DPG 928 – Riley Lynx Special Series – year 1935 – Owner Conway Hall
A brief history.
The Riley Register shows this car as owned from 1967 by Mr S Sheppard of Farningham who in 1977 sold it to John Haddleton, the son of SV Haddleton – author of the Riley Maintenance Manual 1930 – 1956. John Haddleton had the car rebuilt but not very well and then when he decided to have the car restored for a second time it was never completed! John Hardy bought the car in boxes, re-built it and I became the current owner in March 2004. Since then DPG 928 has completed ‘The Automobile’ tour to the Alsace and the Schlumpf Museum in June 2004 [1600 miles] a tour of the west of Ireland in June 2005 [1300 miles], a tour of Brittany in 2006 [1200 miles] , Normandy in 2007 [1100 miles] and a tour in Eire once again in 2008 [1013 miles]. In 2009 the ferry from Plymouth to Santander was followed by 1600 miles through Northern Spain & France back to UK. In 2010 we undertook a shorter trip to Northern France of just 1069 miles. 2011 saw another continental journey in France to the Cognac region and in 2012 to south west Brittany. In 2013 we toured Suffolk – ‘Constable Country’ and in 2014 we drove the Brittany Ferries ‘Picos de Europa’ tour of northern Spain also taking part in many Diamond Jubilee events, including the Register trip to the Classic Le Mans and in July 2015 we went to the Champagne region of France on holiday. This year (2016) our Drive-It Day Tour took in some wonderful Gloucestershire roads and we were fortunate in winning the recent Worcestershire Inter Register Batho Rally.
Competition History:
In September 2007/2008/2009/2012 the car has been entered at the VSCC Madresfield trial, winning in 2008 and 2nd in class in 2012. The Lynx has competed in the VSCC Hill Climb at Shelsley Walsh.
A chance remark at VSCC April Silverstone some years ago to fellow Lynx owners Philip & Sue Hill revealed earlier some competition appearances. Sue Hill had found out that that the Motoring Library at Beaulieu Motor Museum had photographs of DPG 928 competing in the Brighton Rally in 1952 & 1953!
In these photographs the Lynx can be seen competing in 1952 rounding the Chicane at Goodwood racing circuit and again approaching a straw bale in the same rally at Madeira Drive in Brighton during the Brighton Rally of the same year – Driver and passenger unknown. Another photograph shows the car the following year in 1953 with apparently a different driver, who went under the name of Mr E Haigh, but no more details are known.
The Lynx is used throughout the year in Riley Register,VSCC & MAC rallies and Tours.