre 4-Door Saloon 1950

Riley RMC

The RMC (Roadster) was an open 2-door, single bench seat, 2/3-seater version of the RMB, with a large rear deck area and fold-flat windscreen. Announced in March 1948, it was delivered to Geneva just too late to be exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show. Primarily designed for the North American export market, it was normally built with left-hand drive, with the gear change lever on the steering column. The bonnet and radiator were lowered and the bonnet catches were arranged to be operated internally. Extra over-riders were fitted to the bumpers and the fuel tank was enlarged to . Eighteen months later, in September 1949, Riley announced future production would include a small quota of cars with right-hand drive. Riley attributed that to a slight increase in the supply of steel. Instead of side windows it was supplied with flexible

celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common contemporary ...

-glazed side curtains with a hole for hand signals and, when deployed, flimsy synthetic roofing over a light metal frame. It shared that car's 2.5 L engine, and could reach . Just over 500 were built from 1948 until 1951. File:1948 Riley RMC (4650216016).jpg, 1948 in Canada File:1949 Riley Roadster - tan - rvr (4666431864).jpg, 1949 in USA Both the back and front of the car bore a remarkable likeness to a 1934 Ford V8.

Riley RMD

The RMD (drophead) was a traditional 2-door

cabriolet A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

, the last

to wear the Riley name. It used the same 2.5 L 100 hp (75 kW) engine as the RMB, on which it was based. Just over 500 were produced between 1949 and 1951. This new body was first displayed in October 1948 at London's Earls Court Motor Show. File:Riley Drophead Coupe.jpg, Riley RMD 2½-Litre Drophead Coupé 1950 File:Riley Drophead Coupe 2.jpg, Riley RMD 2½-Litre Drophead Coupé 1950

Riley RME

Released in 1952, the RME was an improved RMA. It still used the 1.5 L four and featured a fully hydraulic braking system. The body had an enlarged rear window with curved glass. To improve acceleration the rear axle ratio was changed from 4.89:1 to 5.125:1. When the 2.5 L (2443 cc) car ended production in October 1953 a switch to no running boards was amongst many updates to the RME including wholly new shaped front mudguards. Produced from 1952, it was discontinued in 1955 and ultimately its place in the range went in 1957 to the much shorter and unrelated, intended but unused, replacement for the Morris Minor —

Riley One-Point-Five The Riley One-Point-Five and similar Wolseley 1500 are automobiles produced by Riley and Wolseley respectively from 1957 until 1965. They utilised the Morris Minor floorpan, suspension and steering but were fitted with the larger B-Series en ...

also sold as

Wolseley 1500 Wolseley may refer to: People *Sir Charles Wolseley, 2nd Baronet (c. 1630–1714), English politician *Sir Charles Wolseley, 7th Baronet (1769–1846), English landowner and political agitator * Frances Garnet Wolseley, 2nd Viscountess Wolseley ( ...

Morris Major The Morris Major and Austin Lancer are passenger car models that were produced by BMC Australia between 1958 and 1964. Series I (1958 to 1959) The Morris Major and Austin Lancer were introduced in March 1958,BMC-Leyland Australia Heritage Gr ...

and the Austin Lancer. An RME tested by ''The Motor'' magazine in 1952 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 29.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £1,339 including taxes. File:Riley Saloon.jpg, Riley RME 1½-Litre 4-Door Saloon

Riley RMF

The RMF replaced the RMB in 1952. It shared that car's 2.5 L "Big Four" engine as well as the mechanical updates from the RME. The RMH Riley Pathfinder, the last automobile to use the Riley "Big Four" engine, and thus considered to be the last "real" Riley by purists, took its place after 1953 and continued in production until 1957.

Riley 2½-litre Big Four engine

The Big Four engine is a four cylinder 2.5 litre engine rated at 16.07 h.p. under the British RAC formula. It was designed in a matter of months, under difficult financial conditions, and announced in the summer of 1937. It followed existing Riley practice, similar to their 1.5 litre engine, but with each cylinder completely surrounded by a water jacket. The fully counter-weighted and balanced crankshaft ran in three main bearings. Pre-war power output was initially , then raised to . In its final Riley Pathfinder form, it developed and was produced until the end of Riley Pathfinder production in February 1957.

Bibliography

*A-Z of Cars 1945–1970. Michael Sedgwick and Mark Gillies. Bayview Books. 1989. *Book by James Taylor - ''RILEY RM-SERIES'' - *Book by John Price Williams - ''The Legendary RMs'' - *Ramsey, John. ''The Swapmeet and Toyfair Catalogue of British Diecast Model Toys''. Swapmeet Toys and Models Ltd. p. 29.

References

{{Automobiles made by BMC, BL and Rover Group companies, post-1945 RM 1950s cars Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Luxury vehicles Executive cars Sedans Convertibles Cars introduced in 1945