Fun: The Reliant Robin

A strange classic: the Reliant Robin

And yes: it has been proven more than once that such a tricycle can tip over if it goes too boldly into the bend. Measure the remaining endearing things, those Reliant tricycles. At the beginning of the seventies of the last century, there were more than 100.000 tricycles in England. But of course those were not all Reliants.

The Robin was the successor of the Regal. He looked a bit like the Reliant GTE.

The Robins were first made in 1973 and then had an 750 cc four-cylinder engine. It was available as a sedan and as a station wagon. In 1975 the Robin got a stronger 850 cc engine. The body is self-supporting and the structure is made of polyester. The coach is therefore easy and responsible to convert into, for example, a convertible. The production of the first Robins series stopped in 1981. In 1989 followed the second series Robins, which were slightly updated compared to the first series. In 2000 the third series Robins followed and also a special version was issued in honor of the 65 anniversary of the Reliant factory; the Robin 65. These last Robins all get an album with a unique number and the name of the owner on it. The Robin-65 series was delivered entirely in gold metallic.

And he was able to go much faster than everyone expected

Despite what everyone has seen on TopGear. But it was advisable to have a passenger on board. A wider set of rear tires also helped with cornering. Strangely enough, Reliant advised not to use radial tires under their products. But the drivers who did were not bothered by it.

The Robin was there a long time before he arrived

But the sales of the Regal were still going well and at Reliant they were a bit tight in the production area. Despite its long maturation period, such a Reliant was not as robust as the Bank of England. The start was usually only with the gas on the shelf. The gas sometimes stuck. The wiring and instrument lighting were ... well: separate. The choke button could fall into pieces just like that, the throttle cable could come loose from the pedal, the crank of the window punctured exactly at knee height. But the Robin braked well (rear wheels first) and the lighting was fine too.

Expensive to purchase, inexpensive to use

And all of that with a fairly expensive car that was only very cheap in insurance (in England) and could be driven with a motorcycle driver's license. Oh yes: did we mention that the 750 750 cc 32 pk four-cylinder. The four-cylinder engine was rather deep. You could not easily reach for service and maintenance. The luggage space, on the other hand, was impressive.

100% Classic, 100% endearing

All in all, such a Reliant tricycle is a true classic and endearing to the full 100%. You do not see them offered daily, but if one is put to head, then he is often in the small price corner. And there is work to do. In the Netherlands the Reliant Robin is not subject to MOT because it weighs less than 400 kg, in Belgium it is not possible to get a Reliant Robin on license plate.