The Kestrel that toured the world survives to this day and has in fact been totally restored by the present owner. Before the journey George Yallop named the car Calisay after a potent liqueuer he developed a taste for while holidaying with the car in Spain in 1959, although the car is more commonly referred to in Riley circles as ‘The Yallop Riley’.

Plenty more info is yet to arrive on this page but some basic technical specs. are listed below:

 

Make and Model        Riley Kestrel

Power Rating              9 Horsepower

Engine Capacity          1087cc

Year of manufacture    August 1933

Body type                   4 door saloon

 

Calisay’s engine is a liquid cooled 4 cylinder in-line petrol unit fitted with a single Zenith carburettor. Coolant is circulated through the engine and radiator utilising the thermo-syphon principle which basically means it has no need for a water pump and a cooling fan is an optional extra!

The body panels are largely made from aluminium and are built around an ash wood frame which is fixed onto a steel chassis. The whole structure is very strong but flexible at the same time.

Percy Riley designed the small but innovative and powerful ’9’ engine and it soon became the daddy of their range after its launch in 1926. Variants of this compact and highly tunable unit propelled a multitude of their production and competition models all the way through the 1930’s.

 

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