Dutch Riley racer returns home after 55 years

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The Riley Imp is a quintessentially English sports car, but home for this fine example must surely be the Netherlands. Having once carried the pre-war Dutch registration G-13821, all the evidence would suggest that this 1935 Imp was in the Netherlands from new, and its first known owner was the Dutch importer of Atlas Tires, who also ran a vulcanising business, but its colourful exploits from 1948 and into the 1960s are what make the lowland kingdom its spiritual home.

A star of the Dutch race and rally scene

The Riley was bought in 1948 by amateur racer Willie Oosten, who operated the Ceintuur-Garage in Amsterdam and also served as pit mechanic for a couple of other Dutch racers, Eddy Herzberger and Hans Herkuleijns. Oosten campaigned the car with real enthusiasm, regularly participating in races at Zandvoort and in other competitions, alongside much newer machinery. Its known competition history includes three Rallyes Evian Mont-Blanc, four Coupes des Alpes, four Tulip Rallies and five Scheveningen-Luxembourg-Scheveningen Rallies, along with multiple driving tests.

Oosten was something of a showman at the wheel and liked to entertain spectators by sliding the Riley around in driving tests, but his special party trick at Zandvoort was the Le Mans start. Through a creative interpretation of the rules, he rigged up an outboard starter and left the Imp in first gear, so he could start it up and shoot off as he jumped in.

As time went by, Oosten fettled with the car to keep it competitive, substituting the original 1100cc engine for the 1500cc engine from his Kestrel saloon. With the increased power and torque, he twice placed second in class in Alpine rallies.

Refreshed and ready for InterClassics

Oosten enjoyed the Riley until 1966, after which he sold it to Danish furniture designer Poul Kjærholm, who kept it until his death in 1980. PreWarCar.com founder Joris Bergsma has arranged for the Riley, newly refreshed by Peet Classics, to return to the Netherlands as one of the star exhibits at InterClassics Maastricht on 12-15th January.

That's not all. The Riley will be displayed with over 80 historic racing and rallying photographs from Oosten's personal albums, and footage of it racing at Zandvoort. If you're heading to InterClassics, make sure you take a close look at it on the Peet Classics stand.

Words: Zack Stiling
 

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