Mystery Riley’s unlikely rescue
“Someone told me it’s a Monaco or a Kestrel – I believe it is more likely to be a Riley Merlin”
When Yorkshireman Paul Tonge walked into Doncaster’s Harrisons Antiques, he was surprised to find a pre-war Riley. Antiques dealer Roger Harrison couldn’t resist it when he found it earlier this year: “It belonged to a gentleman who’d died with no family. He left everything to the church, which sold most of it. I am into furniture but I liked it because of its Art Deco style. I bought it for display.”
The history of the 1935 Riley is shrouded in mystery. “I have not gone into it yet,” said Harrison, “but it is possible that he was just the second owner. He supposedly bought it from a wealthy lady from Lincoln, where the registration was issued.” The exact model is also unclear: “Someone told me it’s a Monaco and somebody else said it’s a Kestrel, but I believe it is more likely to be a Riley Merlin.” It looks to be in great condition, considering it’s been in storage for decades: “It is intact and it runs, but has been under a cover for some 40 years.”