Straying behind the lines here, but look at this, surely the ideal car for Wartime Housewife to go to rummage sales in. I passed over £1.50 for this December 27th 1944 copy of The Motor yesterday, and I think it's worth a tenner just for the front cover. By this time England was thinking that the end of the war must be in sight, as indeed it was, and the Riley ad. says: "Through the years, Riley enthusiasts have valued increasingly those excellences which so unmistakably individualize this Car of Quality. Their approbation will be further heightened, when, as expeditiously as may be, the post-war Riley comes into service." You don't get the word 'approbation' much these days, certainly not in car advertising. Note the hint of expectancy in these advertisements for so many products unavailable in the duration, marking time before everyone could run down to the shops on V.E.Day for gravy browning. And the likes of Horlicks, which was kept back for convalescing troops. I somehow doubt that Riley ever produced this car in such a 21st century colour, but when I get mine I'll be very tempted to get it resprayed just like this.
Halifax, West Yorkshire
2 days ago
8 comments:
" Riley enthusiasts have valued increasingly those excellences which so unmistakably ....". Who made excellence into a plural noun back then?
But realistically speaking, I think the greatest heavy breathing was a] to get the husband back home and b] to get oranges, eggs, nylons and tyres back into the home. Not for unattainable luxury items.. although that car would have been lovely :)
Thank you MrA. - 1944 and the war not even over - what an optimistic company The Nuffield Organisation was. I don't know about the colour but I don't think that even a car like this ever made the production line. It looks more like an immediate postwar MG. Like you, however I want one and definitely in that colour. What memories these wonderful illustrations evoke - Esso road maps of the shires of England laying on the back seat and the funny little elongated drain cover styled tilting ashtray accepting the stubs of the old man's completed Gold Flakes. The snap of the glove box lid as he takes out his string-back driving gloves in preparation for the route ahead. And the all pervading aroma of Rexine and woolen roof lining material. "Two shots of Redex" goes out the command to the uniformed petrol pump attendant...didn't do a scrap of good but apparently lubricated the 'upper cylinder' much like dad as he swung into the car park of The Fighting Cocks.
The motoring illustrators of the time were fast, prolific and extremely competent...it was their bosses who briefed them to exaggerate the size and proportion of the rather mundane little British saloons. Frank Wooton was among their number.
Sorry to ramble, but this is a real gem.
Oh Jon.
If you look closely Peter, you'll see that it IS me in the mustard two-ply - apparently standing next to Tony Benn.
And may I echo your sentiment? Oh Jon ...
I don't know about bright red, but I have a cutting somewhere of a women who due to old age was selling her bright yellow Riley of which she was the only owner. I think it had been a gift from her husband, from memory it looked something like the car illustrated.
This is fascinating especially since there was an extremely stringent petrol ration in place in 1944 which effectively made so called "pleasure" motoring near on impossible - so I can't imagine that too many families were considering such a purchase!
Odd to think that my two (I bought a second one yesterday - watch that space) Jeeps were already a year old in 1944.
Jon - A car like this certainly did make the production lines, although I'm not sure about the colour either. It's a Riley Twelve of 1939/40 and it had a 1500cc engine, so not quite as exotic as the illustration would have us believe! Riley were doing what many manufacturers were obliged to do, advertising their pre-war products, war contracts having precluded the marketing of any new products. Interestingly though, only ten months after this splendid advertisement was published Riley were able to introduce their extemely elegant and rather more modern 1 1/2 litre saloon, so I assume they had been working on it in secret during the hostilities.
Hannah - I suspect that very few if any such cars were available for purchase in 1944. I think Riley were "keeping their name in front of the public" in anticipation of peacetime sales.
Wartime Housewife - You look absolutely lovely. I won't ask what you were doing with Mr. Benn.
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