The Riley Sprite is a two-seater open sports car produced by Riley Motors from 1935 to 1938. It followed the company’s Imp and MPH sports cars and was mostly built with four-cylinder engines, though a six-cylinder unit was available.
Riley Sprite at a glance
| Maker | Riley Motors, Coventry |
|---|---|
| Production | 1935–1938 |
| Type | two-seater open sports car |
| Predecessors | Riley Imp and Riley MPH |
| Chassis | based on the MPH |
| Engines | mostly four-cylinder, six-cylinder available |
| Racing model | Riley T.T. Sprite |
| Legacy | gave its name to the sportiest Kestrel saloons |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Riley Sprite.
History of the Riley Sprite
After the Imp and the MPH
The Sprite arrived in 1935 as the third of Riley’s small sports cars, following the Imp and the MPH. It was a two-seater open model and its chassis was based on that of the MPH, the low-built car whose side members ran under the rear axle and whose rear body ended in a short rounded tail. Most Sprites were built with four-cylinder engines, but a six-cylinder engine was also available, continuing the choice Riley had offered in the MPH.
Racing and the T.T. name
The Sprite’s racing success, especially in the form of the Riley T.T. Sprite, made the name valuable. That success led Riley to adopt ‘Sprite’ as the designation for the top-end sportier model in the Riley Kestrel saloon range of the time, so the badge moved from a small open sports car to the fastest version of a closed saloon.
A short but important run
Production ran from 1935 to 1938, the last years of Riley’s independence before Lord Nuffield bought the company. The Sprite belongs to the same family as the Nine, the Imp and the MPH: small, light cars with Riley’s high-camshaft engines that gave the marque its sporting reputation between the wars.
Design and features
- MPH chassis: the low, rigid-axle layout of Riley’s earlier sports car.
- Four or six cylinders: the four was standard, the six an option.
- Open two-seater body: light and simple, built for club racing as much as for the road.
- T.T. Sprite: the racing version whose success gave the model its name.
Riley Sprite versions
- Sprite four-cylinder: the standard car.
- Sprite six-cylinder: the optional larger engine.
- T.T. Sprite: the racing version.
The Sprite followed the Riley Imp and used the Riley MPH’s chassis; its name passed to the sporting Riley Kestrel saloons. More cars are in the Riley collection.
Sources
- Riley Sprite, English Wikipedia: production, engines, chassis, racing
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