Description
Author: Dr A.T. Birmingham, Hardbound, 248 Pages, ASIN: B0007JBRUG, First Edition,October, 1965 - **SECOND HAND BOOK IN VERY GOOD CONDITION**
Typical of many of the great names in British industry, Riley stood for a family, in this case a father and four sons, all having some special skill or enterprise to contribute to the vitality of the family business.
The story traces the evolution of the firm from the manufacture of textile machinery in the early 19th century, through bicycles at the close of the century, motorcycles and tricars to its heyday in the late 1930s when it offered a very wide range of touring, sporting, racing and luxury motorcars to the world markets.
It would be ludicrous today to see an executive of one of the great motor corporations making by hand, as Percy Riley did, a prototype set of final-drive bevel gears.
How many, indeed, could? Yet this craftsmanship shows up clearly in every detail of the Riley cars made over a period of more than forty years and was at the very heart of that engineering integrity which was largely responsible for the very great success which the marque enjoyed.
It is fascinating to read of many design principles of the modern car which Rileys anticipated by decades or longer.
No Riley history would be complete without reference to the _exploits of the legendary Freddy Dixon, whose tuning and racing successes are well covered in the appropriate chapters with those of many other famous names in the sport.
Dr. Birmingham, who is honorary historian to the Riley Register, has constructed a very valuable record, with a unique collection of 250 photographs, in the form of a factual, interesting and most readable book.
