Offered from the late Colin Clifford Collection
1934 Riley TT Sprite Re-creation

• Owned since the late 1960s
• Initially restoration completed in the early 2000s
• Supercharger installation completed in 2018
• Requires recommissioning

Originally a six-cylinder Lincock coupé, this Riley was purchased by Colin Clifford in the late 1960s having been unused since the 1940s. Parked in long grass, the chassis was rotten and the engine had suffered frost damage. However, most other parts were usable and were refurbished. A large section of the chassis was replaced and the rear end changed to MPH/TT Sprite configuration. The rebuild was started in the late 1960s/early 1970s when the intention was to build an MPH replica.

The rebuild stalled when Colin began racing his Riley V8 specials and (later) sprinting Douglas motorcycles. Colin had owned an original MPH in the late 1970s/early 1980s and found it to be a tight squeeze and uncomfortable, so decided to build a TT Sprite replica instead. The rebuild commenced in the late 1990s after the Brooklands re-creation (also in this sale) had been finished.

Colin had collected lots of parts over the previous 30 odd years including an original TT Sprite radiator, lightweight steering box bracket, bigger brakes, and six Amal carburettors. Using a new body, the rebuild was completed in the early 2000s and the car initially fitted with a 1,500cc engine equipped with the six Amals. This arrangement was later changed to Special Series triple-carburettor specification. The odometer was zeroed at the time and currently reads 1,369 miles.

Subsequently Colin acquired a casting that would allow a supercharger to be fitted, and started building a blown engine based on a 15/6 unit. A new gearbox was acquired so there was no need to split the existing engine/transmission. Building the blown engine would take nearly two years, with delays caused by waiting for new parts to be made/cast, which included new drive gears for the blower and shorter con-rods to lower the compression ratio. To accommodate the supercharger, the engine and gearbox had to be moved rearwards using new mounts. Full rebuilds of the engine and gearbox were completed in 2018.

After encountering a few problems with the magneto breaking down, Colin eventually got the car up and running. Boost pressure is set relatively low, as Colin wanted low-down power rather than out and out performance. The front brakes have been altered to use inner and outer cables, which cures the excess pedal movement caused by stretching a single cable. The car has not been tested since the latest rebuilds were completed, so will need careful recommissioning, including a rolling road session to obtain optimum performance. Offered with a V5C document.