Tragic Reliant Robin letter from The Guardian

[MarkF]

My father arrived to take my mother out in his for their first date. He parked (perpendicular fashion) on a very steep hill outside my mother's family home. When they came out, it was on it's side. Not a good start. I've been in one once and was frightened to death, and I've ridden motorbikes all my life.

I like this one.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I don't think Only Fools And Horses would have been the same if they had driven an.... (Shudder) Austin Alegro!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I don't think Only Fools And Horses would have been the same if they had driven an.... (Shudder) Austin Alegro!

With a square steering wheel?

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

With a square steering wheel?

I have no idea, they were before my time and just remember them as a kid.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

My father arrived to take my mother out in his for their first date. He parked (perpendicular fashion) on a very steep hill outside my mother's family home. When they came out, it was on it's side. Not a good start. I've been in one once and was frightened to death, and I've ridden motorbikes all my life.

I like this one.

Hot diggerdy-dawg ah doo deeclare, is thatn the General Lee?!!!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I have no idea, they were before my time and just remember them as a kid.

 

[ASC1951]

I had a Reliant regal for a couple of years back in the 70's it was the saloon version like this, same colour as well. I managed to turn it over on the Nth. Circular near to Park Royal, and it caught fire and melted in front of me.

- Which is a lot better than having it catch fire and melt around you.
For a couple of years I had a Reliant Scimitar ie same 'hand crafted' manufacturer, but with four wheels and a 3 litre Ford V6. As advertised, it was a true Classic British Sports Car in that it let oil out and rain in, the electrics were intermittent at best, the brakes and lights were inadequate, you couldn't get parts and it was slower than a modern Focus. A piece of crap, in fact. The Scimitar Owners Club strongly advised having an in-test fire extinguisher on the passenger seat at all times, so I did ...

 

[User169]

(How we made ... the Reliant Robin, G2, 7 January).

I like the way the engineer admits the steering wheel was prone to coming off, but they only did something because Esther Rantzen kept on about it!

 

[Arch]

Hot diggerdy-dawg ah doo deeclare, is thatn the General Lee?!!!

A while back, in a classic car magazine, I saw an Allegro (or was it a morris marina?) done up in that paintjob. The owner called it the Generally.

 

[swee'pea99]

I don't think Only Fools And Horses would have been the same if they had driven an.... (Shudder) Austin Alegro!

I've heard it said they were the only car ever that was more aerodynamic in reverse than going forward. Probably not true, but it's a good story.

 

[tyred]

A while back, in a classic car magazine, I saw an Allegro (or was it a morris marina?) done up in that paintjob. The owner called it the Generally.

It was in Practical Classics and was a Marina Coupe, good few years ago now. I think it got stolen at the finish up although who would steal a Morris Marina is beyond me.

 

[Salad Dodger]

- Which is a lot better than having it catch fire and melt around you.
For a couple of years I had a Reliant Scimitar ie same 'hand crafted' manufacturer, but with four wheels and a 3 litre Ford V6. As advertised, it was a true Classic British Sports Car in that it let oil out and rain in, the electrics were intermittent at best, the brakes and lights were inadequate, you couldn't get parts and it was slower than a modern Focus. A piece of crap, in fact. The Scimitar Owners Club strongly advised having an in-test fire extinguisher on the passenger seat at all times, so I did ...

Back in the late 70's I was involved in a local car club, and one of the lads had a Scimitar with an automatic gearbox. It was always a bit reluctant to start. One day, it was playing up at his home and he put his foot hard down on the accelerator. The engine fired up, but the car shot back through his garage doors, demolishing them and knackering the back of the car at the same time. He didn't keep the car much longer.....

 

[colly]

I don't think Only Fools And Horses would have been the same if they had driven an.... (Shudder) Austin Alegro!

I confess to once having an Austin Allegro.........I know, I know, but it was a company car. All the stories you heard about it are true.

 

[Cubist]

The first person I ever arrested had nicked a Reliant Robin and overturned on a steep exposed hillside on a very wet and windy night. Ir slid several yards on its side, before hitting a low wall, where it cartwheeled over four cars on a forecourt before taking out a lamp post and ended up as a chassis with one seat and the steering wheel in the middle of the road. The kid ran off with a small cut on his head.

 

[Saluki]

I had a blue Reliant Robin for a good while before I finally took my car test. My Robin was called Christopher and I only toppled him over the once. I had bought him nice new tyres and they were a bit grippier than the last lot so I went along my usual route, cornering at the usual speed and, on one bend, the tyres gripped instead of slipping a bit and we were over but we got propped back up the right way around by a nice, handy raised verge. So that was OK.