Riley RM Club Spares
A treasure trove in a shed of wonders
An unassuming former agricultural building near Buntingford in Hertfordshire is, in fact, a classic shed of wonders. It’s full of parts for one of the most enduring British cars of the 1950s – the Riley RM. This shed is home to the RM Club’s spares department, and it is very impressive. The operation is run by Steve and Karen Pettyfer and is now in its second year after moving from its previous location in Blackburn.
With more than 240,000 individual items and 1600 products to catalogue and store, the couple had their work cut out. ‘Once we were in, only then could we really start learning the ropes,’ says Karen. ‘Steve is involved as much as he can be, but I run it on a day- to-day basis, so I needed to get up to speed. The processes had to be right from the start.’
The other role of the RM Club Spares Service is parts remanufacture. ‘This is why the archive is so important,’ says Karen as she opens a heavy steel drawer – it’s a hairs standing up on the back of the neck moment.
‘These are original Riley technical drawings and specs for every model. It makes remanufacture so much easier. Paul Mason our archivist looks after it… and it includes articles and manufacturing details all the way up to the present day.’
Accurate remanufacture with confidence is enhanced by the fact that a spares advisory panel brings in expertise. ‘We all meet once a month on Skype and discuss a range of projects,’ says Steve. ‘Typically we have 20-25 things going on at once so there’s plenty to talk about.’
Manufacture mainly takes place in the UK. ‘We have companies we have worked with for years,’ says Steve, ‘but we are always looking for new processes and options.’
It is a revelation to discover the lengths to which the RM Club will go to make sure its cars are still on the road for the next generation. Take master cylinder plungers: remanufactured from original drawings in Birmingham, assembled in Sheffield, sent to Leicestershire to be finished and then back to Birmingham to be flashchromed before being sent to Steve and Karen. Approximately 50 of two types have been made.
Trade is brisk. It has grown in the last 18 months in terms of volume with 130 orders a month processed and parts sent to all corners of the world. It is busy, it is tough but both Karen and Steve appear to be coping well...