Sold 1967 Riley Elf MKIII Saloon

[msclassiccars]

1967 Riley Elf MKIII Saloon

**THIS VEHICLE IS BEING CONSIGNED TO THE UPCOMING BRING-A-TRAILER ONLINE AUCTION. ONCE THE DETAILS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED IT WILL BE UPDATED HERE. IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING PLEASE REGISTER WITH BRING-A-TRAILER DIRECTLY. IT’S A QUICK AND SIMPLE PROCESS. PLEASE CALL WITH ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU**


This beautiful 1967 Riley Elf MKIII Saloon is a wonderful example of a seldom-seen microcar. It sports its original color combination, engine and transmission. This Elf achieved “Best of Show” at the National Mini Meet East which is concours judged event. The MME class card, judging sheet and catalog are included. Many miscellaneous items are also included such as the owner’s manuals, original restored jack tools, restoration receipts, restoration photos, multiple magazines and various other miscellaneous items are included.

Riley was a British motorcar and bicycle manufacturer from 1890. Riley became part of the Nuffield Organization in 1938 and was merged into the British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968. In July 1969 British Leyland announced the immediate end of Riley production. Today, the Riley trademark is owned by BMW. After the Mini was launched in August 1959, BMC started work on an upmarket ‘booted’ saloon version. This was first seen in 1961 as the Wosley Hornet and Riley Elf, as before the Elf was the sporty version. Over its eight years, it had two minor facelifts, the first of which, in 1963, saw the original Mini 850 engine replaced by the Copper’s 998cc. This gave added speed and better performance. The Mark III, launched in 1966, featured wind-up windows, and integral door hinges which were not seen on the Mini until 1969. The car was killed off, in both guises, with the axing of all Riley Models in 1969. In total, 30,912 Riley Elves were built. With such low production numbers these cars are very difficult to find especially in concours restored condition.

This 1967 Riley Elf MKIII Saloon was treated to a comprehensive no expense spared restoration by well-known British Automotive Restorer Craig Kindervater. Craig was the United States Historian for Lotus and he also built five Lotus “East Lake” Elevens. Craig was accompanied in the four year restoration by owner Randy Burrows who purchased the car in 2001. The restoration was completed in 2006 and only used sparingly thereafter. Randy treated with the best of care during his time of ownership. MS CLASSIC CARS purchased it from Randy in May 2017 and sold it Bradley Kellett in August of 2017. Bradley showed the car at the Hemmings Motor News Concours D’ Elegance in September of 2018. It was admired by well-known Wayne Carini of the hit T.V. Show “Chasing Classic Cars” which is documented with a few photos shown in listing. The Hemmings participant badge and lawn display board is included. A custom display board is also included. During Bradley only added 7 miles to the vehicle during his time of ownership as it was trailered to various shows. MS CLASSIC CARS purchased the car from Bradley Kellett in March of 2022.

The exterior is in super condition throughout. During the restoration the body was completely taken to a bare shell and any minor rust was patched. The front fenders were replaced with new OEM – original equipment manufacturer. It was re-painted in its original color combination of Dove Gray and Yukon Gray which is very elegant. The paint was recently detailed to a brilliant shine. All of the glass with the exception of the front windshield is original with factory stamps and in very good condition. A BMC –British Motor Corporation ribbon was added to the corner of the front windshield. Almost every piece of this car is original to the car and restored. Some of those exterior pieces include the wipers, window trim, front main grille and lower grilles, headlight bezels, Lucas headlights, marker lights, front bumper, door handles, lower body moldings, gas cap, taillights bezels, taillights, rear bumper and emblems. The car sits on 10” steel wheels that were painted Dove Gray to match the roof color and are dressed with chrome hub caps. The wheels are wrapped with 2008 date code Kumho Powerstar 758 tires that are 145-80-10 at all four corners.

The red and black interior is also in super condition throughout. Surprisingly the interior is very spacious. The entire interior was completely restored. It sports a very unique headliner that looks similar to gold leaf. The headliner makes the cabin space lighter and appear more spacious. The black dash pad sits on top of a complete wooden dash that’s equipped with Smith black gauges and dual glove boxes. The steering column, steering wheel, shifter, e-brake handle and floor mats are all black. The door panels with map pockets, seats and carpeting is red. The front bucket seats are equipped with black seat belts. The trunk compartment is highly detailed throughout and painted Yukon Gray. The fuel tank was painted gloss black. The trunk floor is covered with new gray carpeting and conceals the spare tire along with the battery.

The engine compartment is highly detailed with many correct parts throughout. The original serial tag is mounted on the inner fender. The entire engine compartment was completely restored and painted Yukon Gray. It’s powered by its original 998cc engine with engine tag. The engine was re-painted in the correct shade of green. The engine was completely rebuilt and runs excellent. It’s equipped with a Lucas coil and Champion spark plug wires. The engine is cooled by the correct Coventry Presswork Company LTD black radiator with yellow fan. The engine breathes through the factory manifold and single exhaust system. The engine is coupled to the original 4-speed manual gearbox.

The undercarriage is also highly detailed with many correct parts throughout. The underside was painted in Yukon Gray and looks beautiful. The steering system, suspension system and braking system was all rebuilt and restored.

This is arguably one of the best examples of a Riley Elf in the world!

**PLEASE CALL MS CLASSIC CARS OWNER MARC SCHILIRO FOR A VERY ACCURATE VERBAL DESCRIPTION OF THIS VEHICLE**

***MS CLASSIC CARS only purchases number one and number two condition classic vehicles. We service and detail every vehicle unlike most classic vehicles that are currently being advertised for sale. MS CLASSIC CARS invested a total of $ 2,499.81 servicing this vehicle in 2017. This is documented with an invoice pictured below. We’re the only classic car dealership in the country that does this. Only 7 miles was added to the vehicle from then until now. With that being said, MS CLASSIC CARS will put the vehicle through service again prior to it leaving which will include new tires and an oil change. Please understand every vehicle needs something. Some vehicles just need a lot more than others. At MS CLASSIC CARS we take eliminate the surprises. We’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking. ***

[Late BrakeU2]

Had one, cool little drivers. Back in the day they called these 'The Pimps Mini "

[msclassiccars]

It definitely a blast to drive!

And yes, the Riley Elf was really marketed as the "upscale" and "sporty" variant of the Wolseley Hornet and the Mini they were based on.

They're fascinating vehicles.