Rust never sleeps, or maybe it does?
07/27/2023
It was car fan Neil Young who proclaimed musically in the 70s: "Rust Never Sleeps". This insight - in a slightly modified form as "Rust Sometimes Sleeps" - could have been the company motto of the Reliant Motor Company, which is largely unknown here and which delivered its products exclusively with bodies made of glass fiber reinforced, rustproof plastic (GRP for short).
Unknown? Well, who hasn't laughed at Mr. Bean, who repeatedly pushed his three-wheeled rival for a coveted parking space with his Mini, often knocking it over in the process! These basic three-wheelers, which are coveted by collectors today, made Reliant the second largest car manufacturer on the island in the '70s - after Kritisch Elend! If you count these Trabby-like vehicles - enthusiasts may forgive me - as cars ...
Hardly anyone knows that Reliant - in the heyday of its economic history - also built really great and fast cars. And they had 33% more wheels (namely 4) and six times as many cylinders (namely 6), not to mention the displacement (2800 or 3000 cc) and power (from 138 BHP - that's a lot more).
Developed as a subcontract by the renowned Ogle Design studio and the ingenious inventor and designer Tom Karen ( sadly recently deceased), the Reliant Scimitar GTE was created at the end of the 1960s, probably the first "Shooting Brake" to be built in any significant numbers, marking the birth of this concept, which is still popular today and has been copied many times. Okay, okay ... Swedish fans like to start the discussion here and refer to a vehicle with a similar concept developed in the fairytale department of a Swedish manufacturer; but this went into production much later. And although it is of great, baroque grace (Snowwhite's Coffin), it is slower and somehow lacks the almost Italian-like lightness of the "Scimi". If you want to know more, we recommend the current issue of Auto-Bild Klassik, where the two vehicles are compared.
The key data are quickly described: A sleek, well-proportioned shape, an estate rear end with a glass hatch (which, incidentally, fits a non-folding 28-cc bicycle - try that with a Passat!), a frame made of steel profiles with an attached plastic shell, independent suspension with discs at the front, a trailing axle with drums at the rear, two seats at the front, two additional fold-down seats for smaller people (preferably children) at the rear, a three-liter Ford Essex V6 with a four-speed gearbox and optional electric overdrive, 138 hp and a live weight of 1200 kg. Technology from the mass production shelf and quite readily available, apart from the GRP parts. Even Lincoln freak and cubic capacity junkie Neil Young would probably like it, if he knew about it.
It all came together somehow and immediately attracted the interest of the royal family in the person of HRH Princess Anne, who reportedly had, still has - and even drives - several Scimis! Even the wryly humorous Queen consort Phillip (RIP) apparently took a liking to riding a scimitar (the scimitar is an oriental slashing and stabbing weapon), as evidenced by several photos on the net to this day. My personal Scimitar hero was (sadly also RIP) Keith Emerson - one of the most brilliant musicians and synth pioneers of the 20th century - who also drove such a car.
Anything that finds favor with the Royal Family is a sure-fire hit on the island, be it plaid socks or bitter orange marmalade. The "MGB-, Midget-, TR- or Spitty-driver-founds-family-needs-space-for-child-and-dog-won't-drive-a-spitty-saloon" concept also fitted in with the times, and so Reliant achieved good sales figures and considerable commercial success with the Scimitar SE, which was advertised in the relevant gazettes as a "mile-eater" and "load-swallower".
So much for the early history. But what has become of the 15,000 cars built - mostly right-hand drive, a few conversions? On the island, the good examples are almost completely worn out. Every now and then, you can still find a nice Scimi from a private owner ("must be seen", "probably one of the best") or from a dealer, for which you can expect to pay a few pounds in the lower five-figure range. The rest fall into the "barnfind" category and hardly a week goes by when my automatic ebay.uk search doesn't bring up a new half-life ... often without an engine/transmission, sometimes cut up into a hot rod and beyond any reasonable (??) consideration.
Only the bodywork is usually still in pretty good condition - "Rust Sometimes Sleeps" - if you disregard the typical Scimitar crack-and-blister disaster. The guys in Tamworth were GRP pioneers and happily dipped whatever resin chemistry was available into the molds back then ... the quality of the surfaces is correspondingly different and almost always poor, which only looked great in the first few years of their life and then began to "rust" in their very own way under the change of merciless sun, drizzle and sea salt. Dark specimens in particular - with surface temperatures in the fried egg frying range - are usually terrible. And repainted Scimis quickly become a "ten feet car" again, even if the painter didn't have a clue about GRP. Boatyards are recommended here; they know their stuff.
In Germany and Holland - where Geert van Hout, a renowned parts dealer and renowned expert, is based - there is a small scene, although its presence has declined sharply in the last decade. The once well-frequented internet forum has become rather lonely, and sometimes three cars, sometimes four and sometimes just one come to the "meetings". Which is somehow not a meeting. According to conservative estimates, there are probably still around 100 cars in Germany and the Netherlands, but only half of them are registered.
On a weekend in July, Friedrich Fäsing, the "Scimitarian" of the first hour - an energetic tinkerer full of energy and ideas, typical of the classic car scene - invited people to a meeting in Bernkastel-Kues. This is quite centrally located in Germany, so there were around 20 confirmations, 15 of which actually turned up. Friedrich, you did a really good job - chapeau! You haven't seen more Scimis in one place here in Germany for a long time - if not ever.
Everything was just right: the weather with no rain and moderate sunshine, the really well-stocked and professionally run "Zylinderhaus" classic car museum with a focus on German cars in the economic miracle as a suitable location, the specially reserved parking lot in front of the museum portal, the guided tour with the friendly and knowledgeable museum director (who also drives a Scimitar - German cars or not!), the joint drive with squealing tires and hot engines around beautiful, Mosel-like serpentines, the evening tech talk in the museum restaurant and the overall great atmosphere!
It should be mentioned here that the Scimitars - like many of their kind - are almost exclusively owned by older gentlemen, but they are all of a youthful spirit and, above all, have extremely charming and tolerant wives. This is certainly due not least to the ingenious concept of the vehicles, which are also suitable for everyday use and comfortable by today's standards. The pithy acoustics are also tolerated in part due to the absence of front silencers and retrofitted exhaust manifolds; a little fun is a must for the man. And when the Essex then takes the passengers up the hill with all the power of its three-liter displacement from the engine speed cellar, there are only smiling faces. But please keep an eye on the water temperature at all times; if the electric fan fails, you'll soon be out of luck!
There was also much discussion and speculation about the future of this remarkable car and similar old and youngtimers. Questions upon questions: Is the scene ageing? How will prices develop? Are there still people who can lie to themselves so wonderfully ("it's not expensive after all...") and easily put €10,000 or €20,000 plus into a car, which then sticks to the owner and for which, with a lot of luck, a few thousand euros might be available at some point? Are there no offspring? Do our children all have this "we don't buy anything" mentality that is so alien to us professional moguls?
In any case, what I took away from this great weekend is that I - now 65 years old - urgently want or need to reassemble my Scimitar and take it to the next meeting. Otherwise you'll find it in one of the classic car journals in the "barn find" section ...
Well, I'll probably have to talk to my wife first. But - see above - this shouldn't be a problem, should it?
"f not now, then when?" (Tracy Chapman)
