PORTSMOUTH CITY POLICE, 1953 riley rmf, jbk 244, IN RESTORATION, PRESERVATION AND SERVICE

At the end of the Second World War, Riley was one of the few manufacturers to present a completely new range of cars.

In 1946 they introduced the 1½ litre RMA followed in 1947 by the 2½ litre RMB. By 1952 the RMB had been superseded by the RMF, now with more power, all hydraulic brakes and Hypoid rear axle. The cars performance figures were pretty impressive for the era with 104 BHP available from its 2443 cc twin cam and twin carb engine that helped propel the car onto a top speed of just under 100 MPH. 

But it wasn’t cheap at £1650 including purchase tax. That said it was a much better quality product than its nearest rival the Wolseley 6/80, often regarded as the archetypal Police car of the 1950s. 

The 2½ litre was used by a fair number of Police forces including Portsmouth City (11), Gloucestershire (33), West Sussex (8) East Sussex (6), Buckinghamshire (9), Essex (2), Devon (2), Dunbartonshire (5) with several other forces having one or two including overseas in Australia, South Africa and Malaya. 

The Chief Constable of Portsmouth City Police loved his motor cars and was a genuine latter day petrol head so its no surprise to learn that the force had no fewer than 11 Riley RM’s  between 1947 and 1954. He would even show off to dinner guests by phoning the control room and demanding the presence of a Riley to his house in less than 5 minutes to prove how fast they were!    

JBK 244 was one of 3 Riley RMF’s purchased in 1953 and stationed at Portsmouth City Police’s HQ at Bycullah House, Queens Crescent, Southsea.