The Riley One Point Five was first shown publicly at the Scottish Motor Show in Glasgow on 7^th November 1957. Its roots (and that of its sister model, the Wolseley 1500) lay in a BMC project to produce a new or updated version of the Morris Minor and as such, it was firmly based on that car – using a re-worked floorpan and monocoque construction together with the same suspension setup. As BMC subsequently realised they didn’t actually need a Minor replacement (the car continuing to sell well) the design was developed into a pair of small saloons with more power and luxury than the Minor, using the larger 1.5 litre B-Series engine and MG Magnette gearbox.

Designed as the more sporting of the two models, the Riley benefited from a twin carburettor setup and matching cylinder head, claimed to deliver 68 bhp. In contemporary roadtests it recorded a top speed of a little over 80 mph and a 0-60mph time of 18.9 seconds.

The car was very mildly revised during its production life with three recognized series – Marks 1 to 3. Production ended in 1965 with nearly 20,000 One Pint Fives built. The first Mark was the most numerous, with over 17,000 having been constructed up to March 1960.

This Series 1 Riley One Point Five was first registered in March 1959 and has remained in Jersey all its life. Although it has had a number of owners, the low mileage is believed correct – the car having been little used and dry stored for much of its life.