The Reliant Regal was a small three-wheeled car manufactured from 1953
until 1973 by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England, replacing the
earlier Reliant Regent cyclecar van. As a three-wheeled vehicle having a
lightweight construction, under UK law it is considered a "tricycle" and can be
driven on a full motorcycle licence. A light-commercial version with a
side-hinged rear door was marketed as the Reliant Supervan.
History Following the launch of the Mk I in
1953, the Regal passed through many revisions in a short period, with the
"first generation" using the original wooden frame and discrete-panel bodywork
design through to the 1961 Mk VI. In 1962, Reliant introduced the Mk VII,
code named "TW7". This version featured a new OHV Reliant engine, a new steel
chassis and bonded shell design for the body, fully updated visual styling, and
was badged as the Regal 3/25, Regal 3/30, Regal 21E or Regal 21E 700. The
600cc engine produced 25 bhp and the 700cc engine produced 30 bhp. The 21E
version was fitted with 21 extras, which were otherwise available as optional
extras to the standard car. These extras included a spot light, a fog light,
chrome plated bumper over-riders, sun visors, an oil gauge, outer wheel trims
and metallic paint. In 1973, the Regal was replaced by the Reliant Robin.
Regals MkI-MkVI had aluminium bodies and 747cc side-valve engines. However,
during the 1950s, the price of aluminium increased markedly across Europe. In
response, Reliant developed an expertise in making panels of glass fibre which
piece by piece replaced the aluminium panels, until the 1956 Mark 3 Regal
featured a wholly glass fibre body. Unlike Panhard, who responded to the
increased cost of aluminium by substituting heavier steel panels,
Reliant's choice of the glass fibre technology ensured that the Regal was
able to retain its advantageous light weight, with the resulting ability to
use smaller, lower powered and therefore cheaper and more economical engines. The
Regal Mk VI was the last Regal to be powered by a side-valve engine, as by
1962 Reliant had developed their own all aluminium 600 cc OHV engine that was
fitted into the new Regal 3/25. The Regal 3/25 version was introduced in
October 1962 and unlike previous Regals, this no longer had a wooden frame and
instead had a unitary construction body of reinforced fibreglass. Fibreglass was
moulded in two major units and then bonded together and bolted to a steel
chassis. Meanwhile, on 25 April 1968, a year before BMC celebrated their
2,000,000th Mini Reliant sales director T.H.Scott personally drove the 50,000th
Regal 3/25 off the assembly line at Reliant's Tamworth plant.
A few months later, in August 1968, the 701 cc engine introduced in the Reliant
Rebel the previous Autumn found its way into the Regal. For the three-wheeler,
the compression ratio was lowered to 7.5:1, reducing the power to a claimed
29.5 bhp from the Rebel's 35 bhp. Nevertheless, this still represented a
useful increase over the 26 bhp claimed for the 600 cc unit which the 701
replaced. In popular culture
Reliant Regals and Robins enjoy something of a special place in British
culture as symbols of British eccentricity. An example of a Regal is
the iconic van belonging to Del Boy and Rodney Trotter in the long-running BBC
sitcom Only Fools and Horses. The van is frequently, and incorrectly, referred to
as a Robin or Robin Reliant by the public, but it's actually a Reliant
Regal Supervan III. The Trotters' original van is now on display in the
National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, while one of two 'back-up' vans was sold in
2007 for over £44,000 to British boxer Ricky Hatton but afterwards it was found
this was a replica sold as a genuine film vehicle. They were several Reliant
Regal vans used in filming, one to notice is in series 2 of Only Fools and
Horses the inside of the van is now red after the original van was sold between
series and only a red van could be sourced and then resprayed with the
previous van's number plates fitted for filming. Copies of this iconic van
appear for sale on auction websites. In another TV comedy, Mr. Bean, a
running gag in the series involves the titular character played by British
comedian Rowan Atkinson frequently coming into conflict with a light blue
Reliant Regal Supervan III, which gets tipped over, crashed into, or bumped out
of its parking space. A red Supervan appeared in the S4C Welsh
language children's programme "Fan Goch".
The 2011 Disney film Cars 2 features a French character named Tomber who is
patterned on a Reliant Regal saloon car, with some creative modifications, such
as the headlights of a DS. His name means "to fall" in French, referencing
the reputed instability of three-wheel vehicles.
A Reliant Regal is shown in the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics
with it falling apart and Batman and Robin coming out of it, a plot that
appeared in an episode of the long-running BBC sitcom Only Fools and
Horses. The Only Fools and Horses Reliant Regal
appeared in cartoon form in a short Discovery Channel advert. The cartoon
man was driving a sports car and after a short drive it turned into the Supervan
with the announcer saying "What a plonker" albeit quietly as a reference
to Del Boy's famous saying. References
External links Photographs and data on various Reliant
Regal versions Reliant Regal Supervan III restoration
project Reliant Website