Reliant
After 65 years, Reliant finally ended production on 14 February 2001. To understand the company and why many people believe that the end of Reliant is a great loss we need to understand a bit more about the history.
Three wheelers and their variants
The company's roots can be traced back to 1935 when Tom Williams, left Raleigh (famous for bikes) to make his own interpretation of the Safety Seven, a three wheeled four seater car equipped with a 742cc v-twin engine. Popular belief is that the name Reliant was chosen because some of the components were already stamped with the letter R. In addition Williams also bought the rights a van version and launched it as a Reliant in 1935. JAP motorcycle engines were used by Reliant instead of the Austin 7 power in 1937, but Reliant later started to build its own engines. In 1953, the company launched the Regal, made from wood and alloy, and by 1957, the same thing was clothed in the then new material called glass-fibre or (GRP). With weight saving in mind, in 1963 Reliant improved its three wheeled vehicles by unveiling an all-alloy engine that proved to have surprising tuning potential.
The sixties and seventies were boom years for Reliant, when tens of thousands of three wheelers known by many as "Plastic Pigs" were released from the Two Gates factory that straddled the A5 near Tamworth. The Reliant Kitten was another attempt by Reliant to move the three-wheeler design onto four wheels. (A previous attempt, the Rebel of 1964 to 1973 was not very successful). The Ogle-styled Kitten was essentially a Robin with an extra wheel and a Reliant engine up rated to 848cc producing 40bhp. Whilst a good concept competition from the Mini, Fiat 127 and the Renault 4 made things tough and only 4074 were built.Nowadays, the Kitten is seen as a good donor car for a basic electric vehicle conversion.
Cruelly mocked by comedians and savaged by Esther Rantzen and other consumer champions, the Robin achieved cult status. However, whilst the Robin had a loyal fan club and second-hand values stayed high sales gradually dropped through the eighties. The re-style Robin of 1990 did very little to help and after passing through a series of owners, the company left Two Gates in 1999.
The Robin ceased production on 14 February 2001 and now Reliant is concentrating on importing small cars from Spain and Italy.
Reliant sports cars (Sabres and Scimitars)
In parallel to the three wheelers, the Rebel and the Kitten, Reliant also built sports cars. In 1962 Reliant launched the Sabre Six, which continued in production for two years. It replaced the four-cylinder Sabre. The sports car was powered by Ford's straight six engine and had TR4 front suspension. With 109bhp the car was capable of a top speed of 110mph and 0 to 60 in 12.2 sec. A much-loved car it looks similar to a Triumph Spitfire (MK1) in styling.
David Ogle's designed Coupe (SE4) of 1964 used the Sabre Six chassis and at first the same mechanicals. With the addition of the Ford V6 Essex engine (later used in the GTE) and some suspension revisions the car was could accelerate to 60 mph in 10.5 seconds and reach a top speed of over 120mph. Only 709 of these cars were built ensuring that rarity and good performance keeps prices high.
The Reliant Scimitar GTE was first built in 1968 and continued in production until 1986. A 3 litre sports estate car capable of 120mph form the 135bhp engine. The car still has a loyal following and is a classic car capable of keeping up with modern day road conditions. It was another great car let down by some niggly problems that Reliant should have put right. The car hit the headlines when Princess Anne received a speeding ticket - altogther the Princess owned eight GTE's.
In 1984 Reliant launched another sports car also under the Scimitar name - the SS2. Styled by Michelotti the, some may say ugly, small sports car was powered by a 1,4 litre Ford engine which was too small to make the car a good performer. The car was greatly improved through the use of a Nissan 135bhp turbo charged engine and some re-styling by William Towns. Whilst similar in concept to many successful sports cars of the late 1990s, for example the MX5, the car did not achieve sufficient volume and production ceased when Reliant went into receivership in 1995.
The Scimitar GTE was revived in the mid 1980s by Middlebridge a company backed by Japanese monet. They made modifications to the GTE design including most importantly the use of the latest Ford engines. The Middlebridge as it was know went out of production only a few years later and the design and tooling for the GTE was bought by Graham Walker
Links
Reliant Motors - Reliant Motors are a profitable and expanding company specialising in the production of quality, high specification vehicles available to customers at very competitive prices. Established for over 60 years our range continues to grow with the introduction of new commercial vehicles and design revisions on our existing 'Robin' range.
For great welding equipment visit our auction
Full range of Reliant Scimitar books CLICK HERE
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Reliant Scimitar replacement parts - The owner of the site is attempting to maintain lists of parts which are either a direct replacement or parts which with modification can provide a suitable alternative to, or improvement on, an original scimitar item.
Scimitar International - As a Classic Scimitar Main Dealer, Scimitar International have close connections with the Reliant Factory, and carry huge stocks of Genuine Reliant Parts for immediate dispatch to anywhere in the world. Always at the forefront of development, Scimitar International were the first UK specialist to commission polyurethane bushes made in the UK. They are International are the authors and originators of the Workshop Manuals on CD-Rom, and now bring you the first fully functional on-line Scimitar parts ordering system through their own secure server!
Reliant Scimitar: 1964-86 (Reliant Road...
Graham Walker - Graham Walker's Web-site is the principal supplier of parts and accessories for Reliant Scimitar cars in the North of England, they specialise in the re-manufacture of obsolete components and complete restoration work to the highest standard and also carry a large stock of cars for sale.
ScimWeb - The official WebSite of the Reliant Sabre and Scimitar Owners Club. Comprehensive information about the club, cars, news, technical reports, etc.
Reliant Motors - Reliant Motors are a profitable and expanding company specialising in the production of quality, high specification vehicles available to customers at very competitive prices. Established for over 60 years our range continues to grow with the introduction of new commercial vehicles and design revisions on our existing 'Robin' range.
Scimitar SE5A restoration project- This website describes in detail the restoration of a SE5A. Lots of photographs and lots of other information about scimitars
The Scimitar and Its Forebears
Information on two Scimitar restorations -
Reliant Motor Company (Official site):
Reliant Owners Page (Northmead Online):
Reliant: Quay Motors, Exeter, UK:
Reliant Research: Dan Lockton:
Reliant Services, Stirchley, UK:
Reliant: Wolfgang Groebner's Site:
Full range of Reliant Scimitar books
1968 Ogle/Reliant Scimitar GTE by: Corgi
More information about the Reliant Scimitar -
"The Motor Oil Bible" (a completely electronic book now available in an "easy print" edition) contains 158 pages of extensive information about automotive lubrication and filtration and completely debunks the popular myth that 3,000 mile oil changes are a necessity.
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