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Riley Elf Mk III - CM
Was driving behind one of these on the w/e. It looked quite like a Mini (original) so was wondering if there is a conection between the 2 cars.
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - David W
CM,

You're but a boy then??

Mini based with a boot and front end styling. Also a smartish interior if I remember.

Someone with a better memory, or their Observers Book of Cars to hand, will fill in the gaps.

Very popular with ladies of a certain age in The Cotswolds when I was young.

David
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Ian L
Was there not also a Wolsley version? Hornet?

Ian L.
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Ian Cook
Yes there was. I think the Riley had twin carbs and the Wolseley was single carb.

This dates from the era when BMC/BL (or whatever they were) put badges on the same model so that it appealed to the perceived owner profile. The Austin Cambridge of only a few years earlier was marketed as: Austin Cambridge, Morris Oxford, Riley (something or other), Wolseley 4/?? You just had a few more trinkets to glue the rust together.

Ian
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - JohnM{P}
Riley had a full width wooden dash, whereas the Wolsely just had an oval wood trim around the central instruments.
(My '67 E reg Elf had acquired a rust hole through the corner of the roof (trapped water due to 'goo' in the corner of the roof channel?) by '75, necessitating a plastic padding bodge + a friend's diy respray - complete with midges... UOO ???E)
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - UKC32
David W wrote:

Very popular with ladies of a certain age in The Cotswolds
when I was young.

David, not like you to boast, do tell us more....
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - David W
You know me, innnocently meant.

The blue rinse retired set loved these for nipping to the village baker, butcher, greengrocer, post office etc.

It isn't just the Elf that has gone!

David
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - UKC32
Couldn't resist an old fashioned double-entendre.

Back on topic -
Aren't these the variant that had a badge in the grille that lit up with the sidelights?
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - John Davis
That version was the Wolsely Hornet. In fact, as far as I remember, all Wolseleys featured this trademark, even the old 444's and others which the the police used. (See early clips from Z cars)
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Ian Cook
Ah, yes - the illuminated Wolseley radiator badge. Quite menacing on the front of Dad's maroon 6/90. The bloke in front was never quite sure that it wasn't the rozzers following him (early sixities, here) - unless you pulled back so that he could see that you didn't have a shiny bell on the front.

Ian
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Ian L
6/90 ? is that a larger version of the 6/80.....I ask since I worked on the exhaust of an ex-police 6/80 in evening classes a few years ago (Classic Car maintenance). we built a full exhaust from scratch in about 3 hours using some 'new' boxes and stainless steel piping.

Ian L.
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Ian Cook
The 6/90 followed the 6/80, chronologically. I'm hazy, here, but didn't the 6/80 have a split front windscreen? 6/90 was one piece.

There was also a Morris Oxford of roughly the same era - not like the Hindustans they still make in India, but more like a huge Morris Minor.

Ian
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Richard Hall
There was indeed a Wolseley Hornet - same car, different badge, although I think the Riley verson had twin carburettors and more instruments, as Riley was supposed to be BMC's 'sporting, but not as sporting as MG' brand. Badge engineering was at its finest with the slightly larger 1100 range, which offered six different brand names - two 'value family motoring' (Austin and Morris), two 'sporting' (Riley and MG) and two 'luxury' (Wolseley and Vanden Plas). Even VW Group's brand identities aren't in that much of a mess. You can see how customers ended up getting confused and bought Fords instead.

Heinz had some Hornets turned into convertibles, and offered them as prizes in a competition in 1966. Several have survived, but in general there aren't many Hornets or Elfs (Elves?) left, as they rusted in the same places as the old Mini.
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - terryb
Wasn't there a Vanden Plas version of the mini too?
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Ian Cook
You're probably thinking of the 1100/1300, Terry, where the Vanden Plas sported a huge grille on the front that looked quite out of place. Nice interior though, and included real wood and fold down picnic table on the backs of the front seats.

Ian
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Tomo
Rusted just the same as the rest, though.
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - mich
hello
Heinz had some Hornets turned into convertibles, and offered them as
prizes in a competition in 1966.


does anyone know how these Hornet convertibles could be won ? I know, it's a long time ago ... 1966, but i'd like to know !
thanks for answer :o)
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Honest John
I had a Wolseley Hornet once. Noticed a bit of a rattle coming from the back and thought it's just the exhaust dropped off and dragging along the road so carried on. When I got home and looked underneath it was the rear subframe.

HJ
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - John S
Cm

BL's badge engineering at its finest, although they did sport slightly more space for luggage. Yes, Wolseley was the 'luxury' version, the Riley was the 'sporting' version

Mk1 Elf/Hornets (rare) had the 850 engine from the basic Mini, but from Mk2 on had the 998 which compensated a bit for the extra weight.

Regards

john
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Ian L
The Hornet that I used to pass every morning on my paper-round
(20+ years ago) was beautifully looked after by a retired RAF officer gentleman type....immaculate even down to the leather interior.

Ian L.
Re: BMC Cars - Methuselah
>The Austin Cambridge of only a few years earlier was marketed as: Austin
Cambridge, Morris Oxford, Riley (something or other), Wolseley 4/??

IIRC, the *Riley* derivatives were the 4/68 and 4/72, whilst the MGs were the Magnette Mark III and IV, dreadful successors to the very good looking MG Magnette ZA and ZB (?) of the late 1950s. I don't recall the Wolseley equivalent.

The Riley derivative of the 1300 was the Kestrel, the 1950s Oxford *was* the forerunner of the Hindustan/Ambassador, in its facelifted form in about 1956/57, and there was also a stretched six cylinder version, the Isis, which had a right hand gearchange a la Bentley Mk VI, as did the Riley Pathfinder of the late 1950.

I daresay Red Robbo could fill in the gaps - he made enough of them .....
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - bob
no input from bogbrush on this page. Can't we talk about how fast they could go and speed cameras, so that bogbrush could join in?

Alternatively, we could keep this page going and talk about a whole load of interesting stuff without him knowing!
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Richard Hall
I think that if we get too tangled up in the chaotic model range that was BMC, we'll all end up glad to return to a nice simple subject like speed cameras.

For a while I was looking out for an Austin Cambridge estate, scruffy but structurally solid, to use as dog transport and for fetching car parts from scrapyards. I love those old BMC cars - something about the smell of old leather seats, engine oil and smouldering Lucas electrics. But I couldn't find an estate - I suppose the banger racers had them all.
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - David W
Ah that smell Richard.

Popped my head inside an Austin Chummy the other day and that was the same.

David
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - KB
It's only when I got out of a modern car and in to an Austin Cambridge, a few years ago, that I realised how much harder work it was then. The brakes, the steering, roadholding, even trying to keep a straight line on a straight road...it was all such hard work. Having said that, the sight of any of the cars mentioned on this thread, especially the Police Wolseleys, does take me back to another era when Sgt. Murray came round to our infant school complete with portable zebra crossings and road signs to give us road safety demonstrations.

Oh well, back to the real world.......about this climate control, ABS and speed related electric power steering.
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - T.Lucas
Loads of the Elfs,Hornets,Kestrels and Vanden Plas etc have been exported to Japan,how strange is that?
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Ian L
Reminds me of a colleague's car.....old english white, Vandenplas Princess.....huge monster of a car with a Rolls Royce engine and chassis and coachwork by Vandenplas. You needed a hoist to do any work on it as everything was so heavily built!

Ian L.
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Ian Cook
..and this posting reminds me of the Austin Sheerline that a school chum of mine owned. It must have been about a 1950 car - huge, black, thirsty (oh, goodness me how thirsty), but magnificent. I saw one at the classic car show (NEC) in 2000 and it still looked fabulous - even my son was impressed, and he's an Alfa drving petrolhead.

Ian
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Peter
My father used to own two of these cars, used for funerals and weddings etc.

Having just passed my driving test in 1965 (18yr old) he askd me if I fancied a trip to London. Little did I know that the return journey involved driving a Sheerline from London to Bridlington on the old A1 at night, no money and very little idea, in London, where North, South, East or West was. Good experience, as the old man just disappeared ahead, never to be seen til Bawtry. The conversation started with "Where th 'ell 'ave you bin" Happy days.
Re: Riley Elf Mk III - DavidHM
My mum's first car, before I was born, was a Van den Plas 1100. Shortly after she got married, my parents traded it in for an Allegro (!).

www.copel.co.jp/images/bon-main.jpg

Anyone know what this is? (It's called a Copel Bonito, but what is it underneath?)

Re: Riley Elf Mk III - Archie
It's a repro VdP Princess 1300 from Japan based on a Nissan Micra.
Riley Elf Mk III - Mondaywoe
asitappens.....I've got a 1967 Riley Elf in my garage!

My sister bought it as her first car back in the 1980s. We spent many happy hours refurbishing it right left and centre. Unfortunately, like all Minis, it succumbed to the rust bug. Well, to be fair, it just needs new floor panels - everything else is in pretty fair nick. I kept it for her in my garage, always intending to restore it properly when I got time.....

It's black (not original) with red leather upholstery, walnut dash and hydrolastic suspension. When my sister first bought it, there was a character in Coronation Street (still impersonated by Les Dennis and others) called Mavis Riley. If you are old enough to remember Mavis' character and voice you'll appreciate why we called our Elf 'Mavis' (Particularly noticeable in first gear!!)

So there it sits.If you want to know anything about the Elf, you know where to come!

Anybody fancy a restoration job?

Graeme
Riley Elf Mk III - El Hacko
In Cuba recently, walking down main street in Havana... among the many wonderful old cars saw a Singer Gazelle, with beautiful gleaming metallic blue paintwork and shiny chrome grille. As it went by, surprise, surprise...the rear was a Lada!