1950 Riley RMC

“ A wonderful recreation of the legendary Riley 24-hours Le Mans car, and a faithful facsimile too. ”
But, as a one-off recreation of a one-off Le Mans racing car, this Riley RMC should be pretty much guaranteed a place wherever you fancy competing. It’s VSCC-eligible too, which opens up yet another world of competition and social events.

Background
Riley was so focussed on conquering the lucrative North American market that those of us who drive on the correct side of the road had to wait until September 1949 before we could buy a right-hand drive RMC, eighteen months after it went into production.

A pretty car with cutaway doors and a full-width bench seat that could accommodate up to three close friends, its target market demanded that the gearchange be fitted on the steering column, the windscreen should be capable of being folded flat, the boot must be huge, and the bumpers should be reinforced by overriders.

Of course, being a British car the interior had to be made lavish with the traditional trifecta of leather, wood, and chrome.

And, because Riley had clearly used up its ration coupons on the cabin, the somewhat flimsy roof was installed over a light metal frame and instead of glass side windows, the RMC used a flexible celluloid material with holes in either side that allowed hand signals to be made.

All this, plus an aluminium bonnet and boot lid, made it a relatively light car at 1,346kgs, and with a 2.5-litre engine and four-speed manual gearbox under the bonnet, the 100hp the inline-four developed was enough to give the Rily a pleasingly symmetrical top speed of 100mph.

Independent front suspension, a torsion bar and hydraulic dampers have it admirable handling, 12-inch Girling hydro-mechanical drum brakes + servo assistance gave it decent stopping power, and a 20-gallon fuel tank gave it a decent range.

Just 500 had been built by the time production ceased in 1957, the point at which cars started to be badged as BMC Rileys.

Overview
First registered in December 1950 and showing just one former keeper on the V5 Registration Certificate, this 1950 Riley RMC has been in the seller’s care since 2021.

He spent those years creating a replica of the car that raced at Le Mans, a replica that is so accurate that it gained an FIA Passport and a VSCC Eligibility Document.

It’s no static exhibit either, as he’s also a member of the wonderfully-named Hellfire Motor Vehicle Club under whose auspices he recently completed a 100-mile rally.

This evocation became possible when he came into possession of what may be a unique collection of paperwork that comprehensively documents the efforts of Rob Lawrie and Geoffery Beetson when they raced as privateers at Le Mans in 1950.

And they did very well, completing 213 laps in total, covering 1,788.451 miles or 2,742.8kms – and they did it at an average speed of 74.518 miles-per-hour, enough to place them 17th out of sixty starters and fourth in the 3-litre class.

The car did very well too, averaging 15.3mpg despite topping out at 110mph – and when the sparkplugs were removed after 24 hours of non-stop racing they were “almost as new”: Even the drivers’ braking points remained the same, while those of their competitors became earlier and earlier to compensate for fading brakes.

Almost certainly unique, the winning bidder will be able to revel in both the seller’s expertise in knowing what to do – and how to do it properly.

Now run-in and shaken-down over 500 carefully-driven miles, ‘LXC 873’ comes with a huge history file, which further adds to the car’s already considerable appeal.

Exterior
The coachwork is convincingly patinated – and before you think we’re being unkind we should point out that a) almost every competition vehicle wears its hard-won dents and dinks with pride, and b) a car as characterful as this will always draw a bigger crowd than a potential concours winner.

And this one will draw a crowd wherever it goes, with many wanting to know what it is: Google “Riley RMC Le Mans” and the pickings are thin: Good job our seller knows his stuff.

Because a car like this is the result of hundreds of hours of research followed by hundreds of hours of engineering work. Thousands of pounds of investment too, plus, we have no doubt, many sleepless nights trying to figure it all out.

He started by emulating the original car’s weight-saving measures, removing the front and rear bumpers, and the hubcaps. The bonnet was also replaced with a single-piece one to shave off a few more ounces, and both the windscreen and roof can be removed very easily, just like those of the Le Mans car.

As for condition, the headline is that the panel fit is very good, with details like the louvres in the front wings, which run straight and true, adding to the positive impression.

And the colour? The Le Mans car was painted matt green, including much of the chromework, to reduce reflections. So, he did that, too.

It’s fitted with front and rear indicators, including a nice pair from Toby Mitchell on the rear and some huge Lucas 700s on the front. The latter are supported by a pair of auxiliary Lucas driving lights. (The Lucas spotlights on the race car were described as having been “magnificent”.)

The windscreen, which is supported by a delightful brass frame, can be folded down flat or even removed, just like the one on the competition car. This is a lovely touch, and we can imagine summer runs to the beach sans roof and with the screen down would be an absolute hoot, especially as there is an aeroscreen to keep the midges out of the driver’s eyes.

The roof is rakish and minimal; it’ll keep you dry and will do so in the most stylish possible way but then this is a very carefully considered motorcar. It’s in good shape too with no rips, tears, or other damage and even features a metal-framed rear screen.

The frame for the hood is in good shape, and rises and falls easily. The inner hood fabric is clean and free of stains. The package includes a pair of door tops, although these will need to be restored before being put into use.

The steel wheels have been painted to match the coachwork, a spare has been bolted to the rear, and the road wheels were fitted with brand-new 185VR16 Blockey rubber in 2023. (The spare is a 5.75/6.00-18 Avon Tourist, which has perished and cracked.)

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

Other nice touches include a brace of registration numbers on the rear, barely visible underrun protection behind each rear wheel, a leather bonnet strap, no fewer than four rear-view mirrors, and hand-painted competition roundels that include a light to illuminate the racing number.

This is a sportscar that has been made, not bought.

We could list the flaws but to do so would be to miss the point: Chips, scratches, and dinks are a part ‘n’ parcel of competition life – and buying a car that isn’t perfect also frees you of the responsibility of being the one to damage it first.

However, significant blemishes include a noticeable scuff to the nearside front wing, cracks to the paint on the offside front wing, and peeling paint on the radiator surround. The (dented) tailgate, whose handle is just for show, could also be aligned more neatly as it catches slightly.

View car and current bid price HERE