How an MG-Reliant could look, but won't
Reliant is to return with a three-wheeled hybrid city car called Starling, and the Smart ForTwo rival could be bringing the Scimitar roadster back with it.
The Reliant marque is making a comeback after MG Motor UK signed a deal with the current owners of the brand to use the name for a new range of small cars to sit below the MG line-up.
Topping off the re-born Reliant range will be a spiritual successor to the Scimitar SS1 roadster (pictured right), based on the MG TF. Like the original car, which Reliant built in one form or another from 1984 to 1995, the new car will be a rear-wheel-drive soft-top, although it will be mid- rather than front-engined, owing to its MG TF underpinnings.
Other technical details of the new Scimitar are scarce, but expect a lower power output than the 133bhp TF, possibly around 110bhp - courtesy of a revived 1.4-litre K-series - and a price tag of £10k. To help keep the price down, the new Scimitar will be plastic-bodied, like its predecessor.
The Scimitar will be joined by a small three-wheeled Reliant city car aimed at the Smart ForTwo and Toyota iQ. Power will come from a 1.1-litre three-cylinder biodiesel hybrid, with a small electric motor for city running. Reliant is said to be retaining the single front wheel for the tighter turning circle and packaging advantages it provides.
The three-wheeler as we last saw it
As well as the Starling name, a revival of the Kitten moniker could be on the cards, although 'Stoat' and 'Puppy' are also said to be in the running. For the brave, Reliant is also planning a 150bhp version, possibly called the Reliant Sparrowhawk.
The news of Reliant's revival comes as the marque celebrates its 75th anniversary, although the company has been a spares-only business since the last three-wheeler was delivered in February 2001.
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