1951 Riley RMA 1.5litre Saloon

Description

Riley's mainstay of the post-war period was the RM series of saloons, dropheads and roadsters, built initially at Coventry although production later switched to the MG factory at Abingdon. The RMA was the first model announced, late in 1945, and featured a timber frame with torsion bar front suspension and a development of the pre-war overhead-valve four-cylinder engine, plus hydro-mechanical brakes. Marketed as the 1 ½ litre, the RMA had attractive, traditional styling and was capable of reaching 75 mph on the open road. Riley later supplemented the RMA with the 2 ½ litre RMB and some 10,504 RMAs were built between 1949 and 1951. The last Rileys to wear the famous blue diamond badge, the RM series was well received and The Motor reported "With its many traditional British features, its good road manners and its excellent build quality and finish, this latest 1 ½ litre Riley will continue to appeal to discerning drivers whose taste runs to an individual car of very pleasing up-to-date, but not ultra modern, line, which pretty much sums up the attraction of these cars today". Indeed this blend of traditional and modern qualities was neatly summed up by Riley's slogan of the day - "as old as the industry - as modern as the hour".