Back living the life of Riley; Locked away for more than four decades, this long-forgotten Kestrel Sprite is back on the road again, writes ANNE BAIN.

Byline: ANNE BAIN

WHEN this 1937 Riley Kestrel Sprite came of age back in 1958, instead of motoring on, it was sent into early retirement.

The sportster spent a lonely 44 years gathering dust in a Dorset garage, until a couple of years ago when Iain Drummond heard about it through the Riley Register.

He quickly snapped it up from the family who were selling up and clearing out their garage.

Iain, 49, explained: 'Having been unused for so long the car had simply rotted away.

'I learned that the owner, who had been a church organ restorer, had bought the car from new but had been killed in 1958.

'His son, also an organ restorer, had simply stored the car away after his father died.'

After Iain got the car back to his home in Letham, Angus, he set about completely stripping it back to the last nut and bolt.

'The chassis was badly worn and I rebuilt the engine and gearbox,' Iain said. 'The car had rotted so badly because it's built with an ash framework with an aluminium skin over it.'

Everything in the car is original except for two modern touches Iain added: the indicators and two rear lights where there originally was only one. And when Iain finally got the sportster back to its former glory he took great delight in taking it out for a spin.

He said: 'The car drives very well, although it's a bit heavy to steer. But it can keep up with modern traffic and sits pretty comfortably at 55 or 60mph.

'The car has a 1.5-litre engine and a pre-select gearbox, which makes for a leisurely drive.'

Iain has learned to do everything on the cars he restores. He's built up an extensive knowledge of his favourite marque and has restored two other Rileys, even creating a unique pick-up out of an old saloon.

The teacher says doing all the work himself doesn't just save lots of money, but gives him an immense feeling of satisfaction, too.

Iain, who is a member of the Scottish Riley Enthusiasts, is a great fan of all cars, but particularly the Riley marque.

The Coventry firm was set up in the 1890s by William Riley as a motor-cycle manufacture and the first Riley car was made in 1898. By 1936 there were 23 models in the range.

Iain's Kestrel Sprite was built between 1936 and 1937 and followed on from the marque's sporting success at the Monte Carlo rally in the early 1930s.

Now Iain aims to enjoy the car's sporting credentials for many more years to come on the country roads around Angus.

CAPTION(S):

HISTORY IN MOTION: Iain drives his 1930s car through the historic area of Dunnichen, where the Picts defeated the Angles in 685