The Reliant Robin

There's a couple still being driven this area and I catch a sight of them every now and then. There used to be one parked permanently at the entrance of a Plant Nursery and Antique Garden Centre near Lymm in Cheshire but checking on the Net I see it has closed down.

 

There were quite a lot of variations on the theme too, many of which I saw a few of as a kid, mainly due to them being cheap as chips to run for the factory workers, and in some cases they were almost desirable:

Reliant Regal (the one the Trotter's had was a Regal Supervan)


Reliant Rebel:


Reliant Robin



Later to be revised as the Reliant Rialto:



Reliant Scimitar



Reliant Sabre Six

 

I fell in love with the Scimatar back in the middle 60's when I saw one at a Car Dealers in Ipswich and was going to buy it. Unfortunately, before I could I was posted to Aden for two years [lucky me]. I guess it was just the shape of it but at the time it looked a real mean machine!!

 

They went bust in the late 90's/early 2000's from memory - their designs were simply never going to meet the advancing safety standards, and in my opinion they were too small to move forward to designing something that was suitable for the modern world.

I can't think of any books offhand, but you might like these websites:

Car and Classic

Practical Classics

 

I must confess that I am more of a Triumph GT6 kinda guy

 

They're a classy car for sure. I also got close to buying an E-type but again got posted before I do anything.....it was going for £2000 at the time too!!