Remember when Noel Edmonds launched his own car company?

Retro Motor team

July 18, 2024

The bloke off the telly
© Classic Riviera
Noel Edmonds is the self-proclaimed “bloke off the telly” who boasted the tidiest beard in show business. The former Radio 1 DJ, landlord of Crinkley Bottom, friend of Mr Blobby and host of Deal Or No Deal was also the owner of a car company called Classic Riviera. Never heard of it? Well, there are reasons for that… Click or swipe to find out more
The Classic Riviera LaRiviera
© Classic Riviera
Noel Edmonds launched Classic Riviera in 2014, offering buyers the chance to have cars made to their personal specification. The first model was the LaRiviera, so-called to evoke the spirit of the Côte d’Azur, where Edmonds had a second home. It’s based on the Jaguar SS100 of the 1930s.
Based on the SS100
© Jaguar
The SS100 was a two-seat roadster, credited as being Jaguar’s first sports car. In truth, it was made by the Swallow Sidecar Company – hence the SS name – which was owned and run by Sir William Lyons. The earlier SS Jaguar 2.5 Litre Saloon was the first car to wear a Jaguar badge, with the SS name dropped after the Second World War in 1945.
Forerunner to the XK120
© Jaguar
The ‘100’ in SS100 reflected the car’s theoretical 100mph top speed. It was powered by Jaguar’s 2.5-litre engine and available in both coupe and roadster body styles. Produced between 1936 and 1940, the SS100 was the forerunner to the XK120, one of the most iconic Jaguars of the 20th century.
Building a dream
© Classic Riviera
Noel spent 18 months building a show car for the Top Marques event in Monaco. It features a number of creature comforts not found on the original Jaguar, as well as a modern 4.2-litre engine. Noel is pictured here driving his LaRiviera on the Côte d’Azur, alongside his wife, Elizabeth Davies. The pair were married in 2009.
Noel Edmonds: a household name
© Getty Images
Noel Edmonds was born in 1948 and his first job was as a newsreader on Radio Luxembourg. In 1969 he moved to BBC Radio 1, where he began a 30-year career. He is perhaps best known for TV shows including the Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, The Late, Late Breakfast Show, Telly Addicts, Noel’s House Party and Deal Or No Deal. Of course, he was also one of the original presenters of Top Gear, helping to fuel his passion for motoring.
What happens in Tring…
© Getty Images
Noel Edmonds is a qualified helicopter pilot and has competed in both offshore powerboat racing and motorsport. He famously entered a team in the 1997 Le Mans 24-Hour race and is a former owner of a Ford GT40. He once admitted to driving the car at 186mph on the Tring bypass. According to newspaper reports, he was completely naked…
Style and grace of a bygone age
© Jaguar
According to Classic Riviera, the LaRiviera ‘captures the style and grace of a bygone age’, clearly reflecting Noel’s love of older cars. He’s not a fan of newer supercars, which he says send out the wrong messages.
Plan for five cars a year
© Classic Riviera
Each example of the LaRiviera should have taken six months to complete. The company planned to build no more than five cars a year.
Designed to be driven
© Classic Riviera
The LaRiviera was designed to be driven, offering a blend of handling and comfort via a chassis of ‘strength and balance’. The car weighs 1,250kg and is fitted with a Jaguar XJ-sourced 4.2-litre straight-six developing 220hp.
Inside the LaRiviera
© Classic Riviera
The interior features a four-spoke wood-rimmed Mota-Lita steering wheel and a fold-flat windscreen. Comforts include Connolly leather trim, air conditioning and deep-pile Wilton carpet.
Bottoms up
© Classic Riviera
For that added touch of glamour, the LaRiviera has a concealed compartment containing a bottle of champagne and a pair of elegant glass flutes. Dare we say “Crinkley Bottoms up”? No, perhaps not.
Named after the Cote d’Azur
© Classic Riviera
Each LaRiviera was to be named after a location on the Côte d’Azur. So car number one, which is Noel’s personal car, is called Grasse, the town in which he lived. Number two was due to be called St Tropez, with the third car named Monaco. Prospective owners could change these names, apparently, but they had to be locations associated with the Côte d’Azur. So forget any thoughts of a Classic Riviera Grimsby or Darlington.
Not quite Noel’s first car
© Classic Riviera
This was the first time Noel Edmonds ran a car company, but it’s not the first time he built a car. In fact, when he was 17, he assembled a kit car using a Mini engine and a Marcos body. Fifty years later, Edmonds insisted the LaRiviera is far removed from a typical kit car.
Better than the real thing?
© Classic Riviera
In fact, Edmonds said the LaRiviera is a millimetre-perfect recreation of the classic original Jaguar. This includes the chassis, suspension and the key elements of the bodywork. This attention to detail extends to the weight of the nuts and bolts, which are said to match those found on the SS100.
A few sensible upgrades
© Classic Riviera
Cars such as the LaRiviera don’t please everybody, though. Jaguar purists will look at the air conditioning, head restraints and Borg Warner automatic transmission as unwelcome additions. However, air conditioning would certainly prove useful in Monte Carlo, a manual gearbox is also available and the head restraints can be removed.
British sports cars in France
© Getty Images
As a former resident of the south of France, Noel Edmonds knew the car market there well. He also opened the Riviera Morgan dealership to sell Morgan sports cars. His collection at the time included a Routemaster bus and a Jaguar E-Type.
Priced upwards of £135,000
© Classic Riviera
The LaRiviera was to cost between £135,000 and £150,000, depending on specification. Given the values of classic cars and the level of workmanship involved, it looked like decent value for money.
How much is an SS100 worth?
© Salon Prive
For some context, a 1937 Jaguar SS100 sold at auction in France for €252,500 (£221,000) in 2020, while another 1937 car managed $329,500 (£267,000) a year earlier. You can buy cheaper SS100 replicas, too.
Monte Carlo or bust
© Top Marques
Top Marques show in Monaco. Sadly, soon afterwards Noel Edmonds fell victim to financial fraud – later receiving compensation from Lloyds Bank Group – which put a swift end to his Classic Riviera dream. As far as we know, only one car was ever built.