West Coast Classics present a very rare "barn find" example of this 1951 Riley RMD 2 1/2 Litre Drophead Coupe with it's original 2443cc 2.5L DOHC Inline-4 engine although please note that this is a non-running car will need a total restoration. The car is incredibly rare and very desirable amongst collectors and enthusiasts as it is reportedly 1 of only 503 built in total with only about 50 left that are known to exist. This was also the final year of production for the RMD and it has simply spectacular original factory color Blue paint.
Finished in it's original factory 'Blue' color paint with a 'Tan color interior, which is actually in quite good condition all things considered, and which would be indicative of the car's reported low original 17K miles. The car also has its original wheels. The convertible roof has rotted away and there is some minor rust.
By the time the RM series appeared in 1945, the great days of Riley had sadly passed. Founded in 1898, the company had made it's reputation in the 1920's and 1930's with a series of very well built and regarded saloons and thoroughbred sports cars. It had forged a very fine racing record too, but by the late 1930's finances were looking shaky and the Nuffield organization took the helm in 1938 and Riley became part of the Morris-MG-Wolseley Nuffield Organization. Even so the immediate post war cars managed to retain their individuality and the RMA & RMB models had a classic high cam 4 cylinder engine, torsion bar independent front suspension & elegant fabric topped, timber framed steel bodywork bodies. The 1 1/2 litre RMB could manage 75 mph whilst the most desirable RMB produced a highly respectable 95 mph with long geared cruising at about 85mph. With the longest stroke of any post war British production car, the RMB's were extremely torquey too. They handled well, despite heavy steering at low speeds.
For enthusiasts the two RM variants were the RMC with cut-away doors and which was a three seater roadster and the RMD drop head coupe, both of which were built in very limited numbers (507 RMC's & 502 RMD's) to capture the American sales, with the RMC sporting an Amercian style column gearchanger, a fold-flat screen and lowered bonnet line & with the RMD Drophead Coupe boasting a standard sports 4 speed manual transmission matched to it's sport 2 1/2 liter engine! Built solely for the American market, 507 RMC's were sold along with a further 502 four seater drophead RMD's and these two variants have proved to be the most sought after and desirable by collectors. Last of the RM line would be the 1952 RME (1496cc) and RMF (2443cc) with full hydraulic brakes, a hypoid back axle and bigger rear windows with the final run being built in 1955.
All in all, the RM, announced in 1945, had preserved the Riley character with a technically advanced chassis and with coach-built body choices of definite sporting flair. Riley's own engine was continued, featuring hemispherical combustion chambers and twin camshafts operating inclined valves through short pushrods. Riley RM-series cars, often called the last of the real Riley's, were among the first new British designs after WWII. The successful pre-war engine design was carried over a featured hemispherical combustion chambers, dual overhead camshafts and dual SU carburetors. Mated to a 4-speed manual transmission the Riley was reportedly capable of over 100 mph and examples are highly sought after today by both collectors and enthusiasts.
The extraordinarily rare 1951 Riley RMD 2 Liter Drophead Coupe offered here is therefore a wonderfully well preserved example for restoration by the right enthusiast and hails from the final year of the Riley Convertible production. As one of few as 50 known examples today, this Rileys sure to prove a wonderful addition to any British classic sports car enthusiasts collection.
