I seem to be bumping into classic cars all over the place just lately. This rather wonderful machine was parked on Victoria Road in Saltaire, as I walked up from the park one day. I googled the number plate and it turns out to have quite a good story. It's a 1947 Riley RMA and its first registered owner was the legendary band leader Harry Mortimer, who started his career playing in brass bands and went on to play in orchestras, including the Hallé. He also worked for the BBC as Supervisor of Brass and Military Music and founded the programme 'Listen to the Band'. So, an illustrious start for the red car, which now belongs, I believe, to Andrew Greenhough.
In Larkfield Drive, where we lived in Rawdon in 1950, I stood transfixed in awe before a brand new Riley Pathfinder. The gleaming black cellulose with dazzling chrome and wonderful smelling Conolly leather seats made a BIG impression on a small boy!
ReplyDeleteThey don't make cars as classy as that one anymore.
ReplyDeleteQuite a car.
ReplyDeleteBack when cars had real character.
ReplyDelete