TERRY SMITH looks back at the Reliant three-wheelers.
So, who out there reading this thought that Del Boy had a Reliant Robin van? Well, I did for one, but while it was a Reliant Van, in fact the model was actually a Regal. Its strange how you get something in your head, and you think that it's tablets of stone - but imagine that 'What model of Reliant Van did Del Boy drive in Only Fools and Horses' was the £1,000,000 question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? I certainly would not have said Regal!
So, what was the difference? Over the years the Reliant three-wheelers did not change that much, but they did evolve. The company first introduced their small three wheeled vehicles in the 1930s at their factory in Tamworth. After the war, they continued with their entry level personal transport, powered by their ex-Austin Seven 750cc engines called the Regent, swapping their aluminium bodies for fibreglass with wooden floors. By the mid 1950s, the bodies had become completely moulded in fibreglass and it was re-named the Regal, and that of course was the van featured in the TV comedy series. Its replacement was the Robin which was introduced in 1973, and continued in production until this was replaced by the Rialto which was made up to 2001 when Reliant ceased producing vehicles. They continued for another year supplying spare parts for Reliant owners, but the company was wound up in 2002.
No article on Reliant three-wheelers would be complete without reference to some of the myths about these endearing little cars. A common misconception is that they are not allowed to be driven on motorways, however any vehicle over 50cc, whether it has 2,3,4 or more wheels, is allowed to drive on M roads. Another myth is they don’t have a reverse gear, and although it was not enabled until 1964, they have always been fitted with a reverse gear. And finally Top Gear showed how badly the three-wheeled Reliant handled by rolling one over again and again. What the viewer did not know, and which was admitted by Clarkson in a newspaper interview sometime later, was that as designed the car was almost impossible to roll the car just by driving it fast. To get the car to roll over they had to weld up the differential, fit smaller wheels on one side of the car and put loads of sandbags in the passenger side footwell. That said, if I was wanting to do some fast laps around Brands Hatch, I would rather do it in my Focus ST than a Reliant three-wheeler! (which would break down first though? - Ed)
While looking like it was designed even further back in time, this earlier Regal model in this Reliant promo shot actually dates from 1954.
This plaque can be seen close to where the original factory was based at Tamworth, West Midlands.
This period advert is showing you why you should have bought one of these cars. This is the car version of the Trotter’s Regal Van – Note the Ford Anglia style rear window.
Often mistaken for the TV icon, the Robin was a totally different design first made in 1973. This Reliant ad dates from 1976.
The final incarnation was the Rialto. If there is something familiar about it, the car used headlamps from a Mk2 Ford Fiesta.
While waiting to board the Newhaven Ferry back in 200,7 no less than 5 Reliant’s turned up in Gulf Racing livery. They were driving down to Le Mans for the 24hrs, and they even made the news on TV.