RELIANT

Reliant Motor Company was formed 60 years ago by a gifted Engineer named T.L. Williams who had the foresight and faith in the future of three-wheeled vehicles. He set up a simple workshop in his garden at home in Tamworth and the prototype of his first three-wheeled van was licensed on 1st January 1935.

Reliant produced high performance Sports cars. The 2.3 litre Scimitar started production in 1964, originally as a 2-2 coupe and later as a GT three-litre engine and this high performance estate car, which was made longer and wider in 1976, has become one of Britain's most sought after classic car. The Scimitar GTE (Grand Touring Escape) used a Ford 3 litre V6 engine and was the first car to have its back seats fold down separately, a technique that even today is copied by nearly all hatchback cars. Its wedge-like profile defied the fact that it boasted 36 cu ft of load space, and was accessible through a stylish glass hatch supported on spring struts.

Its body was shaped in rust-resistant glassfibre and was strengthened by its steel chassis. The powerful motor in such a light car resulted in it being extremely fast and could easily handle 193 kph. It was also very reliable and was soon viewed very favourably when Princess Anne received one in 1970.

SE6 cars were introduced in 1975. They were softer and wider-bodied and much more comfortable, but unfortunately were never as popular as the 1968 model. Competitors began mass-marketing cheap copies causing Reliant to lose a grip on the market that used to be solely theirs. The final car left the production line in 1986.

Middlebridge Scimitar

What started as a fine idea to save a great car turned into an "everything must go" sale within two years. It all started with two Nottingham businessmen, Peter Boam and John McCauley, who were convinced that there was still life in the Scimitar after Reliant stopped production in November 1986.

Peter and John approached Reliant in June 1987 to buy the manufacturing rights for both the GTE and GTC model.

The money required was not within the reach of these two men so they looked for other ways to get the cash. Later that year the necessary documents changed hands for ?400,000. The money came from Kohji Kakauchi, a Japanese classic car enthusiast who was owner of the newly formed Middlebridge Group, directed by ex-Aston Martin employee Dennis Nursey.

When Reliant stopped production there were still 30 orders in the book and with some major modifications it seemed possible to extend the life of the Scimitar for many years. 450 modifications were made to the Scimitar so it could take on the battle with all the modern mass-production cars on the market - a battle that seemed to be lost even before Princess Anne opened the factory in October 1988. Most of the modifications were forced on the Middlebridge Group because many of the parts suppliers of the old Scimitar had moved on to other (better) business. The biggest changes were the 2.9-litre Scorpio engine, new rear lights, colour-coded bumpers, spoilers and alloy spoked wheels. OK, the car looked more modern now, but those changes didn't do the car much good and - far more important - it basically was still the 25 year old concept of the Reliant Scimitar. The interior stayed more or less the same, although a new plastic steering wheel gave it a bit less style then the old car. The Scimitar bodies were still built at the Reliant factory in Tamworth.

From the beginning it seemed that Middlebridge was spending more time and money on some other of their hobbies like a racing division and a few rare and expensive classic cars like a =?10m Bentley. This lead the Middlebridge factory into receivership in 1990.

Only 77 cars (73 rhd, three lhd and one revised GTC) were built. In eight hours the 774 lots were sold. Graham Walker bought the production rights of the Scimitar for ?31,500, a fraction of what Middlebridge had paid Reliant two years before. He now builds brand new Scimitars to order. The last Middlebridge Scimitar was sold for ?17,400, not a bargain but still ?8,000 less than a few months earlier.

The Middlebridge Scimitar is a nice car, improved in many ways.

Reliant Scimitar GTE	Reliant Scimitar GTE SE6 2.8	Middlebridge GTE 2.9i V6
Middlebridge GTE 2.9i V6