The Riley Two-Point-Six is an automobile produced by British Motor Corporation Limited (BMC) from August 1957 until 1959.[2][3] It replaced the Pathfinder as Riley's flagship model when it was announced on 23 August 1957.[4] While its predecessor retained the renowned Riley four-cylinder twin-cam cross-flow engine, coil rear suspension and gearbox, the Two-Point-Six was virtually identical to the Wolseley Six-Ninety Series III. It featured both monotone and duotone paintwork, as did the last of the Pathfinders. As per the Wolseley Six-Ninety Series III, right hand drive cars with a manual gearbox had a right hand gear lever; LHD cars a left hand gear lever.[2] An automatic transmission and an overdrive for the manual gearbox were available as options.[2]
Externally the most obvious differences from the Pathfinder were the bonnet arrangement – while the Pathfinder's grille lifted with the bonnet, the Two-Point-Six, in common with the 6/90, had a fixed grille – and the wheel arches having a raised edge.
It used the BMC C-Seriesstraight-6, an engine that produced 101 hp (75 kW). This was actually less than the 2½ Litre Riley "Big Four" straight-four engine it replaced. The Two-Point-Six was sold to a specific clientele and was never intended to be mass-produced.[2] It sold at the same pro-rata rate as the previous Riley Pathfinder until the end of production[2] in May 1959. It was the last large Riley, although BMC kept the badge alive in replacing it with the Farina-styled Riley 4/68, similar to the Wolseley 15/60 and MG Magnette.[1]
