“The Club for Owners and Enthusiasts of Britain’s finest specialist car manufacturer”
No 15. December 2019
Reliant Archive boost!
Our archives at the Reliant Motor Club have received a huge boost thanks to Rob Walsh - Managing Director at Reliant Partsworld (RPW). Last September, Rob invited us down to survey the Reliant archives that have been stored in a metal shipping container for the last 20 years or so since Reliant closed its doors for the final time. Naturally we accepted such an offer and we visited RPW and managed to collect some amazing things. You can find out more about these in our December club magazine.
It is funny how things work sometimes as a few months ago, RMC member, Andy Plumb (the designer of the Reliant Robin Mk III) went to interview Automotive Designer, Eddie Pepall. Andy asked if whilst he was there whether we would also like him to ask Eddie any questions for our 10 Question Interview section for our magazine, we said we would love to, and after creating 10 questions, Andy interviewed Eddie for us.
Following our visit to RPW, a number of other people also visited, one of which was Philip Andrew. Philip mentioned to Elvis that he had picked up a 3-wheeler drawing by Eddie Pepall and very kindly sent it over to him. Dated 1983, Elvis was curious what it was and contacted Eddie Pepall and the drawing turned out to be a concept for the Reliant Rialto 2. It was from this that Eddie mentioned he had long had an idea for an electric Reliant Robin for the 2020s and set about designing it for us. So not only did we gain a 1983 drawing by Eddie, we also got a 2019 one as well. More of Eddie's designs for an electric Reliant Robin of the 2020s can be seen in the Reliant Motor Club Review (No 7 December 2019) that will be available later this month.
For those who enjoy our documents on the website, please look out for an update towards the end of this month, we will be adding at least 60 more documents.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
Take care,
Caroline
RMC Secretary
For many years it has not been known if any concept drawings for the Reliant Rialto existed, however thanks to the material from Reliant Partsworld, we now have in our archives this wonderful original drawing done by Eddie Pepall in 1983 (whilst he was working for IAD) for a potentially redesigned Rialto 2.
Christmas Greetings from HRH The Princess Royal
We are once again most honoured and delighted to receive a Christmas card from HRH The Princess Royal.
The Princess wishes all members of the Reliant Motor Club a Happy and Peaceful Christmas and New Year.
Reliant Robin for the 2020s
We are delighted to welcome Eddie Pepall to the Reliant Motor Club, Eddie was also once a Technical Illustrator and Body Engineer at Reliant from 1963 - 1965.
Eddie also had some great ideas for an updated Reliant Robin and has designed for us a number of concept drawings on how he feels the Reliant Robin could look if Reliant were still manufacturing vehicles. Keep an eye out for our next magazine and also website update.
Tamworth Christmas Tree
It’s not often you see a Reliant hanging on a Christmas Tree although this month in St. Editha’s Church in Tamworth you can see just that. We were asked to provide a “Reliant related Christmas decoration” by the Tamworth and District Civic Society (TDCS) who were taking part in the Christmas Tree competition in Tamworth. As it was a "Tamworth history" themed tree we naturally wanted to add Reliant to it.
Thankfully at the RMC we have paper models of Reliants that you can make in our online document library and so Elvis set about creating a RMC Reliant Supervan III for them. The TDCS loved it and hung it on their tree.
Reliant Scimitar book now available
Elvis Payne's latest book on Reliant Sportscars entitled, The Reliant Scimitar is currently available. The book contains a foreword by H.R.H The Princess Royal and covers all Reliant Sportscar models (both production and abandoned projects) from the Sabra to the planned De La Chapelle Roadster based Scimitar in 1999.
As with Elvis' previous books, numerous key people have assisted with the book including former Reliant directors, Barrie Wills, Ritchie Spencer, Ed Osmond, Stewart Halstead, Tony Stafford and Jonathan Heynes, along with Tom Karen from Ogle to name just a few. The book also contains new information along with GTE concept images from the 1990s that have not been published before.
Priced at £19.95 the book is available from Crecy Publishing, Amazon and all good book stores.
RELIANT MOTOR CLUB REVIEW: No 7
The seventh edition of the Reliant Motor Club Review (Dec 2019) is almost ready and will be sent out later this month.
As always it contains all our usual features along with a host of other articles including with an interview with Eddie Pepall and Reliant's former nurse Marian Whitefoot. For those who have recently joined or opted out of our mailing list, this and past editions that can be viewed here.
Remember. this is your club so if you have a story or anything you would like to share with club members via the magazine then please let us know.
The magazine will be emailed to all current RMC members as soon as it is ready.
Membership Update December 2019
With well over 300 members, membership is still continuing to grow and so many existing members are renewing their membership with a 2 year option, which is wonderful, we cannot thank people enough for their continued support. We welcome all our new members and indeed welcome back those who have renewed. The RMC now has members in Australia, France, Germany, India, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey. UK and the USA. For those who are still thinking about it, remember that the club is for both Reliant owners and enthusiast and so you do not need to own a Reliant to join.
Thank you again to everyone for their continued support.
One of the key aims of the RMC is to co-exist and work alongside other clubs and so we feel compelled to also thank the Reliant Sabre and Scimitar Owners Club, the Bug Club and the Kitten Register for all their encouragement and cooperation. The RMC is also a member of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, the Tamworth and District Civic Society, the Tamworth Heritage Trust and shares resources with the Staffordshire County Council Archives Department.
Reliant Motor Club Window Sticker
Our RMC window stickers make a great addition to any car. What better way to show your affiliation to the Reliant Motor Club.
For more information on a RMC window sticker for your car(s), please click here.
Membership Discounts:
Amongst other benefits RMC members are also eligible for the following discounts:
We have now had our first batch or Reliant Motor Club mugs made and they look great. Keep an eye on our website to find out as soon as they are available.
The Reliant Motor Company
Elvis Payne's book entitled The Reliant Motor Company has been receiving some very positive praise for both its wide coverage of Reliant and for its historical accuracy. With a foreword by H.R.H The Princess Royal, this is the first book to cover the whole of Reliant, both three wheeler and four wheeler models, in a single volume. It also includes numerous projects in addition to vehicles created for the car industry in Turkey and Israel.
Click here for more info. The book is priced at £18.95 and is available at all good book shops.
We are also delighted to announce the following Reliant Specialist who support the RMC:
Reliant Partsworld UK's largest range of Reliant parts and spares.
Tel: 01543 431 941
BERRYBROOK
Specialist offering servicing, repairs and MOTs.
Tel: 01392 833301
If you have not already done so please come along and join us, our online signup process takes just a few minutes. Membership is £8.50 for 1 year or £15.50 for 2 years.
For more information please visit www.reliant.website.
Join us on Social Media
Don't forget we are on Facebook and Twitter (Links below) where you can catch up on the latest news.
DriveTribe
We were the first "Reliant Tribe" to appear on the DriveTribe web site. Why not visit and join the tribe. Click here
