Riley V Twin 12/18 Sportsman Special "registered 104"
| Bezeichnung/description | Riley V Twin 12/18 Sportsman   |
| Jahrgang/year | 1909 |
| Kennzeichen/registration | ZS6148 |
| Chassis-Basis/chassis base | 12/18 original |
| Chassisnummer/chassisnumber | 2199 |
| Chassisjahrgang/year chassis | 1909 |
| Motortyp/engine typ | Riley V Twin 90 Deg 2580cc |
| Motornummer/engine number | 2034 |
| Motorjahrgang/year engine | 1909 |
| Bodyhersteller/bodymanufacturer | Riley Motor Coy |
| Rennhistory/racing history | n/a |
| Informationen/information | A lot of what I know is only hearsay, but I have put together the following as it has been told to me from several scorches, not all can be substantiated. Around 1905 the original owner, a wealthy Ashburton farmer, Company owner and Racing horse breeder, Harry Nicoll of Dunbar Lodge following a trip to England brought back into N.Z. a 9hp Riley twin. He had four sons who were continually using it so he decided to import another Riley in 1909 for his own exclusive use. When the car arrived it turned out to be a 12/18 two seater, not the 10/12 that he had ordered. He didn’t use it, leaving it in the packing case; he then contacted the Riley Company in the U.K. informing them of their error. Communication was slow in those days, but he eventually heard from them advising him that there had been a mistake and that the 12/18 he had should have gone to South Africa. Because of transport costs he was told to keep the car at no extra cost. What the customer in South Africa eventually got is not known. The following story is told about the owner. He was a staunch Church of England man, and on his way to church one very wet Sunday morning, he came across the local Catholic priest on the side of the road with a wheel broken on his gig. Despite a strong dislike for each others religions, he offered the priest a ride. He then proceeded to find the worst road and the biggest pot holes, duly delivering the priest to the waiting congregation outside the front door of the church covered in mud and very wet. It is presumed that Harry Nicoll had a cover over himself, but not over the priest. He was also well known for travelling at high speed around the district in this car. Over the years he owned several vehicles including an early White and a Prince Henry 40/50 hp tourer. What happened to the 1905 9hp is not know but both the 12[18 Riley and the Prince Henry were put ip for auction in 1913, The riley was bought by a Mr. Richards for 220 pounds. There is no record of what happened to the Prince Henry. The 12/18 was said to have been taken down to the river in the late 20’s and progressively dismantled, with bits going all over the district. The chassis was taken from here and eventually acquired by the father of the person I bought it off around 1930. The motor I acquired from Little River is the actual motor belonging to this car according to the Riley Register’s records ,which gave the date of April 1909 as its “Birth Date” it had been bought as a working saw bench from a clearing sale in Ashburton. I know of at least three other 12/18’s that came into N.Z. from various old photos I have located, one in Christchurch 1907/8, one on the West Coast a 1912/13, and another in Wanganui a 1909, going by the engine and radiator that came from there. Only 7 12/18 twins are known to have survived, Ramon Farmer’s. 1907, Coventry Museum 1907, Chris Gillian 1908, P.Knight’s 1910, all in England Alan Tedder’s 1911, is now in Portugal. And a recently discovered one in Spain (now in Germany) and my 1909.Sportsman. The whole story can be downloaded here |
| meine Email/my email | here |
| zum Verkauf/for sale | Nein/no |
| Datum/date | 02.09.2014 |
| Badge no |  104 |
