This week Marque Time looks at the Reliant
Born: 1935
Nationality: British
The genesis of what is probably the most famous and certainly the most enduring 3-wheeler car ever came when one T L Williams left his position as Works Manager at the Raleigh Cycle Company to continue in his own name building a 3-wheeler abandoned by Raleigh.
He introduced his Reliant van on January 1, 1935, powered by a 600cc Jap engine. A year later Williams decided to use Austin 7 engines, which powered 'The Reliant' through until the outbreak of WW II.
During the conflict, Reliant turned over its engineering capability to war work and between 1940-46, no vehicles were produced. Subsequent to that, van production was recommenced with the Regent.
In 1952, with a growing demand for small private cars, Williams modified his van and produced the Regal. An ash wood frame carried aluminium body panels and it had a soft top, while power came from a Reliant-built 747cc engine based on the old Austin 7 unit.
During a two-year model life, the Mk I Regal received an upgrade that added two inches to the thickness of its seat cushion.
The Mk II in 1954 was a 4-seater version, and a year later a hard-top version was made available, using fibreglass mouldings. In 1956 came the first all-fibreglass Reliant, the Regal Mk III.
The last Reliant to offer a soft-top variant was the Regal Mk IV introduced in 1958, which introduced separate indicator flashers, a 12-volt electrical system, and an air cleaner. It was replaced a year later by the Regal Mk V, which had a boot and a windscreen wiper on the passenger side. This first Regal series ended with the Mk VI, introduced in 1960.
In 1962, the Regal 3/25 was the first unitary construction-bodied Reliant, made of reinforced fibreglass and bolted to a steel chassis.
It gained a new 600cc engine in 1963, which was Britain's first series production light alloy engine. During its run, a Regal Super with a more streamlined body and better trim was available from 1965.
In 1970, Reliant took over the Bond car company of Preston and produced the 'Bond Bug' which used Regal mechanicals under a futuristic wedge body from the pens of Ogle Design. Around 2,200 Bonds were built up to 1974.
The Regal model ended in 1973 when the Robin was introduced, in a style developed by Ogle Design. A key innovation was a rear opening window and the ability to fold down the back seats. Variants included an estate and a van, and when Princess Anne bought one, the Robin received an invaluable imprimatur.
The Rialto introduced in 1981 had a brand-new wedge body that significantly improved the handling characteristics of Reliant 3-wheelers. A more powerful Rialto 2 produced in 1984 was claimed to have a top speed of more than 100mph. In saloon, estate and van variants, the Rialto was produced until 1998.
Meantime, a new Robin was introduced in 1990, this time featuring a full hatchback rear door and a more modern body. It regained the popularity of the original and built on it with improved performance and fuel economy. A 1999 Robin Hatchback added teardrop headlights, pile carpet, a radio-cassette entertainment system, and alloy wheels.
Sixty-five special Robins were built to mark the 65th anniversary of the brand before production ceased.
BEST CAR: In 3-wheelers, the "second generation" Robin of the 1990s. The Scimitar GTE in the sports cars.
WORST CAR: The Consul-engined Scimitar.
WEIRDEST CAR: The Bond Bug, in basic form without even windows.