We had the privilege of being the headline sponsors of the Festival of Classic & Sports Cars at Helmingham Hall this past weekend, and it
Our one-of-one 1905 Riley 9HP has been featured on Car & Classic, one of the most well-known and popular platforms in the world of classic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2024 Historical Rarity: 1905 Riley 9hp, Believed to be Experimental Design, Offered for Sale Bridge Classic Cars are offering collectors a
With the team here at Bridge Classic Cars always working on something, whether that be the restorations technicians in the various departments, the marketing team
Tony recently collected our 1905 Riley 9HP and transported it back to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Now that it is back with us, we
After several years of research and restoration, our 1905 Riley 9HP is ready to be revealed to the world! As a 1 of 1 prototype
John has been running the wires of our 1905 Riley 9HP from the front and rear to the batteries. He wired in the switch and
The final parts of our 1905 Riley 9HP restoration project have been in the booth under the gun of our paint technician Mauro. Mauro has
Ahead of its unveiling at the Practical Classics Restoration Show at the Birmingham NEC this weekend, our restorations teams have been working flat out to
The backrest of the our 1905 Riley 9HP seat is actually fitted on the body of the car and, as a result, could not be
In February our Riley 9hp underwent the next stage of its restoration by paying a visit to Joby Carter’s workshop in Berkshire. Joby Carter is
Lydia made an internal door card for the opening door on our 1905 Riley 9HP. She first made a template from paper to ensure the
Our very special one of one 1905 Riley 9HP has returned to the workshop after being handpainted. As you can tell from the photos, it
As we continue to see the amazing progress being made on our 1905 Riley 9HP, meet Joby Carter, the incredible talent behind the colour transformation.
The roof frame of our 1 of 1 1905 Riley 9HP has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop with technician Mauro. Mauro painted
The roof frame of our 1905 Riley 9HP has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop with Mauro. He has been prepping the frame before
We have received the below pictures which show just how much progress Joby Carter is making on our 1905 Riley 9HP.
As the restoration of our 1905 Riley 9HP is moving into its final stages, the time has come for it to be painted. For this
Our very special 1905 Riley 9HP continues to make fantastic progress. Lydia has been finishing the buttoned back for the Riley seat. This was particularly
Yesterday, Lydia was preparing the seat backrest that Darin, from Ashbocking Joinery has kindly made for us. This involved replacing the springs back to their
Lydia has upholstered the base seat of our 1905 Riley 9HP. She used a 2-inch foam for the base to provide a firm seat so
Recently, Lydia has been making the pattern for the base part of the seat of our 1905 Riley 9HP. She has been working with Steve
There’s been some incredible progress on our 1905 Riley 9hp in recent weeks. Recently, the team here at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ have been
Our 1905 Riley 9HP was originally thought to be just 1 of 3 remaining examples. However, the evidence now suggests that it is, in fact,
Brian has been fitting the brackets to hold the roof frame when it’s folded back, cutting the inner seat frame wood to fit around the
The battery box metal frame is almost complete and will eventually have an ash wood box for battery to sit in.
Steve is still working through the few final pieces on the 1905 Riley 9HP restoration. A new final drive chain has been fitted, new fabric
The restoration of our one-of-a-kind 1905 Rilep 9HP has been something of a labour of love and dedication. With very little reference material to work
Darin from Ashbocking Joinery is completing the final few pieces of our Riley 9 woodwork. Here is the new tool box and trembler being finished.
Alright, I am not referring to the start-stop technology of today, it’s not quite the completely automatic system that works by detecting a lack of
We had the privilege of being the headline sponsors of the Festival of Classic & Sports Cars at Helmingham Hall this past weekend, and it was a huge success. As the main sponsors, we wanted to make a big impression, and we’re thrilled to say we think we did just that!
Our stand proved to be very popular with visitors to the show. Thanks to the incredible canvas setup from Events Under Canvas, we had a comfortable and inviting space. The seating area was perfect for people to relax, chat, and enjoy the cars. It wasn’t just about the vehicles for us; it was about creating a great atmosphere where everyone could share their love for classic cars.
The real stars of our stand were the rare and interesting classic cars and bikes we had on display. Each one had its own story such as our 1905 Riley 9HP, 1939 Jaguar SS100, 2022 C-Type Replica, or our beautiful 1959 Ford Zephyr.
All of the cars on our stand generated a lot of interest and got lots of attention. The whole team were very excited to talk to people about each one and tell their stories.
One of the highlights of the day was our live draw to find the winner of our stunning 1958 Austin Healey 100/6. As it ended up being a local winner, we were hopeful he might be in attendance at the show but, unfortunately, it wasn’t to be and we had to settle with speaking to him on the phone.
The whole day was great fun for both the visitors and our team. We enjoyed every moment, from setting up the stand to chatting with fellow enthusiasts.
Very simply…it’s days like these that remind us why we love what we do.
As we packed up at the end of the day, we were already excited about next year’s event. We’re eager to build on this year’s success and bring even more excitement to the Festival of Classic & Sports Cars at Helmingham Hall. We’re brainstorming ideas to make our stand even bigger and better and can’t wait to share our plans.
Being part of the classic car community is more than just a business for us; it’s a passion and a privilege. Events like these allow us to connect with fellow enthusiasts, share our love for these beautiful machines, and contribute to the preservation of automotive history. We’re proud to support and sponsor events that bring people together and celebrate the artistry and craftsmanship of classic cars and the Festival of Classic & Sports Cars certainly does that.
For those who’ve never been, the Festival of Classic & Sports Cars at Helmingham Hall is an amazing event. The stunning backdrop of Helmingham Hall adds to the huge range of cars on display. With its beautiful gardens and historic architecture, it’s the perfect setting for a day dedicated to appreciating the beauty and history of classic vehicles.
We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who visited our stand, participated in the live draw, and shared their stories and passion with us. A big shoutout to Events Under Canvas for providing such a fantastic setup. And, of course, congratulations to the lucky winner of the 1958 Austin Healey 100/6, Jeremey, we hope you enjoy many miles with it.
If you missed out this year, don’t worry—there’s always next year! We’re already counting down the days and planning how to make our presence at the Festival of Classic & Sports Cars at Helmingham Hall even more memorable.
In the meantime, keep an eye on our website and social media for updates on upcoming events.
Thank you for making the Festival of Classic & Sports Cars at Helmingham Hall such a wonderful experience for us at Bridge Classic Cars. Here’s to many more successful events.
See you next year!
Our one-of-one 1905 Riley 9HP has been featured on Car & Classic, one of the most well-known and popular platforms in the world of classic cars. Dale Vinton, head of content, has written a fantastic article that highlights the importance and uniqueness of this incredible car.
I’ve spoken about our Riley 9HP a lot and I love the story it comes with, and Dale’s article does a wonderful job of explaining just how special it is.
A big thank you goes to Car & Classic and Dale for sharing the story of 1905 Riley 9HP.
Read the full article here.
May 2024
Bridge Classic Cars are offering collectors a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a true piece of automotive history: a meticulously restored 1905 Riley 9hp, believed to be an experimental design from the pioneering days of British motoring.
This remarkable vehicle, believed to predate even the earliest prototypes of Riley’s first four-wheeled chassis, has been brought back to life following a painstaking four-year restoration by the Pettistree-based restorers. The 1905 Riley 9hp, registered as CW151, is a unique example of early British automotive engineering and innovation.
Originally discovered hidden on a farm, presumably for safekeeping during the destructive years of the World Wars, CW151 was nothing more than a collection of scattered car parts and metal debris. Undeterred by the challenge, the restoration team at Bridge Classic Cars started the painstaking process of bringing the unique vehicle back to life.
Geoff Haviland, representing the Riley Cars Archive Heritage Trust, has personally inspected the car and strongly believes it to be an experimental precursor predating even the prototypes of Riley’s first four-wheeled chassis. The chassis details, although similar to those of the 1907 production model, exhibit distinct variations such as a longer front end, unique door and seating configurations, and other subtle differences that suggest its experimental nature.
“This 1905 Riley 9hp is believed to be an experimental design, produced for the test programme of Riley’s first four-wheeled chassis,” explains Rob Harvey, Marketing Manager at Bridge Classic Cars “There aren’t many times in life when you get the opportunity to be close to a vehicle that genuinely changed automotive history but, without this car, our cars would all likely be very different today”
“Three-wheeled cars (2 wheels at the front and 1 at the back) were the most popular of vehicles back when this was thought up. If it wasn’t for Percy Riley building this mock-up to refine his design, who knows how long it would have been before four-wheels became the norm.”
“As sad as we will be to see this one-off car leave the workshop, I’m excited to think that it will end up in a special collection where it can be appreciated and admired as much as it deserves to be.”
This exceptionally rare vehicle, one of only four surviving examples of the Riley 9hp, and the only experimental model believed to exist, is now going up for sale in the hope it will find its way into a collection worthy of its historical significance.
The sale of this extraordinary 119-year-old vehicle presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for automotive enthusiasts and collectors to acquire a true piece of motoring history.
Key Highlights of the 1905 Riley 9hp (CW151) Include:
[End of Press Release]
For media inquiries, please contact:
Rob Harvey
Marketing Manager
rob@bridgeclassiccars.co.uk
01473 742038
www.bridgeclassiccars.co.uk
Bridge Classic Cars specialise in the restoration and maintenance of vintage and classic vehicles.
Established in 2004, a full in-house service is provided by a skilled and experienced team of technicians.
Built on a passion for classic cars, the team have restored rare and one-off vehicles in their state-of-the-art workshop.
In addition to their award-winning restorations, Bridge Classic Cars also encourages a new audience to join the world of classic car enthusiasts. With their successful competitions, everyone has the opportunity to win their dream classic car for just a few pounds.
Bridge Classic Cars has created a hub for the classic car enthusiast community and, with a growing audience and client base, they are making sure vintage and classic vehicles can be enjoyed and admired by future generations.
With the team here at Bridge Classic Cars always working on something, whether that be the restorations technicians in the various departments, the marketing team or the leadership teams, we are all focused around our incredible workshop.
We’re all incredibly lucky to be able to be surrounded by these cars on a daily basis and every day is different as each project is unique and individual.
For example, the cars which are currently in the workshop – span nearly 115 years between them. From our 1905 Riley 9HP which Steve has been preparing ahead of its first drive all the way up to our 2022 Bridge C-Type which is also being readied for its maiden voyage in its period-correct trim. In between those extremes, is our 1939 Jaguar SS100 which Julian has been working on reassembling after a spring change and our 1958 Austin-Healey 100/6 (which was recently removed from a local barn) is being recommissioned and shown a bit of TLC.
Tony recently collected our 1905 Riley 9HP and transported it back to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop.
Now that it is back with us, we can continue getting it ready for its first drive!
After several years of research and restoration, our 1905 Riley 9HP is ready to be revealed to the world!
As a 1 of 1 prototype for the first car to have fully removable wheels, this is the first time anyone outside of the workshop has seen the car in decades.
The unveiling of the fully restored unique vehicle takes place at the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show 2024 at the NEC in Birmingham.
John has been running the wires of our 1905 Riley 9HP from the front and rear to the batteries. He wired in the switch and the front and rear lights.
Lydia has spent the last few days titivating the Riley before its grand unveiling at the NEC show at the weekend. Mostly, she has been making the last of the buckles and straps needed to secure the spare wheel, and the hood at front and back.
She also made a rubbing patch should the wheel ever come to touch the front mudguard. Lydia also made the leather cover to go from the bottom of the seat to the floor, and this press studs over the rubber mat that has been placed on the floor.
The door cards were also finished and fitted and this meant that the brass strip could be applied to the top.
The final parts of our 1905 Riley 9HP restoration project have been in the booth under the gun of our paint technician Mauro.
Mauro has been working on finishing these handmade parts in thick, gloss black for the workshop team to get back on the car ahead of the car’s unveiling at the Practical Classic Restoration Show at the Birmingham NEC this weekend.
Ahead of its unveiling at the Practical Classics Restoration Show at the Birmingham NEC this weekend, our restorations teams have been working flat out to get our 1905 Riley 9HP ready for its first public appearance in what is thought to be nearly 70 years.
The trim team have worked on getting the bench seat in place and the moldings secured ahead of the fabrication team coming in to put on some of the beautiful bronze accent pieces alongside the mechanical team getting all of the final pieces into place before systems checks.
The backrest of the our 1905 Riley 9HP seat is actually fitted on the body of the car and, as a result, could not be fitted until the vehicle returned from paint. Lydia placed the seat in and began to line up the pleats so that they were straight. She had to stuff the seat with additional coconut fiber to give them extra puffiness and to cover any lumps and bumps in the wooden bodywork. The most difficult part of this was deciding how to get a tidy finish on the front curve of the seat, as she couldn’t staple this to the bodywork.
After Lydia finished stapling the seat to the body, she cut away the excess and then applied piping to the back edge. The raw edges of the fabric will then be covered with a beautiful brass beading that we have bought to replicate the original.
Lydia also made some straps to replicate the original ones, which hold the roof bars at the correct distance apart. The hood has also been made with great care taken to ensure it looks as close to the original as possible.
Various components have been in the paintshop being painted in dtm black.
In February our Riley 9hp underwent the next stage of its restoration by paying a visit to Joby Carter’s workshop in Berkshire.
Joby Carter is a traditional sign writer who is an expert in fairground style art. Up until 2022 his work could be seen decorating every ride as part of his touring steam fair. He has documented many of his creations alongside tips and ideas in a series of books.
In accordance with vehicles of a similar age, Carter was commissioned by Bridge Classic Cars to paint our Riley 9hp with a neat design. The pristine line work edges the shapes and contours of the car, outlining the doors. The sleek likes create an elegant and opulent aesthetic.
Lydia made an internal door card for the opening door on our 1905 Riley 9HP.
She first made a template from paper to ensure the correct shape, and then she cut this out from card. She then made her own design based on the pinstriping on the paintwork of the vehicle. She will affix this door card to the door when she has finished staining the wood, and the door handle has been altered and fixed on.
Our very special one of one 1905 Riley 9HP has returned to the workshop after being handpainted.
As you can tell from the photos, it looks very different to how it did when it left, but there’s no denying it looks as good now as it would have done over 100 years ago.
As we continue to see the amazing progress being made on our 1905 Riley 9HP, meet Joby Carter, the incredible talent behind the colour transformation.
Joby is a traditional sign-writer, decorative artist, restoration specialist, author and teacher. He’s a master craftsman with his heritage decorative art skills including signwriting and the endangered craft of fairground art. As well as hosting signwriting courses, Joby is an artist in his own right, having had signwriting commissions for the Brit Awards, the English National Opera and Jools Holland, amongst others. He was also involved as a guest curator for Peter Blake’s curation in the Museum of Everything.
Up until 2022 Joby was the proprietor of Carters Steam Fair, the world’s largest travelling vintage funfair which toured from 1977 to 2022. Our award-winning vintage funfair was famous for its beautifully restored, authentically decorated fairground rides which dated from the 1890s to the 1960s.
Our very own Lily is a huge fan of Joby Carter’s work having followed him on social media for some time.
Joby has kindly sent through some photos to keep us up to date on the progress being made on our iconic 1905 Riley 9HP.
The roof frame of our 1 of 1 1905 Riley 9HP has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paint shop with technician Mauro.
Mauro painted the brackets in black before also painting the wood.
The roof frame of our 1905 Riley 9HP has been in the Bridge Classic Cars paintshop with Mauro.
He has been prepping the frame before applying epoxy primer ready for it to be painted black.
We have received the below pictures which show just how much progress Joby Carter is making on our 1905 Riley 9HP.
As the restoration of our 1905 Riley 9HP is moving into its final stages, the time has come for it to be painted.
For this to happen, Tony and Gordon took the car to Joby Carter in Berkshire. This is so this special car can have traditional methods used to bring it fully back to life.
Once it returns to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, our Riley 9HP will look as great as its story.
Our very special 1905 Riley 9HP continues to make fantastic progress. Lydia has been finishing the buttoned back for the Riley seat. This was particularly challenging, as the original seat was made from a soft oiled cloth, but she was now using leather, which is much thicker and a lot harder to manipulate.
The flat centre part wasn’t too difficult, but she had to put a lot of thought into getting the pleats in when it came to the curved corners. Once the body of the car is back from paint, Lydia can fit the seat in properly and finish off the top!
Various parts of our Riley 9HP have been in the paint shop with Mauro while Lydia moved on to the running boards. She made the rubber inserts for the running boards and made sure to cut the hatch out carefully to allow for the cranking handle to be easily accessible.
After this, the car was ready to be moved on to the next stage of its restoration.
Yesterday, Lydia was preparing the seat backrest that Darin, from Ashbocking Joinery has kindly made for us.
This involved replacing the springs back to their original position and hand sewing them into place. Next came various layers of cotton and horsehair padding, and then working out her fabric allowance with a scrap piece of fabric. This meant that Lydia could then cut the leather.
Lydia has upholstered the base seat of our 1905 Riley 9HP.
She used a 2-inch foam for the base to provide a firm seat so that the driver doesn’t slip out of the seat. She then placed a layer of horse hair on top to give it the correct finished look and feel. This is a tightly woven material which has been needled into hessian sheets.
After this, Lydia cut the face fabric and piping and sewed these together. She used a period-correct paper piping. Then was the border which was made in 2 pieces, and sewed onto the seat face.
Lydia chose to do a border all around so that the seat would have a plump look.
Recently, Lydia has been making the pattern for the base part of the seat of our 1905 Riley 9HP. She has been working with Steve to make sure that the seat is adequately secured when placed in the vehicle. They have decided to make a metal dowel/peg affixed to a metal plate, which will locate into a hole in the body of the car. Lydia added a wedge of wood at the front of the seat to provide a bit more stability for the peg beneath and also as a bit of a leg bolster.
Steve also made new gear lever selector pin and fitted it to the car as the old one was worn causing inaccurate gear selection.
There’s been some incredible progress on our 1905 Riley 9hp in recent weeks.
Recently, the team here at the Bridge Classic Cars HQ have been working full-steam ahead on the 1-of-1 antique car.
The wooden frame has returned from the team at Ashbocking Joinery ready for the trim team to continue their careful and precise work in bringing the wooden structure back to life with its handmade covering.
Meanwhile, the fabrication team have been working on recreating several pieces which needed to be re-manufactured for the hood to be fitted up properly for testing. These small hooks are part of the hood support system which needed to be made and shaped by hand to perfectly fit the 119-year-old car.
At the same time, our trimmer Lydia has been working on making a battery bag for the battery. Although its truly a safety item, she has made stylish and perfectly sized for the car. The whole purpose is to make it easier to remove the battery from the wooden box it is fitted into, but the thickness of the leather and the material itself allows for some dampening and deadening to protect the battery and prolong its life.
On the chassis itself, in the main mechanical workshop, Steve has been working on the gearbox. Before the car moves under its own power, Steve has completely flushed and cleaned up the gearbox internals due to the car being sat for long periods of time – and with this much hard work, devotion and passion poured into this very special project it made sense to do it at this time before the body is placed onto the frame for the final time.
Our 1905 Riley 9HP was originally thought to be just 1 of 3 remaining examples. However, the evidence now suggests that it is, in fact, a 1 of 1 prototype of the first car to have fully removable wheels. This is the moment we started the 119-year-old car in the workshop.
Brian has been fitting the brackets to hold the roof frame when it’s folded back, cutting the inner seat frame wood to fit around the brackets.
He then put the front inner seat frame into the car, adjusting the cutouts around the brackets before glueing the left-hand side of the frame back on, before fixing it with a metal bracket.
The battery box metal frame is almost complete and will eventually have an ash wood box for battery to sit in.
Steve is still working through the few final pieces on the 1905 Riley 9HP restoration. A new final drive chain has been fitted, new fabric body prop, new fabric exhaust has been temporarily fitted to help with routing of coolant pipes.
The restoration of our one-of-a-kind 1905 Rilep 9HP has been something of a labour of love and dedication. With very little reference material to work from, bringing this piece of automotive history back to life has been challenging, to say the least. However, the project has made even more progress recently, as its wooden body has been trial-fitted to the 118-year-old chassis.
Our 1905 Rilep 9HP is a great example of the craftsmanship and innovation of early automobile engineering. Its uniqueness lies not only in its design but also in its rarity as a prototype for the first car to ever have fully removable wheels. The workshop team has worked extremely hard to find any kind of record of how this one-off car should be put back together to honour its legacy throughout the restoration process.
After the wooden body recently returned to the workshop, following its time with Ashbocking Joinery, classic car technician Steve temporarily put the body back onto the chassis in a trial fit to make sure everything goes together as he would like it to. As well as the body going back on the chassis, the impressive radiator has also taken its place on the front end of this incredible classic car.
While our Riley 9HP may look much more car-like than it has since it first arrived at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop, it will still need to be stripped down again once Steve is happy that the trial-fitting has been a success. Once stripped, it will then be painted before going back together for the final time. The next big milestone to reach though is getting the car to start. Although we have seen that it can start (we fired up the engine for a very short period of time last year), it has never been run without assistance and in its current configuration.
If all goes to plan, our 1905 Riley 9 restoration will be complete and the finished car will drive out of the workshop in the early part of 2024. Until then though, we are very excited to see it continue to make great progress in its restoration.
Darin from Ashbocking Joinery is completing the final few pieces of our Riley 9 woodwork. Here is the new tool box and trembler being finished.
Alright, I am not referring to the start-stop technology of today, it’s not quite the completely automatic system that works by detecting a lack of vehicle motion.
Instead, check out the beautifully crafted hatch that has been made up for our 1905 Riley 9HP. When opened, the vehicle’s engine can be run by simply turning the handle but when the hatch is closed, the handle fits perfectly inside a grove that has been cut out especially for the handle. Doesn’t it look amazing?
What is start-stop technology in modern cars and how does it work?
You probably have it on your modern car right now; start-stop technology detects when your car comes to a halt and stops the engine automatically. It then starts the engine again for you when you press the accelerater. This technology was developed to reduce the amount of pollution caused by vehicles, specifically emissions released into the atmosphere when cars and vans are idling or stuck in slow-moving traffic.
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