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1932' Riley Brooklands
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£165,000Published 10 July 2026ID: z4DYeQ
- Hampshire
- +44Show phone
Information from the owner
Body: Sports Car
Age: 94 years
Mileage: 999999 km
Displacement: 1100 cc
Fuel: Petrol
Transmission: Manual
Exterior color: Blue
Seller's comments about 1932' Riley Brooklands
The Riley Nine Brooklands was known as the finest production 1, 100cc car in the world.Chassis 8093 in an original works racing car built with a late chassis (1931 or 1932) and is thought to be the final Brooklands constructed.Riley Competition Manager Alex W. K. Von der Becke confirmed in 1965 that no Brooklands chassis were built after 1932 and that he was positive that 8093 ran in the 1932 TT at Ulster driven by either Whitcroft or Eyston who finished in 2nd place.The Riley Racing team had more cars than registration numbers, so a number of cars were re-registered during inter-race rebuilds. Similarly engines, gearboxes and axles were changed between races.The Le Mans Biennial Rudge-Whitworth Cup was conceived by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and Rudge-Whitworth for manufacturers whose cars demonstrated exceptional consistency, reliability, and speed in smaller, handicapped engine classes and was awarded over a two-year period. In 1933 the Riley factory entered two cars in their first ever Le Mans 24 Hours race.Apparently the factory lost the paperwork for 8093 prior to the car leaving for Le Mans so the car was re-registered to KV 5392 on the 31st May 1933.The factory did not employ their own drivers, instead they invited talented drivers to drive for them. So Frenchmen Jean Sebilleau and Georges Delaroche were recruited to drive the factory team cars KV 5392 (number 31) and VC 8304 (number 30) was driven by Kenneth Peacock and then Riley Competition Manager Alex W. K. Von der Becke. Sebilleau and Delaroche requested Rudge Whitworth knock-on wheels for the Le Mans race so KV 5392 became the first Riley to be so fitted. Other Le Mans equipment included special lamps and a scuttle oil tank.VC 8304 finished 4th overall at an average speed of 67 mph, and also won 1st in class and the Index of Performance handicap. Unfortunately KV 5392 retired with a seized tappet.In August 1933 KV 5392 was rebuilt to compete in the International Five-Day Alpine Trial driven by Donald Healey who finished a very close second in the up to 1, 100cc Group 5 Class. The knock-off wheels were replaced for the event with bolt-on wheels. As the Le Mans Biennial Cup was awarded over two consecutive years Riley again entered cars in the 24 Hour race. Von Der Becke and Peacock drove KV 5392 (number 36) this time with bolt-on wheels. The engine lost power in practice and was substituted with the spare engine - the motor from VC 8304 used in the 1933 race. KV 5392 finished 5th overall, 1st in Index of Performance and won the Biennial Rudge Whitworth Cup outright at an average speed of 68. 33mph. Becke later said that prior to the race he removed the smooth pedals and engraved an ‘X’ on each of them for extra grip. In 1965 he examined the car and the ‘X’ marks on the pedals were still there.At the end of the 1934 season the Riley factory sold off all the ‘works’ Brooklands with the exception of KV 5392 which was retained. The engine which was then bench-tested to destruction and a new Ulster engine fitted.KV 5392 was sold at the end of 1935 to a Group Captain Briggs whose wife raced the car at Brooklands in 1936. Mrs Briggs won the first Easter Short Handicap at 93. 32 mph and a fastest lap of 101. 28 mph. Grp Capt. Briggs then won the second Long Handicap at 95. 64 mph with a lap also of 101. 28 mph. The car went on to compete in several more Brooklands races in 1936 and achieved a 109 mph lap in the August Bank Holiday Long Handicap.London sports and competition dealer J. H. Bartlett offered the car for sale in 1937 before being purchased later that year by Ian F. Cunningham of Belford Mews, Edinburgh in September. Mr. Cunningham was an apprentice to W. O. Bentley and a Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialist. Cunningham was also a car dealer and amateur racing driver who competed with the car at several British motorsport venues including Southport, Croft, Redcar, Charterhall and Crimmond, never placing lower than third.Jack Scott of Carlisle drove KV 5392 to a class win and hill record at Bo’ness in 1939 and Cunningham raced it at the Ulster TT races at Ballyclare in 1947. In 195o the car was sold to a John McPhee of Fort William, Scotland.In 1951 Ian Cunningham bought the Riley back and shared the driving seat with Jim Clark’s brother-in-law and fellow Borders farmer Alex Calder. The car came second in the 1951 TT to Mike Hawthorn and ran its last TT in 1952. It is believed Cunningham fitted doors to the car for the TT.In 1955 KV 5392 was purchased by Scottish future Grand Prix racing driver Innes Ireland who used it as his road car during Army service and raced it four times, including a class win at the 1956 Goodwood Members Meeting that sent him on his racing career.Later in 1956 Ireland sold the KV 5392 to Robin Purcell of London who rebuilt it and in the process converted the brakes to a hydraulic system carried out by Mike Hawthorn’s TT Garage in Farnham. The hydraulic brakes were reputed to be from Hawthorn’s Riley Ulster Imp KV 9475. The mechanical brakes from KV 5392 apparently went with KV 9475 when it was placed on display in the National Motor Museum following Hawthorn’s premature death in 1959.In 1960 KV 5392 was advertised for sale in Motor Sport magazine and was acquired by Riley specialist Stanley Burville of Alperton, Middlesex who owned the car until 1963 when it was sold to Major Gerald Hennings REME.Hennings competed with KV 5392 at many VSCC events between 1963 and 1967 including Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Prescott. The car’s next owner was Melville Smith of Malvern who sold it to South African David Cohen who ran it at Kyalami.KV 5392 then appeared for sale again in Motor Sport in 1981 with London historic car dealer Dan Marguiles. It next appeared in Peter Agg’s museum at Effingham Park before being acquired by Richard Wills of Surrey in 1984 who competed in the car in various historic events including the 1987 Mille Miglia retrospective, 1989 Manx Classic and several Coys International Historic Festivals.Graham White purchased KV 5392 in May 1998 and took part in the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans parade and competed at Silverstone Classic and the Goodwood Revival Brooklands Trophy. The car changed hands again in 2015 before being purchased by the current owner in 2023.Recently the car has been maintained by Riley specialists Blue Diamond who rebuilt the engine and gearbox between 2023 and 2025. The engine received a new crankshaft and white-metalling along with new conrods and cams. The oil pump was refurbished and a new clutch installed.This important and historic Riley ‘works’ Brooklands is now offered for sale and comes with an extensive history file which contains UK registration V5C, HTP papers, FIVA card and VSCC Eligibility document.
