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Reliant

Scimitar SS1, 1989

Image copyright © BMIHT
Make
Reliant
Manufacturer
Reliant Motor Company
Location Made
Tamworth
Accession Number
2020-3-1
Collection
BMIHT Vehicle Collection
Type
Car
Status
Permanent collection
Engine
4 cyl, 1392 cc, 75 bhp
Fuel
Petrol
Top Speed
100 mph (160 km/h)
Body Style
Sports
Price When New
£9,000
Materials
metal, rubber, plastics, glass, textiles
Dimensions
3886mm (l), 1582mm (w), 1240mm (h)
Location
Collections Centre

Launched in 1984 at the Motor Show in Birmingham, the Reliant Scimitar SS1 was a two-seater open-topped sports car and was intended to combine the appealing features of the "traditional" British sports car - fun, relatively cheap, two-seater wind-in-the-hair motoring - with a sensible choice of modern, more reliable mechanical components and increased refinement.

The "Small Sports 1" featured independent suspension and back-bone chassis with a front-mounted Ford CVH engine driving the rear wheels, and switchgear and dash gauges from Austin-Rover.

The car on display here is a 1989 Reliant Scimitar SS1 with the 1392cc Ford CVH engine. Being a post-1986 example, it is fitted with a galvanised chassis. Reliant collapsed in 1995.