Friday 25th March 2011

SOTW: Reliant Scimitar GTE

Shed can't afford a Ferrari FF, but this looks a little bit like one...

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If you've read Chris-R's first drive of the new Ferrari FF and love the idea of Ferrari's new hyper-hatch, but your budget is more shed than supercar, then today's SOTW might just provide the answer.

It's got the same four-seat GT MO, the same rakish breadvan looks and - well - that's about where the similarity ends. But for £500 you can't expect miracles, can you?

What you can expect, however, is a reasonably tidy-looking Reliant Scimitar GTE SE6. Okay, so you get half the cylinders of the Ferrari and only two driven wheels. But they are at least the correct wheels (the back two) and that 3.0-litre Ford 'Essex' V6's 138bhp was originally enough to sling the fibreglass-bodied Scimitar to 60mph in 8.5secs and on to a 120mph top speed (although Autocar only managed -60mph in 10.7secs and 117mph flat out in October 1968).

There are issues associated with Scimitar ownership, however. Anyone you meet who knows a bit about cars will tell you that 'Princess Anne had one of those, you know' (eight, actually), while those with no interest in cars will think you drive a genuinely hateful three-wheeler when you say you own a Reliant. Both of which we imagine would quickly become intensely annoying.

Still, if you're thick-skinned enough to ignore the three-wheel/Princess Anne comments the reward is a quick, spacious GT that could provide an easy way into classic motoring, courtesy of a simple Ford V6, plastic body and uncomplicated steel backbone chassis.

This particular car isn't exactly in concours condition, though. It does have five months of MOT, but the seller admits it's got clutch issues and some electrical problems. Still, you should have at least £500 left over in your Shed budget to sort the worst of the niggles. And it'll still be a heck of a lot cheaper than a Ferrari FF.

So: £500 to pretend you're a royal? Sounds like better value than £230k to pretend you're a footballer...

Join SOTW on Facebook

Advert is reproduced below

1977 Reliant Scimitar SE6 For Sale
£500 ono

Great project car, which I wont be able to finish as I am off abroad to work. Car runs well and has MOT for5 months.

I have a new set of front and back seats in great condition and a full carpet set. I also have various parts to complete the car. Paint is quite good but therer are patches of blistering and crazing but no majpor cracks. The front spoiler is broken and there are a few electrical issues. The clutch gets sticky when the engine is warm. This is not a drive-away purchase. The car runs well but needs some TLC.

Please feel free to come and view. The car is currently on sorn. Good amount of history.

[dbdb]

I have always liked the Scimitar. Not enough to actually buy one, but enough to enjoy reading about this one.

[Key]

My mates dad has 2 of these shells (moss covered) in his garden and 2 x 3.0l v6 engines (probably ceased) in his garage. Always been a little disappointed he never got round to restoring them or using the engine in anythnig else.

[150bhp]

Seems someone was in a rush to get SOTW done, utter heap.

[ukzz4iroc]

Scimitar's seem to be the one classic I see driving about a fair amount, even over winters. It's got a V6 and is RWD, what is there not to like (other than the questionable looks)

[MX7]

I didn't realise you could get one for £500. Not a great looking car, but
it's great to still see them about.

[MarJay]

Interesting shed. RWD, V6, Fibreglass body, half of the budget.

Me likey.

Sure, we all long for the days of really really nice cars for £250, but since the scrappage scheme SOTW is a shadow of its former self. *sigh*.

[Tyre Smoke]

ukzz4iroc said:

Scimitar's seem to be the one classic I see driving about a fair amount, even over winters. It's got a V6 and is RWD, what is there not to like (other than the questionable looks)

I've always thought the SE6 was the best looking of all Scimitars and is still a looker. Nobody makes cars of this style anymore which is a shame.

I reckon there would be a market for 3-door sporting estates.

[Simbu]

Tyre Smoke said:

I reckon there would be a market for 3-door sporting estates.

Sounds like the C30 T5

[louismchuge]

The Article said:

Anyone you meet who knows a bit about cars will tell you that 'Princess Anne had one of those, you know'

Christ, TopGearisms are even getting into the front page news stories

You'll be telling us you have to own an Alfa to be a member next

And of course caravans are for wkers

[Motorrad]

The last few weeks has got me thinking:

Why don't the pistonheads powers that be introduce a 'shed stabiliser', this would allow the price of sheds to be adjusted to take into account bks like the scrappage scheme. Meaning that in hard shed times the notional 1000 pound budget would rise to take into account the market and fall back to a 'natural' grand when times get better.

That way we'd get to read about some slightly better cars than this weeks effort which if it wasn't an utter basket case would have been worth reading about.

[NDT]

I feel strangely drawn to these.
Not really fast enough though - needs an engine upgrade up front....
Any ideas what would fit?

[AlexC1981]

150bhp said:

Seems someone was in a rush to get SOTW done, utter heap.

Utter shed, you might even say.....

[Zooks]

bargain!. Flog the engine off and weigh in the rest. job done.

but i suppose thats not really the point is it .

[andymadmak]

Tyre Smoke said:

I've always thought the SE6 was the best looking of all Scimitars and is still a looker. Nobody makes cars of this style anymore which is a shame.

I reckon there would be a market for 3-door sporting estates.

There was a project to revive the Scimitar just a few years ago. Got as far as a rolling chassis or two (I think it featured a De Dion rear end or something similar) Ford V6 + V8 power, and a clay model for the new body (looked nice).
Sadly the man behind it died suddenly ( a sad loss, he had a young family) and the project got canned.

I did a proposal once for a company that looked seriously into buying TVR. The range included a Chim replacement, new cerb, plus a 3 door like this for those owners who felt the need to pin their labrador to the rear glass!

[Riggers]

louismchuge said:

Christ, TopGearisms are even getting into the front page news stories

You'll be telling us you have to own an Alfa to be a member next

And of course caravans are for wkers

I was trying (and obviously failing) to point out that people telling you about the Princess Anne thing is bloody annoying. ie a terrible motoring cliche.

Please credit me with some integrity (not much, just a little )

[205alive]

There'll be a pic of a beautiful silver one being posted soon...but until then:

[vixen1700]

Good basis to make it look and go like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY5_T59MceY

Love it.

[stuckmojo]

You know what? I like that. How difficult would it be to dump a more suitable engine in it?

Like a Nissan/Renault 3.5 v6?

[jake15919]

A nice starter classic in general but this particular car, even with the owners super vague description, sounds like a bit of a bag of bolts. Still if you are retired and have nothing else to do it's a simple car to work on. Getting the fiberglass reskinned and painted, if required, wont be as cheap as the car though.

[ewenm]

ukzz4iroc said:

Scimitar's seem to be the one classic I see driving about a fair amount, even over winters. It's got a V6 and is RWD, what is there not to like (other than the questionable looks)

Keep the chassis rot-free and it seems like a good purchase, esp for £500.