View source for Riley 4

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox automobile
| name         = Riley 4<br>Farina-styled B-series
| image        = 1965.riley.4slash72.arp.jpg
| caption      = Riley 4 / Seventy Two sports saloon<br>1622cc first registered 4 May 1966
| manufacturer = [[British Motor Corporation|BMC]]
| production   = 1959–1969<br>25,091 made
| predecessor  = [[Riley RME]] (1945–1955)
| successor    = none
| class        = [[full-size car]]
|related = [[MG Magnette#Magnette Mark III|MG Magnette Mark III]] <br> [[Wolseley 15/60]] <br> [[Austin Cambridge#A55 Cambridge Mark II|Austin A55 Cambridge Mark II]] <br> [[Morris Oxford Farina#Oxford series V (1959–1961)|Morris Oxford V]]<ref name=TT54442>New Riley Sports Saloon Model. ''The Times'', Thursday, Apr 23, 1959; pg. 7; Issue 54442.</ref><ref name=TT54644/> <br> [[Siam Di Tella|Siam Di Tella 1500]] (Argentina)
}}
The '''Riley 4 / Sixty Eight''' and '''Riley 4 / Seventy Two''' are cars produced by [[British Motor Corporation|BMC]] from 1959 to 1969, under the [[Riley (automobile)|Riley]] marque. They are closely related to the [[Pinin Farina]]-designed [[MG Magnette#Magnette Mark III|MG Magnette Mark III]] and [[Wolseley 15/60]] and the simpler [[Austin Cambridge#A55 Cambridge Mark II|Austin A55 Cambridge Mark II]], [[Morris Oxford Farina#Oxford series V (1959–1961)|Morris Oxford V]] pair, sharing the MG's rear styling and engine (with a milder cam). This Riley was the most expensive car in that series.<ref name=TT54442/>

This model's introduction, using the same engine, did not affect production of the smaller-bodied 1½-litre [[Riley One-Point-Five]] sports saloon which continued until 1965.<ref name=TT54442/>
__TOC__
{{Clear}}

==Riley 4 / Sixty Eight==
{{Infobox automobile
| name         = Riley 4 / Sixty Eight
| aka          = Riley Fordor (Spain)<br>[[Siam Di Tella|Siam Di Tella 1500]] (Argentina)
| image        = Riley 4-68.jpg
| caption      = Riley 4 / Sixty Eight sports saloon
| production   = 1959–1961<br>10,940 made
| body_style   = 4-door [[sedan (car)|saloon]]<br> [[station wagon]] (Argentina)<br> 2-door [[Pick-up truck|pick-up]] ([[Argentina]])
| engine       = {{convert|1489|cc|abbr=on}} ''[[BMC B-Series engine|B-Series]]'' [[Straight-4]]
| length       = {{convert|178|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1959/>
| width        = {{convert|63.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1959/>
| height       = {{convert|57|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1959/>
| weight       = 36 cwt<br>{{convert|2604|lb|kg|abbr=on}}<ref name=TT54644/>
| wheelbase    = {{convert|99.25|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1959/><br>'''track'''
| designer     = [[Pinin Farina]]
| related      = 
|sp=uk
}}
Launched in April 1959, the '''4 / Sixty Eight''' was the last of the five B series BMC Pininfarina cars to be released.<ref name=Autocar1966>{{cite magazine|title = Used cars on test: 1962 Riley 4/72 Automatic| work = [[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] | volume = 125 nbr 3693| pages = 1162–1163| date = 25 November 1966}}</ref> The Riley used the twin-[[carburettor]] [[BMC B-Series engine|B-Series]] [[straight-4]] engine in the form already familiar to drivers of the [[MG Magnette|MG Magnette III]],<ref name=Autocar1966/> producing 64&nbsp;bhp (48&nbsp;kW).  This was 6&nbsp;hp (4.5&nbsp;kW) more than the similar Wolseley 15/60.

From the outside the car was distinguished from its siblings by a Riley grille on the front and (apart from the MG with which it shared its tail treatment) slightly less acute tail fins at the back.<ref name=Autocar1966/>   Inside, the fascia was relatively well equipped:  this was the only one of the five cars to come with a rev counter as standard equipment.<ref name=Autocar1966/>
{{clear left}}
[[File:Riley 4-72 green Interieur.jpg|thumb|left|Instrument panel<br>Riley 4 / Seventy Two sports saloon]]
{{clear left}}

===On the road===
A car was tested by the British magazine ''[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]]'' in 1959 and had a top speed of {{convert|88.2|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and could accelerate from 0-{{convert|60|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} in 18.8 seconds. A fuel consumption of {{convert|27.3|mpgimp|L/100 km mpgus}} was recorded. The test car cost £1028 including taxes.<ref name=Motor1959>{{cite journal |title = The Riley 4/Sixty Eight| journal =[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]]| date = 11 November 1959}}</ref>

It was intended to be the most luxurious of the Farina-styled B-series cars and was priced accordingly. A brief road test was published under the headline: "Comfort not Sacrificed to Appearance in New Riley". The motoring correspondent of ''[[The Times]]'' reported the more expensive Riley shared a similar specification with the MG Magnette Mark III but the Riley had different points of styling and its very full equipment list included a [[tachometer]]. The driver sat upright and gained a sense of mastery of the car steering from the well-furnished interior which had the right combination of leather, walnut veneer and pile carpet. Gear changing was easy through a well-placed central lever.<ref name=TT54644>Comfort not Sacrificed to Appearance in New Riley. ''The Times'', Tuesday, Dec 15, 1959; pg. 13; Issue 54644</ref>
{{clear}}

==Riley 4 / Seventy Two==
[[File:Riley 4-72 1965 rear.jpg|left|thumb|1965 Riley 4/72]]
{{Infobox automobile
| name         = Riley 4 / Seventy Two
| aka          = Riley 1500 (Argentina) <br> Riley Comet (Austria)  
| image        = Riley 472 reg May 1963 1622cc.jpg
| caption      = Riley 4 / Seventy Two sports saloon<br>1622cc first registered May 1963
| production   = 1961–1969<br>14,151 made
| body_style   = 4-door [[sedan (car)|saloon]]
| engine       = {{convert|1622|cc|abbr=on}} ''[[BMC B-Series engine|B-Series]]'' [[Straight-4]]
| wheelbase    = {{convert|100.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1962/><br>'''track'''
| height       = {{convert|58|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<ref name=Motor1962/>
| related      =

}}
Just before the [[London Motor Show|1961 Motor Show]], in October, the car became the '''4/Seventy-Two'''. Closely related again was the 16/60 update to the Wolseley car.  The engine was now 1.6&nbsp;L (1622&nbsp;cc), and Riley again got the twin-carb version with 68&nbsp;hp (51&nbsp;kW).  It also used an improved suspension with [[anti-roll bar]]s.  The wheelbase was 1&nbsp;in (25.4&nbsp;mm) longer, through the moving of the back axle rearwards, and the front track was increased by 2 inches (5&nbsp;cm).<ref name=Autocar1966/>   These modifications to the wheel locations were made at the same time to all the BMC Farina saloons, and were seen as an answer to criticism of the indifferent road holding of the 1959 cars.<ref name=Autocar1966/>  Borg Warner [[Borg-Warner 35 transmission|automatic transmission]] became an option in the Riley at the same time, making the Riley the first mass-produced car in Europe to adopt the Borg-Warner 35 system following Borg-Warner's establishment of a plant at [[Letchworth]] to produce a transmission package that ten years earlier had been developed for US applications.<ref name=Autocar1966/>

Further modifications to the suspension a year later included 'recambering the rear springs' to improve ride and roadholding,<ref name=Autocar1966/> but from the outside there was little to distinguish the later Rileys from the models as they had appeared in 1959, and the car continued very little changed until its withdrawal in 1969.

The 4/72's main competitor, appearing in 1963,<ref>{{cite journal| title = Used Car Test: 1963 Humber Sceptre| journal = [[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] | volume =  124 (nbr 3657)| pages = 585–585|date = 18 March 1966}}</ref> was the [[Humber Sceptre]] from the Rootes Group – with an 85&nbsp;hp engine, 6-speed manual (four direct ratios plus [[overdrive (mechanics)|overdrive]] 3rd and 4th) or 3-speed automatic (post 1965) and a more modern interior it thoroughly trounced the 4/72 in reviews of the period.

When an automatic 4/72 was tested by ''The Motor'' magazine in 1962 they recorded a top speed of {{convert|81.3|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, acceleration from 0-{{convert|60|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} in 20.6 seconds and a fuel consumption of {{convert|26.5|mpgimp|L/100 km mpgus}}. The test car cost £1186 including taxes. The manual car was £1087<ref name=Motor1962>{{cite journal |title = The Riley 4/72| journal =[[The Motor (magazine)|The Motor]]| date = 28 February 1962}}</ref>

The 4/72 was sold as the '''Riley 1500''' in Argentina and as the '''Riley Comet''' in Austria.<ref name=AROline/>

===On the road===
[[File:Riley 4-68 Riviera 1961.jpg|thumb|1961 Riley Riviera, a low-volume approved conversion of the 4/68 by Wessex Motors of Salisbury]]
In October 1962, Britain's [[Which?|Consumers' Association]] published its fourth ''Which?'' car supplement to their magazine. The Riley had been compared with Fiat 1500, Peugeot 403B, Ford Taunus 17M and VW 1500 and the British [[Sunbeam Rapier]]. The association reported that the Peugeot and the German Ford had the most virtues and fewest vices.

The report noted that its most severe criticism of all was of the Riley's handling, with increased speed it changed from understeering to oversteering. "It was not a car in which our testers drove with much confidence or pleasure". The Riley's braking system was considered to have more limitations than the other cars' systems.<ref>Faults In New £1,000 Cars. ''The Times'', Thursday, Oct 04, 1962; pg. 6; Issue 55513</ref>
{{-}}

==Manufacture in Argentina==
Another related car was the 1960&ndash;1966 '''[[Siam Di Tella]]''' of [[Argentina]], they were externally similar to the Riley 4 family,  but  with  the Austin  Cambridge  rear body shape   rather than  the Riley's  fins.  . There was the sedan Di Tella 1500, the station wagon Di Tella Traveller and the pick-up (never produced in England) Di Tella Argenta. All of them were fitted with the 1489cc engine and 4 speed manual column change.<ref>[http://www.co-oc.org/Di%20Tella.html The Cambridge-Oxford Owners Club] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215054809/http://www.co-oc.org/Di%20Tella.html |date=15 February 2009 }} Di Tella  - accessed 4 December 2008</ref>  The [[MG Magnette#Magnette Mark IV|MG Magnette Mark IV]] was also produced but with the nomenclature Di Tella Magnette, both in 1489cc and 1622cc forms.<ref name=AROline>[http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/around-the-world/also-known-as/also-known-as-farina-based-models/ Also known as : Farina-based models, AROnline] Retrieved on 25 November 2012</ref>

==References==
{{commons category multi|Riley 4/68|Riley 4/72}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Automobiles made by BMC, BL and Rover Group companies, post-1945}}
{{British Motor Holdings and British Leyland cars, 1966-1986}}

[[Category:Riley vehicles|4]]
[[Category:Cars introduced in 1959]]
[[Category:Cars discontinued in 1969]]
[[Category:Compact executive cars]]
[[Category:Sedans]]
[[Category:1960s cars]]
[[Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles]]