Riley · 1939–1940
Riley 16
The Riley 16 hp is a car made by the British Riley company from 1937 to 1940. It slotted into Riley's range immediately below their 18 hp V8 model. Announced in September 1937 for the Earls Court Motor Show it became one of the two genuine Riley models in the rationalised range that followed the 1938 takeover by the Nuffield Organization. It had a 2443cc straight-four engine with twin cams and S.U carburettor which developed 82 bhp (61 kW). The transmission was a four speed manual. It was capable of a top speed of around 80 mph (129 km/h). The chassis was a lengthened version of the one used on the Riley 12 hp which was introduced at the same time. The 1939/40 16 hp was available with a standard saloon, Kestrel fastback saloon or drophead coupe coachwork. Michael Sedgwick described this long-stroke four as a first-class tourer in the Riley tradition, Britain's largest four since the 4½-lire Bentley ended production in 1931. Its chassi, he said, was regular Riley - beam axles and Girling brakes - fitted with Borg-Warner overdrive as standard. It would run up to 90 mph. The engine ran very smoothly for a four-cylinder. Good value for money; it survived into Riley's Nuffield-owned era but with disc wheels, umbrella handbrake lever and ordinary synchromesh gearboxes, (Nuffield) ". . . made a few wire-wheeled Kestrels in 1939 and 1940 to keep the traditionalists happy".
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Specifications
- name
- 1938 Riley 16hp
- Manufacturer
- Riley
- Production
- 1939–1940
- Body style
- 1937:, Continental sports saloon, Kestrel 6-light saloon, Adelphi 6-light saloon, 1939, Kestrel 6-light saloon, Kestrel 2-door drophead coupé
- Predecessor
- none
- Successor
- Riley RMB
- Wheelbase
- 116 in
- Width
- 63 in
- Length
- 179 in
- Engine
- 2.4 L Straight-4
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.
More photos
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24993738CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riley_16CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1255523093 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1938_Riley_164_Big_Four_Kestrel_6-Light_saloon.jpgCC BY 2.0 · Photo: Steve Glover · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.