Talk to me about the Reliant Scimitar?
Talk to me about the Reliant Scimitar?
Author
Discussion

Huntsman

Original Poster:

9,315 posts

279 months

Tuesday 10th March 2015
quotequote all
Comfy for 6ft 3in tall fatty?

Long legged touring?

Spares?

Soft ride? Quiet?

pacoryan

671 posts

260 months

Tuesday 10th March 2015
quotequote all
Huntsman said:
Comfy for 6ft 3in tall fatty?

Long legged touring?

Spares?

Soft ride? Quiet?
Comfy etc? Only an SE6, and then at a push, earlier ones were narrower and have compromised shoulder space for the broader of beam.

Long-legged touring? With an overdrive or fifth gear conversion, perhaps.

Spares? Excellent I believe - I had two for bits so never needed any!

Soft ride, quiet.... er, no, not particularly. Quite firm and lairy in a Capri-esque way, but with a giant wee-smelling/petrol smelling acoustic chamber for you to sit in.

It should be stated that my SE5 was not exactly a minter so take my observations with a bucket of salt, I suspect a mint SE6 is probably a reasonably pleasant old thing to smoke around in, but it will never ride like a Jag.

Raize

1,476 posts

208 months

Tuesday 10th March 2015
quotequote all
The wedge one or the estate car one?

Willhire89

1,462 posts

234 months

Tuesday 10th March 2015
quotequote all
Mine were.....

Heavier than you imagine - the fibreglass is an inch thick in places and the chassis is substantial - see last point.

Always damp inside.

Not a patch on a Capri - SE5's have the lazy old Essex - 160bhp on a good day.

Not particularly reliable - usually required something that cost 30p from the local Ford agent and often engine out to reach it.

I had overdrives but they were always a bit leaky and needed topping up regularly to work.

Good in an accident - I was hit from behind by a Carlton which moved it's engine - Once I had re-hung the exhausts and taped up all the splits in the f/g I drove the Scim until it was written off

Huntsman

Original Poster:

9,315 posts

279 months

Tuesday 10th March 2015
quotequote all
Thanks all, found one in the yard at work today, apparently abandoned.

TheProfessor

158 posts

174 months

Tuesday 10th March 2015
quotequote all
A good Reliant based forum and well worth a visit:

http://www.scimitarweb.co.uk/sgwrs/index.php?mobil...

Regards

IroningMan

10,598 posts

275 months

Wednesday 11th March 2015
quotequote all
Huntsman said:
Comfy for 6ft 3in tall fatty?

Long legged touring?

Spares?

Soft ride? Quiet?
An SE6, SE6a or Middlebridge can be all of those things, but will need to be looked after. Happily nothing about Scimitars is anything other than dirt cheap - except getting them painted.

russell_ram

321 posts

260 months

Wednesday 11th March 2015
quotequote all
IroningMan said:
Huntsman said:
Comfy for 6ft 3in tall fatty?

Long legged touring?

Spares?

Soft ride? Quiet?
An SE6, SE6a or Middlebridge can be all of those things, but will need to be looked after. Happily nothing about Scimitars is anything other than dirt cheap - except getting them painted.
Absolutely agree with all of that but I'd probably add an SE5a Auto to that list. However, buying an 'abandoned' example and bringing it back to any level of presentable/reliable condition is MASSIVELY non cost effective. You would be much better going out and buying the best example you can find in the first place. It will be much cheaper in every respect than'restoring' one.

Mellow Yellow

907 posts

291 months

Wednesday 11th March 2015
quotequote all
You can't stop yourself can you? Just finish what you're doing before you start something else!

Two mates had SE6a (I think) boith loved them, at least one of them was your height/girth and he was on his third so you should fit. I drove one on a track day and was pleasantly surprised, great fun. Seem to be a lot of interest in them now, don't think they'll ever make GK money but I reckon prices will rise, if they haven't already.

Huntsman

Original Poster:

9,315 posts

279 months

Wednesday 11th March 2015
quotequote all
Mellow Yellow said:
You can't stop yourself can you? Just finish what you're doing before you start something else!

Two mates had SE6a (I think) boith loved them, at least one of them was your height/girth and he was on his third so you should fit. I drove one on a track day and was pleasantly surprised, great fun. Seem to be a lot of interest in them now, don't think they'll ever make GK money but I reckon prices will rise, if they haven't already.
Ahoy Chef.

Sold the XJ6, was bored with it, carless! GK coming along slowly.

Huntsman

Original Poster:

9,315 posts

279 months

Wednesday 11th March 2015
quotequote all
The car in question is V reg, so 1979, likely to be a SE6a I think.

Manual box, no sign of an overdrive switch looking through the window.

interloper

2,747 posts

284 months

Wednesday 11th March 2015
quotequote all
If it has over drive, the switch is a toggle one, on the dash above and between the last dial on the right and the air vent. Its not normally on the gear knob.

I have an Se6a I would love to give you some kind of insight but currently the body is sat next to the chassis, rather than on it! It might be quite a while before its all back together.