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Reliant is a car manufacturer in England the company was historically based at Tamworth in Staffordshire although since 2001 it has moved to nearby Cannock.
The company is notable for building composite-bodied specialist vehicles, such as the Reliant Scimitar, Reliant Sabre and Reliant SS1 sports cars, and the three-wheeled Reliant Robin, Reliant Regal and Reliant Rialto economy cars. Reliant also designed and produced the iconic 1970s fun car, the Bond Bug.
Reliant also built a four wheeled version of the Reliant Robin called the Reliant Kitten ; the forerunner to this was the Reliant Rebel and during the 1980s a utility / pickup vehicle called the Reliant Fox. They also made a small 3 wheeled commercial vehicle called the Reliant TW9 , later sold by other companies as the Ant, which was basically a Chassis / Cab onto which a custom rear body was fitted and used by many public utility companies.
Most of these quirky and distinctly British small cars used Europe's first mass-produced lightweight aluminium alloy engine, initially 598 cc but enlarged through the years to a final 848 cc in 1975. (Early Reliant three-wheelers used an engine derived from the 747cc 1930s Austin Seven ). Reliant's own aluminium alloy engine is also used as the required (preferred?) replacement for the Austin Seven engine by the 750 motor Club in their Formula 750 motor sport.
Reliant's expertise in the area of composite car body production has also seen the company produce lightweight body shells for Ford RS200 Rally cars and new Glass Fibre Bodied London Taxis, the MetroCab - the first to have full wheelchair provision, and currently manufactured by a division of Kamkorp.
Reliant now concentrates on importing "speciality" vehicles from European manufacturers, including Piaggio, Bultaco and Ligier.
Reliant Kitten Register
There is a 'Preservation Society' for all the four wheeled cars called the Reliant Kitten Register which also caters for many homebuilt and limited production 'specials' based upon the 4 wheeler components.
The Register has subscribers in Portugal, France, Holland, Belgium and Germany, as well as the UK.
The intentions of the Register are to keep track of as many of these cars as possible, at the same time giving their owners a means of communication. A bi-monthly 14 page A4 Magazine (The Mewsletter) is sent to subscribers. The sourcing of difficult spare parts and provision of technical information are prime priorities.
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Reliant Energy is an electricity corporation, unrelated to the car manufacturer and formerly known as Houston Power & Light.
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