Riley One-Point-Five - the 50s car meant to replace the Morris Minor!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- Riley One-point-five
Made from 1957 to 1965, the Riley One-Point-Five’s story began in the early 50s when Nuffield which had Riley as part of the automotive family merged with Austin and became the British Motor Corporation.
When all the brains on both sides were merged, which meant the 1.5 as we’re out in today, wasn’t a completely fresh idea. The Morris Minor had been an enormous hit and keen to keep building on the success and grab of the market share, Issigonis had been working on a replacement modelled on the Morris Minor.
Here’s the thing though, with the merger, came two design teams and in one corner you had Gerald Palmer, the man who gave us cars like Magnette, the Javelin and the Pathfinder and in the other corner, we had Dick Burzi. Now Burzi had an interesting career path pre BMC and had worked on Lancia’s pre-war; he was Leonard Lord’s favourite and got the nod to work on the Minor replacement.
So incensed at this perceived injustice based on favouritism, Gerald Palmer then left BMC.
Burzi then steps up to the plate and gets designing and creates the one point five, but with an oil crisis I mention later on and the growing sales of the Minor, BMC made a wise decision not to bin off the Morris Minor; which ironically outlives this car!
The final product is then tweaked and instead of being a like for like low in the range motor, they decide to jazz it up a bit and create what is then known as a small, sporting saloon.
With so many brands under the roof of BMC, the teams in charge decide to make it the Wolseley 1500 and Riley one-point-five; each tweaked slightly in styling to marry up to the usual brand styling. A nice early example of badge engineering to some degree.
Both cars though were based on the Minor: with a floor pan and monocoque construction amended by Issigonis. The suspension was lifted from the minor and is front torsion bar, wishbones and dampers with rear leaf springs with dampers.
The brakes, engine and gearbox were taken from elsewhere in the BMC family and For reference in case you’ve ever driven one before, the gearbox is the MGA type 4 speed gearbox. Brakes are like pretty much anything of this size of the era and they’re Girling Hydraulic with 9 inch drums to front and 8 inch to rear.
Engine is the 1.5 B series 1489cc giving 68bhp.
The performance was good - some motoring publications have it billed down at 82/83 from tests at the time but official figures gave 87 miles per hour. The car did 0 to 60 in 18.5 seconds and the fuel economy was fair, at 25-30 miles per imperial gallon.
Overall, a pleasing prospect then and now.
That car is gorgeous. Love the maroon colour and biscuit trim combination. The radiator and air filter box shine as much as the rest of the car.😍 Woodwork beautiful. Full credit to the owner who has invested a lot of money on this. I love it.
What a wonderful car, restored or not. Beautiful restoration, though. It is what I consider the image of British motors of that era: small but with excellent design, with thoughtful, luxurious additions, and excellent mechanicals (for that period). North American manufacturers always thought small meant cheap, and they built accordingly. As a result, there was never a small, stylish car with luxury appointments. Excellent video (as always!). Thank you, Steph.
Well said!
What a lovely little car. Somebody obviously loves it.
I had use of one of these back in the 1980s,I was always surprised how quick it was,the riley was perfectly capable of keeping up with modern traffic
That's a coincidence so did i, got it out of barn in North Yorkshire (there were also a couple of heralds and an austin atlantic.) Did some basic body work restoration but it really needed more. Cumberland green with two tone green and cream leather upholstery, slightly earlier model than this with the 'bullet' type wrap around indicators. Was capable of racing MGB's once i got the engine tuned up by a local firm. Handling needed brave hands on the wheel because of the way it wallowed at the front end, too stiff at the back (7 leaf cart springs and that soft front suspension with lever arm dampers) but once it had wallowed it would actually corner quite predictably. i ran it up until the early 2000's. Now it is sitting in my garage and has been for 20 years and really does need restoring but haven't the time or money... i went all over the country in it, never let me down, because i maintained it. though i did snap a half shaft! which i changed at the roadside, i carried a spare because it had a reputation for doing that. cheap and easy to maintain and as you say, fast. a bit too fast for the suspension set up. My mum told me that it was regarded as 'over engined' when it came out and knew several people who had gone into hedges or walls trying to corner one! Loved the tappety sound of the engine on start up - like a Sopwith camel is how one of my friends described it. (tappets to be adjusted HOT to get the valve timing correct) I would love to get it going again.
Absolutely beautiful restoration. Love it!
Too nice for somebody like me, a credit to the owner.
Beautifully restored car. Thank you.
Isn’t it just!
Sweet, genteel motorcar ❤❤ great video Steph!
Thank you! Got spoilt with this one
When I was a teenager, one of my friends had a Wolseley 1500 in blue. It was a lovely car, always looked smart and lasted for ages. Nice review!
Excellent review, thanks Steph. Got to say it makes a change for the speedo in a classic car to not be bouncing around like a mad thing! The speedo in this Rily looks to be operating perfectly 👌
It clearly wears a T-shirt with a message that reads: "Keep Calm and Indicate Velocity". 😁
The Riley 1.5 pre-dated the Austin/Morris Mini Cooper as BMC'S first 'factory hot rod' which featured what was essentially a Morris Minor with an MGA engine and transmission. Great little cars but as with many cars of the era the dreaded 'tin worm' took it's toll. I could be wrong but I think the Riley and MG 'B' series engines were finished in red rather than green. Good choice of vehicle Steph.
Thank you Steph, you have made my day. I had one of these in the same colour (Damask Red - and yes, grey leather interior) which I restored in the 1980s. I absolutely loved driving it. Unfortunately a redundancy in the early 90s forced me to sell. I have always regretted that and miss this wonderful car. Perhaps, now I am retired, I should find another good example to enjoy?
Always loved a Riley 1500 Who wouldn't! Great reviww Thanks
I had hoped Riley 1.5 or Wolseley 1500 would be my first car , but couldn’t afford one . Got a Triumph TR3A as a student and now in my seventies drive an ND MX5 , but would still love that Riley , for my old age .
Quality'sympathetic restoration to a nice formal motor
Steph's in her autumn plumage I see. Halloween must be on the horizon lol.
I do love these old motors. We all rave about the Astons and Ferraris and Rollses etc, but it's always nice to see more "bread and butter" cars of any age.
Rather have these "luxury" smaller cars, then the exotics.
I prefer all the normal people stuff x
Thanks for sharing Steph, nice car and beautiful colour. Similar colour to my Morris Minor. Burgundy. 😊👍
Yours is lovely Maroon B isn’t it?
@@idriveaclassic it's actually Rolls Royce burgundy. It would have been originally Belmont Green.
The original Riley red colour was known as "Damask Red". I still have the spray cans to prove it! 😄
This Riley 1.5 litre is very nice so shiny under the bonnet and a very good restoration and who doesn't love a wood dash board so classy
That is a beautiful and timeless piece of design. The interior is a delight to be in and the car complements the English countryside perfectly. It is THE car to take for a picnic on a summer's day with a wicker basket hamper, proper crockery and cutlery and tea in a cup and saucer. The car is England in automotive design. Perfect.
One of my all-time favourite Classic cars! I love it!
Hi from Sydney, Australia. Back when I was a kid in the mid 1950's we had 5 versions of this body, The Riley, 1.5litre same as this car you are driving, the Wolseley version, Austin Lancer, Morris Elite, then later The Morris Major Elite which had an Aussie exclusive bigger engine and added on "fin" caps attached to the tops of the rear mudguards, this latter type were made in bigger numbers , and that local engine had long use lifetimes , many on the roads for 3 plus decades, owned by elderly people who had to make a car last being pensioners, additionally the Aussie engine was known to last so the vehicles became a favorite of the elderly whom could not afford costly repairs.
Built back in the day when the British people could be proud of what they designed, built/manufactured & exported valued products by those who bought them, as you knew you were really getting what you had just paid for, plus when you had finished with it, the said item could be again resold and your purchasing funds recouped.
When my brother learned to drive in 1969 he desperately wanted a Wolseley 1500 but somehow ended up with one of these, which in Australia, they were literally unheard of and highly prized by enthusiasts. I remember the factory colour was the most ghastly shade of pale green.
Major props to the owner of this beautiful Riley 1.5. I love the way you presented it. It seems like a Morris Minor that went to finishing school. :-)
In the mid 60s I learnt to drive in one well the guy teaching me had a Wolseley to start with then he swapped it for the Riley version for a learner the Riley had the advantage of having a rev counter so doing hill starts he told me to get the engine speed to the correct level and slowly let the clutch out and it worked no slipping back once you know what you are doing it is not a problem but I always remember that they really was lovely little cars I passed my test after ten lessons at the age of 18.
a little gem Steph
I have a Riley1.5 on my ever increasing car wish list. Great video of a wonderfully restored car. Thank you Steph. 😀👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Hard to believe these things were considered "sporty" back in the day, but they were, I remember them. A woman used to park one across the road from my childhood home (talking 1968 - 72ish). My dad had an Austin Cambridge A55 at the time, which started out with the same engine as the one in your Riley. He later replaced it with the 1622cc unit from a rolled A60.
That’s a fine looking car Steph!
Hello Steph. Not sure if you already knew and just didn't mention it, but the lesser equipped Morris version did actually exist, in Australia. BMC Australia built the Morris Major and Austin Lancer versions, which did actually sell quite well, comparative to the Minor, possibly because we always enjoyed our cars a little larger down here. Series 1, 1958/59, and an updated series 2, 1959-62, after which the Austin badged car was dropped, and the Morris gaining another facelift, and named the Major Elite. That was then replaced in 64 by the front drive Morris 1100. Quite basic, as you would expect from the lower range brands, but the Wolseley was also produced here in much smaller numbers. We didn't get the Riley locally, but I do believe some were privately imported. Good video on this one, as per your usual standard. Enjoying your content.
What an absolutely beautiful little car. I can remember them from being a kid in the 1960's and there were still quite a few around when I first past my test in 1972. I always thought they were a wonderfully designed and pretty little car that stood out from the crowd back in its day.
Nurse Gladys would approve!
['Open All Hours' reference.]
Living in Glasgow I love when you say your from "way up north" 😂
I bought my first car in 1973, a 1964 Riley 1.5 for £95. The twin carbs of the Riley, compared to the sister Wolseley 1500 gave it a decent feel of briskness. Never noticed any engine or gearbox problems at 70'ish on the motorway. Rather susceptible to winds there though..., never worked out whether that was tired suspension, chassis or what. A few years prior.., the family car had been a 1961 Hillman Minx 1500. In retrospect, I'd say the Minx was a nicer driving experience. No complaints about the Riley though.
Thank you for posting this video.., enjoyed.
This is a beautifully restored car. Small but very upmarket looking in this color scheme.
These are beautiful cars Steph and I would have one tomorrow, loved them since I was a kid (Yes I was once a kid 🤣🤣🤣). They are just so stylish and classy.
Classy is the perfect word!
As a youngster in the 60s, these and likley the Wolseley, often seemed to really bombing along, Clearly remember them always overtaking dad's car. Used to admire them.
Thanks for that Steph a "beautiful classic" this car was part of my childhood. It's such a shame that you were not BORN in the 60's it's obvious how much you LOVE the 60's. I consider myself "privileged" to have grown up in the late 50's and through the 60's.
WOW Steph - that is one beautiful car. In the early 60s, our neighbours sister had one of these in an almost salmon pink colour, while her brother in law had a Riley 2.6 - can you get one of those to review ?????? Thanks Steph for another superb video - take special care 🙂 X X
What a beautiful little car,love the way the spare is stored😊
This is the car I learned to drive in, using a book entitled Car Driving in Two weeks, and I did! Loved the acceleration with the twin carbs.
As always Steph an excellent review of a car familiar to me in my younger days. I was surprised to hear it was designed to replace the humble Morris Minor as I had always understood it to be a replacement for the Palmer designed MG Magnette and Wolseley 15/50 which although successful were expensive to produce hence using the Minors underpinnings as the basis for their replacement.
One of your best! Loved that.
Great presentation, Steph, of a beautiful car. I love everything about its looks - inside and out.
love the way the pattern of your frock reflected in the speedo bezel.
Love these smaller "luxury" versions of regular cars.
What a lovely little car the interior so beautiful and tasteful unlike modern cars with all hard black plastics
What a lovely car Steph and an excellent review. When I was in Australia a few years ago, I saw what I thought was one of these, but in fact it was a Morris Major that was produced by BMC Australia. It was basically the same car with a few changes and Morris badging. I believe they did an Austin version down under as well.
Morris Major and Austin Lancer. BMC Australia was also responsible for the Morris Marshall, a badge-engineered A95 Westminster.
Just to let you know that I am 6.3. and have a wolseley 1500 and I have no problems with my line of vision 're the top of the windscreen. There were 103,000 1500s made. Nice video thanks.
Wonderful review of a beautifully styled and restored car ❤
I was taught to drive on a Minor, and this looks like a Minor that has been developed to its full potential, and that's a lot: such a lovely car. I don't think it's realistic to expect a fifth gear at this era, but overdrive might have been possible, to give you 3+ and 4+. BTW, 4:00, neither 82mph nor 87mph were above the speed limit on the open road when this beauty first appeared, so it did make a difference which figure was realistic (in bragging terms, if not in journey times).
Lovely car stephx
It really is!
That was a very enjoyable review. It is a most attractive car: it exudes quality. The restoration was very well done.
A very nice Riley One-Five. It has been restored to a high standard and I do like the choice of interior colour on the seats and door cards. I am being very picky here but it is not a stereo Steph as it has only one speaker thus a mono. Thanks for another great review Steph. 👍👍
Lovely. I prefer these to the Morris Minor but not because it's a more upmarket car, I just prefer the pontoon styling. The dashboard is like a work of art.
I remember them still being about in the 1970's. I did not know they were based on the Minor or a posh version of it though. Interesting video.
Yes they were lovely on their day too.
If that’s the MGA gearbox, then you could, subject to space in the transmission tunnel, fit an overdrive gearbox. I remember seeing a Morris Minor Traveller, complete with the wooden trim, with a 1.8 litre twin carb setup and an overdrive gearbox. A bit like the MGB set up and that went like Steam!
Hi Steph
Great video. I spent most of yesterday driving a very low mileage example of the Wolseley version of this car in and around Old Warden in Bedfordshire for a new UA-cam video about the Shuttleworth Collection. If you have never visited there l highly recommend that you do, as the world famous collection of aircraft and motor vehicles is superb and all set in a stunning, picturesque and timeless surrounding...you would love it 🙂
I had one of these back in the '90s but sadly it was destroyed by fire. I bought it in the Coventry area but was living in northern Scotland at the time so the drive home was 500 miles. It was fine on the motorway, cruising at 70 did not seem frenzied or noisy. I am 6 foot tall and it did not feel cramped or bad for visibility. Of course, all classic cars were much cheaper back then so mine was £1000 in tidy but not immaculate condition.
These were go to first car in the 70's. Out of fashion, cheap to buy and insure but suprisingly fast.
A very nice example l’ve always liked the Wolseley 1500 but this is just that little bit nicer.
I do agree that boot lid would drive me mad, as for the drum brakes would something like the Marina front disc conversion be an option?
I feel like everyone does the marina disc brake conversion and it’s so expensive.
Good advice on not buying blind. That would be a decider for me Morris minors feel very big inside. I drive a Duster just now and I feel like I look out along to top of the windscreen
I've owned a Riley 1.5 when I was very young and then had the use of one in 1987 around the time of the hurricane of that year. And I can tell you that the little Riley was a very quick little motor car. My manager had a 1.8 Marina and he and I raced down the A12 from Yarmouth to Lowestoft and the little Riley went sailing past the Marina. Another time and the only time the Riley was beaten and only just, was by a Ford Escort Mexico. So the top speed of 85 or thereabouts is nonsense. Both Rileys were about as fast as each other and both would easily exceed that. Maybe the Riley I drove in '87 might have been a whisker quicker and as far as I'm aware both were standard. I've owned the Wolseley 1500 and it didn't compare to the Riley.
With respect, I would hate to say ‘nonsense’ when these are figures provided by manufacturer. Can only go off original brochures and road tests.
Finally,,,,, a car that has little to no physical imperfections. So many cars you show need some serious work on even the basic things. Yes its restored but its correctly done and not overdone, kudos to the owner.
Please remember to be respectful toward the owners who very kindly lend their cars for idriveaclassic. I wouldn’t say any of my cars are museum worthy and I got lucky here with one that could easily be showcased as ‘new’.
What a beautiful example. Restoration looks better than original but it's so desirable. It could pass for a Vanden Plas.
My favourite classic is the MGA, I was lucky enough to work on them and drove a fair few, I agree about the gearbox and engine, they're really nice to use. I'm from the North too and I've only ever seen the Wolseleys and they're a smart looking little car although I'd have to do the 6ft test. MGA Mk2 Deluxe's had that problem with their thicker seat bases, I would be looking at the top windscreen rail on them.
Steph, that car is in Pebble Beach condition, is it in a museum? My little Fabia MK1 with 64 BHP will do 90 mph plus!
Your sweater is awesome
I always liked those. I remember them as knee high to a grasshopper. Never knew they were based on a Morris minor. Though. Wonder if anybody fitted that b series into a minor... would have been great...😊
I wonder if the earlier versions, with exterior boot lid hinges, allowed for a higher lid lift. Also, replacing all of the Minor variants with a new 1200 range (2 & 4 door Saloon, Tourer, Estate, Van, Pickup) would probably have been costly and complicated.
oooh high on my list of wants
Saaaaame
Lovely car and I have the sane car in Sri Lanka but it needs complete restoration 😭
Sorry, I know those are the official figures, I have the road test figures from Motor. All I was saying is that in real life the cars were considerably quicker than the official figures suggest. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Good video btw.
To me, it looks quite a bit like an Alfa Romeo, which in period would have been way more expensive. The biscuit interior pairs with the exterior perfectly. ❤
Fabulous ❤
Wow! Looks like a baby roller though without the engine. Bet you wanred to take it home. I'd be frustrated at the power and want to hop it up, but for someone more genteel and refined, what agem🎉
Cars were so much better then
My ex father in law used to sell a few cars on the side at his farm and he sold me a wolseley 1500 in green no back bumper and boy did that go i used to travel from Newbury to Salisbury every day on relief and it did the journey well had for a year then prop shaft dropped off and after that a few things happened so got rid but overall the car was good if I had spent some money on it could have kept longer I'm wondering if it's still about but probably not I wouldn't hesitate now if I could find something like that Riley to buy but not cheap now thanks for the memory
That's a very nice car.
Great car and vid. . But be careful: you talk about replacing the Morris Minor. By this time, the car was known as the Morris 1000, not Morris Minor. It was long gone by this time.
A beautiful car with tastefully done changes here and there. What do you think about the addition of safety belts? Something I am considering in my ‘59 SIMCA Aronde which doesn’t have laminated safety glass. Best wishes from 🇺🇸.
A Regal Minor?
100%
Sooped up moggy thou with a cream filling!!
Wow fab car 🚗 👌
I like it!
My morris major elite is a relative of this.
Wasn't there an identical Wolesley? If so, the figure quoted of 20,000 Rileys would be slightly misleading.
As I said in the video, there were 20,000 Riley’s and 100,000 Wolseleys. They might be the ‘same’ car but styled differently internally and externally. Therefore my figure is not misleading.
My longish comment about the Austin Lancer and Morris Major and Major Elite replacing the Morris Minor in Australia seems to be lost for some reason.
It’s sadly not showing for me
My godfather had one from new I was about 8 at the time we thought it was the Hight of luxury I can still remember the new car smell however it was starting to date
I from Malaysia My late father has this he brought used car from 1966 to 1973 no radio for estate road long distance driving plate number NA5506.Replace with opel kadett b 1200s 4 door sedan 1973😊😢
Was overdrive ever an option on these for those doing longer distance A road journeys etc?
819£ in 1957 would be about 20282£ now.
Which I would happily finance for a brand new one 😂
@@idriveaclassic and now i have to calculate how many hours it would take to handbuild one😂
That's a little backhander if you're an MP.
If there a b series engine does that mean a mgb 1800 would bolt in ?
Anyone know the whereabouts of cnx 898b
A red Riley 1.5 ?
That's not a stereo, it's a mono radio.
The kind of car that shaped the good reputation of the British automotive industry, until the BL disaster ruined this.
It looks very Italian, like a posh Fiat.
Only thing we put in a boot is a foot.
Nearly as beautiful as u Steph??
🥰🥰🥰
A caa. Make that a car. Notice that letter r right there at the end of the word.
Stop being a heel.
Had one at university in late 70s. Awful car. Modern cars are so much better.