For 1938, with the advent of the new Big-Four engine, the range was drastically changed again, with the demise of the existing 9, and all 15/6 models. This left Riley essentially with a 2-engine Line up:
12/4 (1½ litre): Adelphi, Kestrel, Lynx, Continental-Touring, Sprite.
16/4 (Big-Four): Adelphi, Kestrel, Continental-Touring, Close-Coupled Saloon.
The Adelphi could also be bought with the 8/90 or 15/6 engines, direct from the factory. It is also interesting to note that the Sprite is the only open top model left in the range.
The Rileys now had a radiator Grill, with vertical slats mounted in front of the traditional Honeycomb radiator, and the Bonnet Louvers had been removed. Bumpers were standard on all models, both front and back, and so were steel covers for the spare wheels. In addition to the models listed above, A brand new 12/4 or 9hp Riley, the Victor was launched at the motor show. This was the cheapest Riley model.
In November 1937, at the AGM, the first hint of Financial Trouble was sensed outside the company, with the announcement that the previous 18 months accounts were to be rigorously checked through. By February 1938, a merger with Triumph was rumoured, but at the end of the month, Victor Riley the Chairman of Riley (Coventry) Ltd. announced that the receivers had been called in.
The many attempts to reduce expenses that the receiver made were to close the London Spares depot, liquidate the bodies branch and Riley Engine Co., and sell off all Riley shares in Autovia (a significant amount). This financial difficulty led to a dramatic drop in staff, and so production levels. However, privately entered Rileys still performed exceedingly well in all the races they took part in.
By September, rumours of a take-over by Lord Nuffield had been confirmed. He stated that:
"Lord Nuffield in acquiring the Riley Organization is desirous of preserving in every way the development of those characteristics that have made the Riley car so outstanding."
Immediately after purchasing Riley, Lord Nuffield re-sold it to Morris Motors, so as to generate a large amount of capital for the company. The company was then re-named Riley (Coventry) Successors Ltd., with Victor Riley appointed Managing Director. Lord Nuffield made it clear that the company could continue as before, with financial backing from Morris Motors.
However, many detail changes were made to the cars, including some parts being replaced with standard Morris stock, to reduce cost but not affect Riley performance, or style. Shortly after the take-over, Morris Motors became the Nuffield Organization, now comprising Morris, MG, Wolesley, and of course Riley.
Before long, however, it was announced that the 1939 Riley range would be trimmed to the Kestrel Saloon, and Lynx Tourer - the 2 best selling models.
This meant the final demise of the Riley 9, after well over 20,000 had been built since 1926. Shortly after the 1939 range was launched, however, the Foleshill plant like so many others across the country was turned over to war production. It was during WW2, in 1944, that the founder of Riley Cycle Co., William Riley died. He had outlived his own company, which had survived for 40 years, and produced some of the most outstanding cars of its time.
After the war, production resumed, with all new models, but that's another story......