Of the numerous competition successes enjoyed by the Riley Nine Brooklands model, it is perhaps the success enjoyed at the 1933 and 1934 Le Mans 24-Hour Races that is the most remarkable. Presented for sale here is the 1932 Riley Brooklands, chassis number 8093, and known more commonly by its UK registration number, KV 5392 - the very same car that was driven to 5th place overall and by Kenneth Peacock and Adolph William "Bill" van der Becke, in turn, winning the drivers the Biennial Cup. One of, if not the most raced Riley in existence, the competition career of 'KV 5392' spans some seven-plus decades and will offer its new owner, not only a magnificent slice of pre-war works racing history, but with that, entry into some of the most enticing historic racing and rallying events in the world.

The long, fascinating, and convoluted story of the Riley Nine Brooklands model is brilliantly told by Adrian Smith and Keith Mountain in their beautifully presented tome on the model – The Riley Nine Brooklands Speed Model. In short, Percy Riley had, in 1924, designed the prototype of the Riley Nine with a twin-camshaft-overhead-valve four-cylinder engine of 1,087-cc capacity. Although the usual and rather complex family politics within Riley prevented the model from being released immediately, by 1925 the clever design of the engine had caught the attention of racer and record breaker Parry Thomas, who along with Reid Railton and Thompson & Taylor at Brooklands developed a Riley 9HP for racing in the 1,100-cc class. Railton enjoyed immediate success and by 1928 Riley had introduced the Riley Brooklands Speed Model, employing an eight-foot wheelbase low slung chassis-so low the drive could touch the ground from the driver's seat-and clothed with beautiful two-seater, pointed-tail, sports racing type coachwork, so typical of the period. Not just a pretty car, the Riley proved to be an outstanding success in competition with a Brooklands promptly winning its class at the 1928 Ards TT. The model provided the mainstay for Riley in competition from the late 1920s into the early 1930s until it was ultimately succeeded by the shorter Imp and the larger 15/6 and 12/4-engined MPH and TT Sprite models. The "Brooklands" not only enjoyed racing success but also numerous rally results, perhaps most prominently in the gruelling Alpine Trials of the period.

The example presented for sale here, chassis number 8093, is thought to be the last Riley Brooklands produced and was utilised by the Works for the 1933 and 1934 competition seasons. Smith and Mountain note that by 1933 "The Team front-liners are now the racing sixes." Whilst the four-cylinder "nines" had nothing to prove two cars, chassis 8089 and 8093, were entered for the Le Mans 24-Hour race on 17 June 1933 with 8089 driven by Kenneth Swift Peacock and Adolph William "Bill" von der Becke and 8093 piloted by the Frenchmen Jean Sébilleau and Georges De La Roche. Chassis 8093 did not fare well for the '33 race and retired after just 12 laps with a seized tappet. Conversely, the sister car 8089 went on to finish 4th overall, winning the Index of Performance award.

After Le Mans, the minor fault with 8093 was repaired and the car was pressed into competition service again when on 1 August 1933 it was driven on the gruelling five-day Alpine Trial by Donald Healey and Roger Fuller. Healey had of course been victorious at the event in 1931, winning on a low chassis Invicta. He was later to describe the 1933 event as "one of the most uncomfortable events I ever drove in." Regardless, he and Fuller managed a creditable 2nd in class narrowly missing out on the coveted Glacier Cup.

Chassis 8093 was again entered by the Works for the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in 1934 together with a brace of six-cylinder cars. For the 1934 edition 8093 was piloted by Ken Peacock and Bill von der Becke. Two Riley Imps were also entered for the event. The race was won overall by Philippe "Phi Phi" Étancelin and Luigi Chinetti on a short-chassis eight-cylinder Alfa Romeo. The Rileys enjoyed extraordinary success that year, with Sébilleau and De La Roche coming second overall followed by Freddie Dixon and Cyril Paul in 3rd. Chassis 8093, ably driven by Peacock and Van der Becke, finished an astonishing 5th overall winning them the Rudge Whitworth Biennial Cup, awarded for the greatest cumulative distance covered by the same drivers in the same or similar car in consecutive years. Interestingly the Biennial Cup attracted greater prize money than the outright win.

According to the "scrap book" that forms part of the extensive history file offered with this historical car and gives a superb outline of the car's history in chronological order, 8093 was retained by the Works in 1935 with talk of it being lent to privateers for various events. The original engine was removed and "bench tested to destruction." In 1936 the Works sold 8093 to Group Captain Briggs, who together with his wife, competed with some success at Brooklands, with both a listing of some of the key results featuring in the aforementioned scrap book together with a splendid photography of Mrs Briggs atop the Riley, presumably post-race success. From the Briggs' stable the Brooklands was sold, via Jack Bartlett to Edinburgh based Bentley and Rolls-Royce specialist Ian Cunnigham in 1937. Cunningham entered various events including the Southport Beach races. He also won the Daily Mail Trophy at Winfield before having doors fitted for the 1939 Donington TT, a race that was ultimately cancelled due to the outbreak of the war. Cunningham retained ownership of the Works Riley throughout the war and drove it at both the 1947 and 1948 Ten Lap Handicap at the Ulster trophy meetings in Ballyclare. The car then changed hands for a brief period before passing back via Ian Cunningham to Alex Calder, brother-in-law to future F1 champ, Jim Clark. Calder continued to race the Brooklands coming second to another future F1 champion, Mike Hawthorne in the latter's Riley Sprite in the Ten Lap Handicap during the Ulster Trophy meeting at Dundrod in 1951. In 1955, Innes Ireland acquired 8093 and competed with it at Goodwood in the Six-Hour relay race in 1956 as part of a Riley team.

In 1956 the now well-worn Riley racer was acquired by Robin Purcell of London who set about rebuilding the car over the next four years and the subsequent ownership history is all detailed in the file and reads as follows:

1960 – 1963 Stanley Burville

1963 – 1967 Major Gerald Hennings

1967 - unknown Melville Smith

Unknown – 1981 David Cohen

1981 - 1983 – sold Via Dan Margulies to Peter Agg's Motor Museum

1984 – 1998 – Richard Wills

1998 – c.2014 Graham White

c.2014 – 2023 Renaat Declerk

2023 – Current owner

The history file contains many photographs, articles and snippets relating to the car during its "non-retirement" from competition. The accompanying scrap book is a delightful addition and as well as including many period photographs and historical information, it also features correspondence from Bill Becke and the BMC service division. It can clearly be seen that 8093 although retired by the Works has really a continuous racing history from new and must have covered more racing miles than most, if not all other Riley Brooklands.

The current custodian has treated this incredibly historic Works Riley Brooklands to a full engine rebuild, carried out by marque specialists on-site at Bicestrer Heritage, Blue Diamond. Prospective purchasers are welcome to contact Blue Diamond directly to discuss the work carried out. Suffice to say that, so fresh is the restoration of the engine that a period of running in and possible "de-snagging" may be required, before the old war horse is taken back into competitive action, but that essentially 8093 is ready for a shakedown and racing yet again once this has been carried out.

Forming a significant part of Riley's' dominant 1934 Works team and aptly capping the illustrious career of the highly successful Riley Nine Brooklands Speed Model with 5th overall and the Rudge Whitworth Biennial Cup, chassis number 8093, offered for sale here, enjoys a known provenance from new, an excellent competition career with the Works and subsequent owners. It is offered in largely original condition considering its extensive competition career, with the benefit of a recent engine rebuild by marque specialists. It is welcome at numerous events around the world where surely a return to Le Mans for the Classic event must rank as the most appealing for the Works historied Le Mans finisher. Close inspection of both the car and the superb history file that accompany it are highly recommended.