Forgotten sports cars - Target and Railton
05/24/2025
Well, when you think of "Target", you probably think of a retailer rather than a sports car. But in the early nineties, you could actually build your own "Target". At least that was the promise. A (used) ReliantSS1 was procured and then a new plastic body was fitted, the design of which was the work of William Towns ( Aston Martin Lagonda, Aston Martin Bulldog, Hustler 6, among others ) .
The design became known as the Reliant SS2, which the well-known sports car company showed as a prototype in 1988. The aim at the time was to expand into the USA. William Towns' body shape was well received, but the project had to be terminated after GM withdrew. Incidentally, the shape of the original Reliant SS1 was supplied by Giovanni Michelotti.
Railton had already produced internationally acclaimed automobiles in the pre-war period, but even before the outbreak of the Second World War, the once proud car manufacturer had come to an end (for the time being).
At the end of the 1980s, the revival of legendary car brands was "en vogue" and so the Railton Motor Company was founded in 1989 to bring a convertible with the mechanicals of the Jaguar XJS onto the market. The shape of the rounded aluminum body was also due to William Towns, and the similarity to the Reliant SS2 cannot be overlooked.
However, no more than two cars - one F28 Fairmile and one F29 Claremont were produced as one-offs in 1991 - were built, despite the lofty plans. 50 examples should have been built for £105,000 each, but the market probably didn't allow for this.
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