Vintage Thing No.89 - Riley 16/4 Blue Streak

If it looks right, it is right.

I mentioned this car when I visited Wiscombe Park hillclimb for the VSCC event in May. Having camped overnight, the day dawned wet under foot but brightening overhead. One of our neighbours asked me if would help him start his car while Pete Low packed away his tent so, thinking it was a member of the public in a bit of a fix, I said okay and wandered over.

Imagine my surprise with this little baby, a supercharged Riley Big 4 with three SU carburettors. Its caretaker was the youngest out of three generations of the Spollen family and my job was to hold the seat squab over the bellmouths to act as a choke.

In the end, the engine didn't need me at all. We flooded it once with my operating my cushion but it struck me that this car was very well sorted and preferred to breathe the Wiscombe air without any restriction.

However, I was able to ask many questions about this car. It had been assembled some years ago by the grandfather and was raced by the father. Both senior members were billeted in a nearby hotel - the newest recruit preferring to eschew creature comforts and be on site overnight because of the fantastic atmosphere.

Hitch hikers beware

The car was based on a 1938/9 chassis, which has been extensively lightened and fitted with a 2443cc (80.5 x 120mm) four cylinder engine. Many 16HP, or Blue Streak, Rileys have been converted into specials and some of those have acquired superchargers but instead of driving the blower off the front of the crank, this one has a belt driven shaft that runs back to an enormous compressor that takes up virtually all the nearside footwell. It's still possible to carry an uncomfortable passenger but it helps if they have short legs.

The inlet side of the head showing the pressure relief valves on the inlet manifold in case the engine spits back. I must even more questions about the plumbing on this car next time.

The engine has a special head based on a pre-war design the patterns for which were destroyed in the Coventry Blitz so they made their own version by cutting and shutting production castings.

Guy Spollen squirts it up from the Sawbench Hairpin

During the day this car performed consistently well and, when I saw the Spollen team again at home time, Guy Spollen was quietly chuffed to have won his class.

Here he comes, there he is, there he goes!

There was so much that I liked about this car, not least the sense of it being an heirloom passed on through the sympathetic hands of the builder's descendants. Guy's dad had chosen all the best bits of a Riley and had a specialist design and build the supercharger especially for this installation. It looks great, too. I like the proportions with the fat tyres on the wide wire wheels and the way its sits on the road - jaunty with its rounded tail but hunkered down on sweeping chassis rails. The triple SU carbs might look at first to be in the wrong place and mere bravado but they are necessary to feed the well hidden blower.

Despite the high spec, it seemed remarkably fuss free and very well sorted but maybe that's because three generations of enthusiasts look after it.