I have to make something clear to start with: I don't like the Rialto. I do, however, appreciate that there are plenty of people who enjoy theirs. I promise you that, after a short rant, I will behave as though unbiased towards it. As you can see, this particular car (left) is in colourful livery, yet there is something about that metro-esque front that is not quite right, and the colour schemes, in general, were pretty dull.

The name "Rialto" is far more exotic than the car, which has a "bingo-hall glamour" (note: that particular remark, unfortunately, is not mine). On the other hand it is a very practical car (apart from the annoying rear boot hatch on the saloon) and is slightly more refined than its predecessor, the Robin, despite lacking it's cheerful character. The Rialto used the same old 848cc engine and, apart from the earliest models, came with galvanised chassis. Which means that Rialtos will be with us for a while yet.

One interesting development was the Rialto 2, which ran on a compression ratio of 10.5:1 and had a higher ratio rear axle, giving a top speed in excess of 100mph. These are distinguishable by their yellow rocker cover and, one would presume, frightened passengers.