In 1980, the Robin was revamped to form the Rialto, which soldiered on through the eighties until it was replaced by a new Robin in 1990, staying in that form until 1999, when the firm moved to a new factory at Burntwood in Staffordshire, producing a slightly modernised model. The last Reliant built Robin rolled off the line on Feb 14th, 2001and given to the winner of a competition held by the Sun newspaper.
In 1962 Reliant lanched the Regal 3/25 - a very different three-wheeler with a new 598cc diecast aluminium-alloy engine, one of the first such units built in Britain. This car sold amazingly well, up to 20,000 a year at its peak, and gave the company money to branch out into other sectors of the market. In 1969 Reliant bought out their rivals Bond, and built the seventies-tastic Bond Bug at the Preston factory, which closed in 1970. 1973 saw Reliant unleash the infamous Robin, with a 748cc version of their proven engine. Its modern styling was penned by Tom Karen and was an instant success. From '75 the Robin was given a larger 848cc engine, giving it improved performance.
The company was founded in 1935 when T.L.Williams bought the rights to build the Raleigh Light Delivery Vehicle (or LDV) at his home in Tamworth. From then, bar the disruption of the War, the Reliant was developed continuously, culminating in the new Regal passenger car in 1951. The Regal Mk3 of '56 had an attractive GRP bodyshell, setting the formula for all subsequent Reliants.
As you cab see from these flattering mock adverts, public attitudes towards Reliants are not terribly kind. Yet from the sixties through to the nineties, Reliant has been making stylish and fashionable Sportscars, the most noteable being the Scimitar GTE, designed by Ogle's Tom Karen.
