Bridge Classic Cars workshop restores 1905 Riley car

As well as being one of the oldest cars still around, the four-wheeler has another claim to fame, as it is also believed to be the prototype for the first ever car with removable wheels, which was produced a year after this Riley.

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And the antique motor is very rare- there are believed to be just four remaining examples of Rileys left in the world.

The 1905 Riley HP9 in the process of being restored (Image: Bridge Classic Cars)But this model is being lovingly restored by director Gordon Ranson and his team at Bridge Classic Cars in Pettistree, near Woodbridge, after being found bricked up in a building elsewhere in the UK to protect it from being stolen by the Germans, in case they invaded during the Second World War.

And the technology used on the Riley was very different from today's cars- many of which only need the push of a button on the dashboard to start.

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Instead, early 20th century motorists had to start the car by hand, by turning a crank handle numerous times until the process of internal combustion began in the engine and the handle could be removed.

The Riley HP9 was found bricked up in a building elsewhere in the UK (Image: Bridge Classic Cars)However, this process often required considerable physical effort, meaning the less able were often unable to start the car.

And whereas in modern cars oil is delivered automatically to lubricate the engine components, drivers of 1905 Rileys had to regularly pump oil into the engine by hand during the journey using a brass tube syringe located on the right hand side of the car's interior.

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Drivers and passengers would also need to wrap up against the elements as the only protection was a piece of black fabric that covered the vehicle and was secured by 'belts,' which helped to stop the rain, but not much else and had a window at the back.

The Riley HP9 was started using a crank handle (Image: Bridge Classic Cars)Although cars from that era had a steering wheel, in common with their modern cousins, the set up of the foot pedals was different, with the accelerator in the middle, rather than the right, which was where the brake was located.

The Riley, which was found in '60 or 70 pieces,' has a top speed of approximately 35mph and the restoration is due to be completed by the start of 2024.

However, reaching that point has been a challenging process for the team at Bridge Classic Cars as they had very little reference material for what the car looked like and had to interview experts on Rileys to find out more, as well as make trips to the British Motor Museum.

Bridge Classic Cars hope to have the Riley HP9 restored and ready for use again by 2024 (Image: Bridge Classic Cars)By chance, the team was also able to reunite the car with its radiator, which was believed lost, but was discovered during a house clearance in Cornwall and the auction house contacted the Suffolk restorers after looking them up online.

Mr Ranson said he wanted to do the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in the Riley, but the car had missed out on the cut off to enter, being 'too young' by three months.

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He added: "We see some exceptionally valuable and rare vehicles come into the workshop every day but this is extra special.

"It’s not too often that you can truly say you have a piece of automotive history in front of you that went on to change driving for most people in the world.

"We feel very privileged to be restoring this, despite how challenging that is proving to be and I am very excited to see it drive out of the workshop.”