Reliant : The Forgotten Four-Wheelers

Michael Burgess tells the story of the oft-forgotten four-wheel Reliant cars. He puts these once popular four-wheeled cars back in the public eye where they belong.

Reliant have long been famous for their three-wheeled cars. Television personalities such as comedian Jasper Carrot and journalist Jeremy Clarkson have relentlessly mocked the three-wheeler, this forming a large part of their repertoires. Only Fools and Horses made them famous to a whole generation of television comedy viewers. Yet behind these three-wheeled cars lay a world of four-wheeled cars – versions of the famous three-wheelers as well as larger sporting and sports cars. They provided ready-made indigenous car industries to Israel and Turkey and would be involved with the Metrocab, the only serious contender to replace the London black cab. Alongside all this they would provide sub-assemblies and bodywork for other manufacturers. The most notable Reliant four-wheeler was the Scimitar, which maintains a strong cult following to this day. This book puts these once popular four-wheeled cars back in the public eye where they belong, and shows there was much more to Reliant than quaint three-wheeled vehicles.