"Introduced in 1926, the Riley 9hp twin-camshaft four cylinder engine was an outstanding design by any standards with various versions powering Rileys until 1957, so it was not so surprising that to create its first Six the firm simply scaled it up, adding two cylinders. This new power unit retained the 9hp four's 60.3mm x 95.2mm bore and stroke dimensions for a total capacity of 1633cc, and first appeared late in 1928 powering the Stelvio fabric-bodied saloon. Alternative styles on the Six chassis were the saloon and special tourer, both bodied by Riley's Coventry neighbours, Hancock and Warman. The Coventry marque's pre-war offerings were among the world's finest small-capacity sporting cars and its new 14/50hp Six was no exception; the chassis was similar to that of the contemporary Nine, consisting of open, channel-section main members swept up over the rear axle, and measured 10' in the wheelbase.
Manufactured in May 1932, this Riley Tourer is a matching numbers example and has a virtually continuous history from new. This Alpine is also a special series model fitted with the associated upgrades of 10” Rotax headlamps, bronze bodied triple carburettors and twin spare wheels. The car is fitted with the correct four speed ‘silent third’ gearbox; however this example is fitted with close ratio gears. The engine has been rebuilt at a cost of over £18,000 and is fitted with ‘hot camshafts’ giving the car a decent turn of speed at higher revs. This Riley Alpine Tourer resided in Prince Rainier’s Monaco Motor Museum for 20 years. A delightful car to drive and comfortably seating four people if required, this car has been well maintained with invoices on file for over £30,000 and it benefits from a tonneau cover, hood and hood bag. This is a rare car in good order and with an interesting history."