Riley Kestrel (Riley 1300 Mk2).
Senior O'Briens posted the following two Riley car photos to my Facebook page, after I uploaded similar snapshots of the related MG 1300 saloon to the site. Until this point, no in-period photos of the Riley Kestrel version of BMC's original Austin/Morris 1100/1300 had featured in this section of Old Classic Car. Slowly but surely, all variants of the ADO16 range are appearing here now, which I'm really pleased about, especially given how numerous these cars once were on British roads.
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The car shown below was first registered in the Birkenhead area, as MCM 560G, dating it to mid-1969 approximately. A number of accessories have been fitted to this example, photograph number one shows an extra four spot/fog lamps, a matched pair of wing mirrors, and slide-on door edge protectors - once a common sight on cars of the era. The Riley is also bereft of its original hubcaps. Was it used for club-level car events, such as road rallies, or autotests perhaps? I think that
I can also see a suction, "Helphos" brand, directional spotlamp inside the car's windscreen, handy for night-time navigational events.
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The Riley Kestrel name first saw light of day in the pre-war era, and was resurrected for Riley's badge-engineered version of BMC's mid-sized saloons, joining the range from 1965-onwards. This, like the MG, was a sporting version of the ADO16, with twin-carburettors, a rev counter, and the option of duo-tone paint. In June 1967 the option of the 1275cc engine was offered. October 1967 would see the introduction of the Mk2, while a year later further revisions saw the Kestrel name dropped, in preference to simply calling the car a Riley 1300 Mk2. It continued in production until July 1969, being replaced by the Austin/Morris 1300GT.
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The young lady in both photos is now Senior O'Briens' wife.
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Next, a rear view of the same car. The Mk2 badging can clearly be seen on the Riley's bootlid.
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Return to Page 21 in the motoring image archive, or visit the main index of vintage & classic photographs here.
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