THE RELIANT KITTEN – THE 57.5 MPG CAR

The name of Reliant is so associated with three-wheelers that its small four-wheel saloons are too often overlooked. They launched the Kitten at the 1975 Earls Court Motor to replace the long-established Rebel. Your friendly local dealer would tell you about the 24 feet turning circle and the remarkable fuel economy from the 850cc light-alloy engine – Reliant marketed the Kitten as the “57.5 mpg car.”

The sales material pointed out how the Ogle-designed GRP body was mounted on a steel chassis, and you could choose from black or tan interiors with “cool grey” roof lining. Plus, there was a hatchback rear screen, and with the back seat folded, the saloon’s luggage capacity was 30 cubic feet. As for the Estate, it offered “60 mpg, 80 mph, 4 seats and no rotting excuses.”

Unfortunately, at £1,499.35, the Kitten saloon was £250 more expensive than a Mini 850; The Guardian thought the price “emphasises the difficulties in paring manufacturing costs.” Nor was the equipment list very elaborate. The “sporty fascia” boasted a solitary fresh air vent, and the doors lacked both pulls and armrests. Only the driver benefitted from a reclining driver’s seat; an adjustable passenger seat backrest was a £5.85 optional extra.

The Daily Telegraph was unimpressed with the finish – “the vital rocker switch to operate the wipers fell in small pieces on the floor.” However, their review thought, “For all its shortcomings, the Kitten has a lot to commend it, which tends to make the defects all the more irritating.” Unfortunately, Car magazine was less kind when they tested a Kitten opposite a five-door Peugeot 104. Their report contained such less than glowing phrases as “Diabolical gear lever,” “the ride is grim,” and “one of the least satisfactory cars we’ve ever encountered.”

Production ceased in 1982 after just 4,551 units when Reliant replaced the Kitten with the Fox utility. The Tamworth concern sold the design to Sipani Automobiles of Bangalore, who made it as the ‘Dolphin.’ Today, 182 remain on the road in the UK – RELIANT KITTEN (model family) - How Many Left? - each a reminder of Reliant’s bold attempts to compete with the Mini and by 1977, the Ford Fiesta. They deserve to be remembered as a genuinely off-beat urban four-seater – and not, as myth would have it, “a Robin with four wheels.”