Reliant Motor Company: История британского автопроизводителя из Тамуорта.

British car manufacturer in Tamworth, Staffordshire

Reliant Motor Company was a British car manufacturer based in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. It was founded in 1935 and ended car production in 2002, the company had been known as "Reliant Motor Company" (or RMC for short) until the 1990s when it became "Reliant Motors" and then finally became "Reliant Cars LTD" after production had ended of the Robin as the company was restructured to be a car import business. It is now a dormant company and the only entity left is a separate parts company created called "Reliant Partsworld" which produces parts for Reliant vehicles. Reliant was a large manufacturing company that mainly produced vehicles for niche markets, such as small three wheeled vehicles and sports cars. It was best known for the three wheeled Reliant Robin, but produced a variety of vehicles over 60 years, including sports cars, convertibles and commercial vehicles. Approximately half a million Reliant vehicles were produced and sold in at least nine countries. For a period from the 1970s until the 1990s, Reliant was the UK's second biggest British owned car manufacturer behind British Leyland. To make their vehicles light, the company decided to produce car bodies from fibreglass in the mid 1950s. From this, Reliant became a pioneer in fibreglass design, techniques, and developments. Reliant also produced kitchen worktops, train bodies, and personal watercraft shells from fibreglass. In the 1970s, Reliant was the largest producer of fibreglass in Europe. Reliant became the second largest British owned car company in the 1970s after the forming of British Leyland, Reliant had five factories and sold vehicles to seven countries.

When the Raleigh Bicycle Company decided to discontinue the manufacture of their three wheeled vehicles in 1934, their works manager, T. L. Williams, and a colleague, E. S. Thompson, felt that the days of lightweight three wheelers were not over. They decided to build their own vehicle in Williams's back garden on Kettlebrook Road in Tamworth. Their home built design closely resembled the Karryall van previously built by Raleigh, and the prototype was licensed in January 1935. but after several trials with small local companies, it was changed to a steering wheel. The work moved to a disused bus depot on Watling Street in Fazeley. On 3 June 1935, the first Reliant was delivered. Powered by a single cylinder air cooled 600 cc J. A. P. engine, the driver sat centrally on the vehicle astride the engine, much like a motorcyclist. The single cylinder engine left the Reliant under powered. In March 1936, a two cylinder, water cooled J. A. P. engine and an increase to 8 cwt (407 kg) gross vehicle weight was released. The driver no longer sat astride the engine and the vehicle gained more conventional forward facing seats in the front. The first improved eight cwt twin cylinder model was delivered on 16 March 1936. In 1938, the Reliant Motor Company started to use the 10.5 hp, 747 cc four cylinder Austin side valve engine as found in the popular Austin Seven. The first four cylinder Reliant was delivered on 12 March 1938. The Austin Car Company then announced its intention to cease production of the 747 cc Austin Seven engine. As Williams was always enthusiastic about making Reliant as independent as possible, he was keen that the company did not buy parts that it could make "in house". Austin sold all the 747 cc engine tooling and manufacturing rights to Reliant, allowing them to commence manufacturing the engine. Although appearing very similar to the Austin engine, the level of commonality between Reliant and Austin remains unclear; the Reliant side valve engine was a 747 cc four cylinder unit built using smaller scale manufacturing techniques than Austin. The Reliant crankcase was sand cast rather than die cast.

During the Second World War, Reliant machined parts for the war effort. In the post war years, three wheeler development continued. Reliant introduced a slightly modified van called the Regent. Visually similar to an over sized motorcycle, the first Regent was completed on 13 March 1946, ten years after the first twin cylinder van. The Regent grew to a GVW of 10 cwt and was better equipped, with sliding windows in the doors rather than canvas side screens. Two larger models were produced, a 12 cwt Regent and a Prince Regent. In 1953, the Regent continued to be built alongside the Reliant Regal. The Regent was eventually replaced by the Regal Mk II 5 cwt van in 1956. In 1952, a four seat car was launched, initially with an aluminium body, but panel by panel, the company substituted it with fibreglass, as their understanding of the material improved and the price of aluminium increased. After production finished in Greece, Reliant decided to build it in the UK, but gave the Fox many design changes, including 12 inch wheels, altered suspension and the high compression 850 cc engine. They designed a rear hardtop to make the vehicle into a van or estate. Tandy Industries used Foxes as a basis for a compact, two berth camper van. Reliant also made a small three wheeled commercial vehicle called the Reliant TW9, later sold by other companies as the Ant (and, like the Robin, licence built in Greece by MEBEA took the lead and his main backer took control – Haynes created a new range of Robin and Rialto specifications to appeal to more customers including more luxury models such as the SLX. Sales doubled as previously most Reliant vehicles were basic with not even the option of metallic paint. In 1997, production was relocated to Plant Lane, Burntwood, following a major redesign of the Robin model in 1998. The new model featured all new panels and was essentially a 'heavy facelift' designed by Andy Plumb. Research continued into four wheeled Reliant models such as a Kitten for the modern age. Prototypes for this featured in many newspapers and magazines at the time. Production continued of the Robin model until 2001 when shareholders decided to import Ligier microcars and Piaggio Ape three wheelers instead. Jonathan Haynes sold his shares and left the company before production ended because he wished to create an all new four wheeled Reliant model instead. The last Reliant made was the Robin 65 a Reliant Robin in metallic gold to celebrate 65 years of car production. The vehicles had every optional extra and sold for £10,000 65 of these vehicles were built up to Valentine's Day 2001.

Reliant, in the early 1950s, agreed a deal in Israel to produce Regent vans in SKD form. Not long after this, Israel would ask Reliant for a four wheeled vehicle design which could be built in Israel that was strong for their rough roads and could be used with a choice of van, pick up, and estate body styles. The car used a lot of Reliant's existing parts; basically converting a Regent into a four wheeled vehicle. This vehicle would never be sold in the UK and called the Reliant Regent four 10 cwt van, this would be sold in Israel by Autocars limited but the vehicle renamed Sussita to make it seem a more homegrown car. In 1958 Reliant showed this vehicle extensively in the UK to demonstrate they could design more than just 3 wheeled vehicles but also only showed in LHD form as it was only an overseas model. Building on this relationship Autocars would then set Reliant the challenge to design a peoples' car for their country, this car would later be named the Carmel. The Carmel was designed around the same time Reliant were designing its Regal 3/25 and somehow some of its design features rubbed off, the square styling with a reverse slant Ford Anglia rear window for one, the engine was also the 1100cc Ford Anglia unit, apart from the body many of the chassis and running gear was used from the Sussita. Reliant would later design the Sabra Sport using Ashley Laminates existing kit car designs which Reliant would redesign again to sell it in the UK market as the Reliant Sabre. Reliant would continue designing vehicles for Autocars into the early 1970s when Autocars started to source parts from Standard Triumph, severing ties with Reliant in the process. Autocars would end in the late 1970s and would plan to start a new company selling Reliant Kittens in Israel but this would not happen. From this export started another as in 1962 a Turkish delegation visited Autocars in Israel and was impressed with its car production; Turkey would later instruct Reliant to design its own peoples' car. Through this deal Reliant designed the Anadol, a saloon vehicle using a GRP body, separate chassis and Ford running gear, this deal though would not just be for a vehicle design but to help Turkey create its whole car production from its factory, paint and production. The company would be named Otosan. The Anadol would be designed into two door saloon, four door saloon, van, pick up and estate, several redesigns would keep the Anadol looking modern into the 1970s, later Otosan became more distant from Reliant as local content rose. Reliant offered in the 1980s again to redesign the Anadol even presenting a prototype but by this time Otosan believed it could go it alone and redesigned the vehicle itself, this wouldn't end well for Otosan with declining sales and eventually Otosan became a Ford assembly plant for Turkey producing the Ford Escort.

Shortly after Reliant announced that production of the Robin would cease, production rights for the Reliant Robin were sold to a Sudbury based firm called B&N Plastics, which redesigned major parts of the car. A deal was done where Reliant would supply the mechanical parts of the Reliant Robin to B&N Plastics and then the fibreglass skills of B&N Plastics would be used to build the vehicle and sell it under its own name. Production of the new Robin would begin in late 2001. The new car would be called the BN 1 Robin with no Reliant branding. The BN 2 model would be made with extras such as electric windows. The cost of the base model, the BN 1 Robin, was £10,000, but had all the features of the Robin 65, such as a leather interior. The BN 2 model had all these extras and more. However, after 30 to 40 cars were produced, Reliant could not supply the mechanical parts of the Reliant Robin as they had decided to end production of the Reliant 850 cc engine, which meant that the BN 1 Robin would need a redesign to use a different engine if production continued. B&N Plastics had already spent £100,000 on approving the Robin design so production could start. The company sought to find more investors to help fund further redesigns to keep the Robin alive but by early 2002, no investors were found and B&N Plastics ended its car production with over 200 orders unfulfilled. B&N Plastics ceased production in late 2002. In later years, it was revealed that B&N Plastics were planning to fit a Japanese K car 660 cc three cylinder engine and five speed gearbox to make the Reliant Robin more modern.

Reliant produced 50 vehicles a week until 2001, when it finished production of its own models to focus on importing French Ligier microcars and motorcycles as well as the Piaggio Ape range of commercial vehicles. A final version of the Reliant Robin was produced with leather seats, metallic gold paint, alloy wheels, walnut dashboard, and some other luxurious features, which retailed for £10,000. The car was made in the company's 65th year of production, and so was named the Reliant Robin 65. Reliant Cars Ltd. was renamed Reliant Partsworld, and operates from the factory where the Robin was built. The old site of Reliant Motors, in Tamworth, was turned into a housing estate named Scimitar Park, after the Reliant Scimitar that the company produced. A number of streets in the estate were named after Reliant models as well, such as 'Robin Close'.

Since Reliant would be known for building robust fibreglass vehicles, it would diversify into producing fibreglass items other than their own vehicles. It was showcased in the "World of Reliant" documentary, which was written and filmed by Reliant in the early 1980s to show how diverse the company had become from a small car company producing three wheeled vehicles. Other fibreglass products produced were items such as GRP sinks and kitchen worktops, GRP replacement car wings for metal vehicles, GRP guttering and tubes, GRP train carriage bodies for British rail, and GRP aircraft bodies. Reliant also had many contracts with Ford to build fibreglass high roof tops for their Transit model. Vauxhall Motors would also contract Reliant to make their GRP body kits for the Chevette.

On 8 July 2017, a blue plaque was unveiled to honour both the founders, T. L. Williams and E. S. Thompson, and marked the birthplace of Reliant. The first Reliant prototype was built by Williams and Thompson in 1934, in the rear garden of Williams' residence, named Bro Dawel, on Kettlebrook Road.

The most widespread myth regarding Reliant vehicles is that they cannot go around corners. This was supposedly demonstrated on Top Gear, but Jeremy Clarkson admitted in The Sunday Times in 2016 that the Robin only rolled over frequently because the production team had welded the differential, fitted different sized rear wheels and placed heavy sandbags in the passenger footwell. As a result, the car became much less stable than before. Another myth is that a Reliant, or any three wheeled vehicle, is not allowed on British motorways. This is not the case. Any two , three or four wheeled vehicle is allowed on the motorway as long as its engine size is over (with the exception of most agricultural vehicles). It is a common misconception that the main character Derek "Delboy" Trotter in the British television comedy series Only Fools and Horses owned a Reliant Robin. Many people painted their Reliant Robins and Rialtos yellow with the famous "Trotters’ Independent Trading Co" lettering, but the Trotters' van was actually a Supervan III. Many people are under the impression Reliant three wheeler can be driven on a Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) licence, but they have engines larger than the CBT licence allows. To drive a Reliant, a full motorcycle or car licence is required and the driver must be over 21. Another widely held myth was that all Reliant three wheelers have no reverse gear; before 1964, the reverse gear would be disabled, but all Reliant vehicles were equipped with one.

Originally, to drive a three wheeled vehicle on a motorcycle licence required passing a full motorcycle test and completing a restriction period. When the licence was issued it included a B1 class. This conferred the right to drive a vehicle with three or four wheels up to 550 kg, but the final B1 licences were issued in 2001. In January 2013, the licensing changed again. Drivers with a full A category motorcycle licence who are over 21 years of age may drive a three wheeled vehicle of any weight. The age restriction of 21 applies to full car licence holders also in the UK. Driving any Reliant three wheeled vehicle is not legal on a CBT licence or lower.

Model From To No. of wheels 7cwt, 10cwt 1935 1939 3 8cwt, 10cwt, 12cwt 1946 1950 3 Regent 1950 1956 3 Regal and Supervan III 1953 1973 3 Sabre 1961 1964 4 Scimitar GT 1964 1970 4 Rebel 1964 1974 4 FW5 1966 1975 4 TW9 1967 1987 3 Scimitar GTE/GTC 1968 1986 4 Robin 1973 2002 3 Kitten 1975 1982 4 FW11 1977 1977 4 Rialto 1982 1997 3 Fox 1982 1990 4Scimitar SS1/SST 1984 1992 4 Scimitar Sabre 1992 1995 4