HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY TO THE RELIANT ROBIN

The 1^st November 1973 edition of Autocar concluded its report on a crucial new British car with glowing praise:

All told, the Robin marks a real step forward in three-wheeler design. It is also an earnest of Reliant’s belief in the configuration – a belief which may be more than confirmed by the rising cost of petrol, which is bound to focus attention on economical-to-operate transportation.

Such an article undermines the myth that the Robin was a universally despised machine from the outset. Fortunately, today, despite a few deluded types referring to ‘Reliant Robins’, and even many of the tired jokes of the 1980s and 1990s have finally expired.

Autocar also noted:

Looking first at the body, styled by Tom Karen of Ogle, one is struck by the good-looking solution to the real problem of styling a car with three wheels and fibreglass panels. It is even more an achievement to have produced a full four-seater saloon inside an all-up weight of less than 8cwt.

In addition, the timing of the Robin’s launch on the 30^th October 1973 to replace the Reliant Regal 3/30 could not have been better. The impact of the Fuel Crisis caused many people to consider a smaller vehicle, while three-wheelers attracted £10 annual road test as opposed to £25 for a four-wheeler.

Reliant also faced the challenge that former motorcyclists represented a decreasing proportion of their customer base. The prices - £801.39 for the standard model and £848.46 for the Super Robin – were sufficiently low to attract Mini and Hillman Imp owners and Regal drivers alike.

The microcar expert Lewis Buchan owns 22 three-wheelers along with some four-wheel Reliants. This fleet includes six Robins - four Mk. 1s, a Mk.2 and a BN-2. In his words:

I 100% agree that history has been unfair to the Robin, and most of Reliant’s three-wheelers. They are very much overlooked cars - great fun and handle really well for being three-wheelers. All of them have a certain charm to them that can’t help but make you smile.

Lewis also observes of a certain BBC motoring programme:

The Top Gear handling issues are no more than a bit of a stunt to get viewing figures and have a laugh at the Robin. Even afterwards, Jeremy Clarkson came out to say just how good the Robin really is, and when driven correctly, they are fantastic cars to drive.

Mr. Clarkson indeed later wrote:

in a headlong drive to amuse and entertain, I’d asked the backroom boys to play around with the differential so that the poor little thing rolled over every time I turned the steering wheel.

Meanwhile, Lewis takes justifiable pride in owning a very early Super Robin, the Reliant with fog and spot lamps, hazard warning lights, a passenger sun visor, a vanity mirror, and additional instruments as standard. Not to mention the “chromium-plated lockable petrol” cap.

With Thanks To: Lewis Buchan