Driver Magazine - 2025 - issue 1 of 3 - Magazine - Page 41
DRIVING A 1905 RILEY 9HP
This 120-year-old car is drivable! That being said, it definitely won9t be the most comfortable (or quiet) drive you9ve ever
been on. It9s not a case of jumping in and turning a key, it9s something of a tricky process just to get things started.
Starting the Engine
Prime the fuel system using the gravity-fed carburettor.
Turn on the battery (an electric ignition replaced the original magneto)
Crank the engine manually - a physically demanding but (mostly) satisfying process.
Once out on the road, you won9t be able to hear the person next to you. You9ll have to signal using your arms anytime you
want to turn a corner, and you9ll have to put up with pretty much everyone around you staring, waving, and smiling.
That being said though…it9s a fantastic experience that is hard to compare to anything else unless you have driven a car
from the same era.
It copes with quiet modern roads well but you would struggle to keep up with anything other than slow-moving traffic.
That9s not important though. You don9t drive a car as special and as unique as this to go quickly, you drive it to experience
what early motoring was like and to see how far we have come in a relatively short period of time.
It9s loud, it9s shaky, and it can be a bit smokey, but, seeing the only 1905 Riley 9hp on the road is a sight that any petrolhead
would struggle to forget.
THE LEGACY OF RILEY
Although Riley would later become known for its sporting saloons in the 1920s and 1930s, it was models like the 9hp that
laid the foundation for the company9s success. The story of the prototype 9hp from 1905 isn9t over yet either.
Bridge Classic Cars has turned its story into a children9s book that introduces history, friendship, and sustainability to a
younger audience. With the main character being based on this car, the story of this incredibly special and entirely unique
car still has a few chapters left in it!
38
