Yes, that's right. One of those! Del Boy's "Robin Reliant" is none other than a Regal Supervan. It has been maliciously lampooned by even the most respectable road-users for generations, but is one of the most economical cars money can buy (and very little money is required). Derek's particular example is the last incarnation of a long line of Regals, lasting over twenty years, the 3/30. And, of course, with production ending in 1973, there is only a small probability of him having to put the "tax in post".

The Regal was first shown in 1951 and was based around Reliant's "girder-fork" van. It came with the pre-war Austin Seven engine, produced by Reliant and producing an honest 16bhp. The first cars were built in aluminium over an ash frame and were avaiable in open tourer form only, until the advent of a hardtop option in '55. The Regal sold well, and in 1956 Reliant's first GRP car rolled off the production line, the pretty Mk3. The Regal was progressively lengthened and improved over the years, and after the Mk4, no tourer versions were offered. The general styling remained virtually unchanged until the end of the line for the sidevalve Regal, the last Mk6, in 1962.

The car that replaced the Mk6 Regal was the 3/25 - the first car to gain the new 598cc aluminium-alloy engine designed and built in-house by Reliant. It pumped out a healthy 25bhp which gave the car top speed of 65mph. The 1967 3/30 had the 30bhp, 701cc engine and a mild restyle. This car was capable of over 70mph and lasted until 1973, when it was replaced by the Robin.