Reliant Robin History (2024)

The Reliant Robin Mk I, Mk II, Mk III and BN1 / BN2 (1973 - 2002)

Reliant Robin Mk I - 1973 - 1981

The Reliant Robin was first introduced in November 1973 and replaced the Reliant Regal 3/30. Designed by Ogle Design Ltd (under the code name TW8) the Robin was powered by a water cooled four-cylinder 750cc engine that yielded 32 bhp. The vehicle had a complete fiberglass body attached to a box steel chassis and featured a rear opening window that was soon a trend to be used on cars world wide. This allowed the Robin to make full use of its interior as luggage space and with the rear seats folded down had a loading capacity of 30 cubic feet. With the rear seats in use there was a loading capacity of 8.5 cubic feet behind them. Sitting on 10 inch wheels the Robin was the first Reliant 3-wheeler to be fitted with an anti-roll bar to give increased stability when cornering.

The Robin came in several variations, The Standard Robin, The Super Robin, The Robin Estate and the Robin Van. Advances in the body design by using pressed panels for certain areas made the body lighter and thus allowed the Robin to have a more luxurious interior when compared with older Reliants. The Super version featured more instruments on the dashboard than most 4-wheelers.

In 1975 the Robin received a few minor changes in its body work but the biggest change was that it was now powered by a more powerful 850cc engine which increased the power to 40 bhp and gave a top speed of 85 mph with a 0 - 60mph time of 16.1 seconds. The engine also featured a new SU type carburettor which replaced the old Zenith downdraught type. The Robin was also to receive a further boost when HRH Princess Anne brought a Robin Super Saloon when she was living at Sandhurst Royal Academy..

The Reliant Robin has become one of the most famous 3-wheelers in the UK and was produced in its thousands and shipped World wide until 1981 when in this form, it was replaced by the Reliant Rialto.

Reliant Robin Mk II - 1989 - 1999

Whether it was because due to the popularity of the Reliant Robin that all Reliant 3-wheelers became known as Robins or to try and rekindle the success of the past, Reliant brought back the Reliant Robin in 1989 with a completely new look to it. The Robin featured a new fiberglass body that was now attached to a galvanised chassis and numerous other changes that included a single central windscreen wiper. The loading area had now also been taken one step further with a complete hatch that lifted at the rear of the vehicle and with the van version offers up a loading capacity of 40 cubic feet. Powered by Reliant's water cooled aluminium 850cc engine the vehicle had good performance without sacrificing fuel economy.

In 1998 just before closing down their Tamworth plant Reliant produced a Commemorative edition Reliant Robin that marked the last 50 cars that were made at the Tamworth plant. Model number 1 (pictured opposite) was fully lined in leather and each model contained a commemorative plaque on the dashboard

Reliant Robin Mk III - 1999 - 2001

The 1999 Robin featured a complete new front end with tear drop style headlamps, new doors and a new tail gate. Using the galvanised chassis and still powered by the aluminium 850cc engine, it was said to give a fuel consumption from 60 - 100 mpg. These Robins featured matching deep pile carpets and trim, RDS radio cassette, chrome door handles, stainless steel exhaust, fog lights and alloy wheels. Following an announcement made by the company on the 26th September 2000, no more Reliant 3-wheelers were made after February 2001.

Reliant manufactured sixty five special edition Robins (Robin 65) as a tribute to 65 years of 3-wheeler production that featured leather trim, a walnut dashboard, fog lamps, alloy wheels, stainless steel exhaust and has a numbered plaque attached to the centre of the dashboard. A vehicle that was a far cry from the very first Reliant manufactured in 1935. The last Reliant Robin was collected by its owner on February 14th 2001 and was a first prize in a competition run by the Sun Newspaper.

Reliant Robin BN-1 / BN-2 - 2001 - 2002

On April 30th 2001, a company called B&N Plastics, started to remake the Reliant Robin under license to Reliant. The vehicle was re-badged as the Reliant Robin BN-1. The Robin BN-1 was based upon the specification of the Robin 65 and had many changes that included re-engineered gearbox and axle, new dashboard and interior. Leather upholstery was standard as was a sunroof.

At the vehicles launch on 12th July 2001 a Robin BN-2 was also announced that featured light reactive paint and was the first Reliant Robin in history to have electric windows and CD player as standard. In July 2002 the company announced plans to make an electric powered Robin that would have a range of 50 miles between charges and a top speed of 50 - 55 mph. Due to various problems, production of all vehicles was put on hold in October 2002 and no vehicles have been produced since.