I bought a 97 Robin last year and restored it, I have a bike licence, so suits me fine. Love it, about to respray it and get it to like new condition as much as possible.
@Chappomusic
10 ай бұрын
Real people for whom their job meant something and incredible loyalty to the company..
@orsonkaart1853
5 жыл бұрын
I worked at a Reliant main dealer 76/77 and a couple of years later bought a Robin van to carry myself and my fishing tackle around! It was yellow, and my girlfriend called it the ' chunk of cheese'!
@kerrydangerfield6528
5 жыл бұрын
Orson Kaart its a wonder you even had a girlfriend driving a pig 🐷 around 😂😂😂😂😂
@martinda7446
5 жыл бұрын
What sort of cheese? Cheddar or Stilton?
@foggy460
5 жыл бұрын
You didn't sell it to a man called Trotter did you
@Traderhorn
5 жыл бұрын
I worked at a garage with British leyland and reliant dealerships, and when the Robin was released a second mechanic was needed when busy and I drew the short straw and was sent to Reliant factory at Tamworth for training, so I ended working on Robins, Regals the one Del Boy had and Bond Bugs, and back to Land rovers when not required in Reliant work shop, both a joy to work on.
@jamesgoodwin2450
5 жыл бұрын
Your girlfriend sounded like a right goer hahahahaha
@diabolicalartificer
5 жыл бұрын
Many of my biker mates had plastic pigs, warmer than a bike in Winter and good for carting about engines etc. I did a mushroom trip in one in the early eighties, listening to Ten Years After, hurtling along country lanes watching the lights at Donnington Airport... magic. When they changed the motorbike license it killed off a big chunk of the market for 2nd hand pigs. Fair play to My Heynes for giving it a go. Thanks for the upload.
@davidparry1982
5 жыл бұрын
A brave effort - and not a ridiculous gamble - yes an appeal on nostalgia from the fans maybe but a vision beyond that too. If we knock people for trying when will we ever succeed
@SkuldChan42
5 жыл бұрын
That's a good motto to live by.
@fraggit
4 жыл бұрын
That's us British I'm afraid. We are the biggest critics of what we do, have done or are about to do. Self deprecation is now what we do best. Brexit is a prime example, sadly.
@rabbishekelstein9477
4 жыл бұрын
Paul b self hating, white liberal! England was great but this "vehicle" doesn't represent that
@stephenbibby8650
5 жыл бұрын
I had no less than 5 Robins and Rialtos during the 1980's . They were great reliable little cars , never let me down . They were much under rated.
@jamesgoodwin2450
5 жыл бұрын
Stephen Bibby just lacked that 4 th wheel hahahahaha
@JohnDoe-bd5sz
5 жыл бұрын
@James Brennan My thought exactly...If they were reliable why then have so many
@Superfandangoo
4 жыл бұрын
5 Robin, zero birds
@marshalllucky
3 жыл бұрын
the robin reliant was a great car , they made one with 4 wheels too but it was called the robin kitten :-(
@mrjed6912
3 жыл бұрын
@@marshalllucky robin is the car model reliant is the brand
@hitchannel7777
5 жыл бұрын
just a thank you for the upload and of course a thumbs up.
@davidboult4143
4 жыл бұрын
Remember seeing this when it was first broadcast. Thanks for posting it again. Very interesting business case.
@Twirlyhead
4 жыл бұрын
No homegrown cars in the company carpark is always a bad sign.
@dabotz_draws
4 жыл бұрын
I suspect Ferrari would disagree... (Enzo himself used an Alfa 164 as daily drive, toward the end of his life.... Ferraris were for clients).
@jamesbrett6518
4 жыл бұрын
Da Botz P38 Range Rover is a bit british. Enzo had a Lancia Thema 8.32 - look it up.
@davidtyrer5380
3 жыл бұрын
I've watched this many times and always admire those that put a lot of effort into what was really a doomed enterprise by 1996. A very British story really and a glimpse of how many UK motor manufacturers eventually ended up. It seemed he was determined for the 3-wheelers to effectively fund his dream of a new sports car but considering cars like the Mazda MX-5 where already well established by that time then that was really pie in the sky unfortunately.
@georgebuller1914
4 жыл бұрын
Have fond - and not so fond - memories of working on these beasties in the 1970's. RIP, British Icon.......
@landsnailproject2875
5 жыл бұрын
Most interesting indeed - my late Grandad, late Father and myself have owned every model made since the girder forked van. I adored my '76 Robin van which was tastefully 'tweaked' by my Reliant agent/friend and was a total joy to drive over the 150,000 miles I put on her. Wish I still had her with all my heart.
@paulrutland2949
5 жыл бұрын
By this time the Reliant three wheeler was a dead duck. Surprised a man like Jonathan Heynes couldn't see that. 60 mpg, motorbike tax and rust free body was a fantastic advantage compared to thirsty and quick rusting 70's cars. But, fast forward 20 years and your average medium sized family diesel will do 60mpg +, is free on road tax, and due to modern technology has fantastic corrosion resistance. Also, the typical reliant customers (older, northern, ex-miner types with a motorbike licence) were reducing massively in numbers by this time.
@newforestroadwarrior
5 жыл бұрын
@supernumery I'll give the chap credit for one thing .... at least he faced people. I used to work for a technology incubator and 90% of the meetings we organised were unattended - people just couldn't be bothered turning up for whatever reason.
@borderlands6606
5 жыл бұрын
There was a point when the difference between a car and a motorcycle was a reverse gear. It was possible to drive a 3-wheeler to the test centre, take your driving test, blank off the reverse position and do your bike test as if in a sidecar combination. I think you're correct in your analysis of Reliant's 3-wheel demographic, Paul, people with a bike license who couldn't be bothered taking a car test and whose wives would no longer get on a bike. Common in the 60s, still plenty about in the 70s, but by the 1990s a dying breed. The Regal/Robin was an anachronism of the British licensing system, like the ridiculous necessity to put pedals on 50cc motorcycles to meet moped laws in the 70s.
@fiveowaf454
5 жыл бұрын
Exactly the issue I saw, cars had moved on, but also with all the emissions regulations etc. the days of the small manufacturer of a cheap economy car were over.
@fiveowaf454
4 жыл бұрын
@Gary Dodgson I agree about motorcyclists making the best drivers, as a motorcyclist you cannot afford to make a mistake and you have to learn how to ride defensively and be constantly aware. After 43 years, having started out with motorcycles before owning a car, I still drive a car or ride a motorcycle with the same attitude, I see and know many who drive cars without appreciation for the inherent dangers. Everyone seems to think if you ride a motorcycle death is inevitable, yet drive as if no one's ever been killed or seriously injured in a car.
@nexus7tablet610
4 жыл бұрын
My thoughts exactly, they are a fun little car but the "that's good enough" "make do with what we have" attitude of all the British car and motorcycle brands left them all falling behind. The average small European or Japanese car of the 90's early 2000's was quiet, fairly comfortable, fuel injected, didn't leak, had power steering, disc breaks and got reasonable mpg, the Reliant on the other hand was still using technology that was outdated 30 years ago and getting harder to source reliably.
@keithe8449
5 жыл бұрын
I had a Robin in the early 80's Drove it on my motorcycle licence Btw Samantha Haynes is a real looker 😉
@keithe8449
5 жыл бұрын
@Red Pilled Fox Definitely! 👍
@michaelstevens630
5 жыл бұрын
Wonder if she has now had any plastic treatment to her bodywork?
@keithe8449
5 жыл бұрын
@@michaelstevens630 the Reliant or Samantha Haynes 😉 I Googled a recent picture of her and she still looks great 👍
@jimmarshallman6300
5 жыл бұрын
@@keithe8449 Link Please ?
@fordy2604
4 жыл бұрын
I’d love too fold her over the bonnet of a reliant and serve her some south London sausage 😩😩😂😂👍👍
@Don_ECHOguy
5 жыл бұрын
This car needed a set of out rigger wheels on the front of it like a B-52 bomber has on it's wings. Very good Documentary! 👍
@ttothep2443
5 жыл бұрын
Had a Bond Bug, a Reliant Regal and a Reliant Supervan III. the Regal would do over a ton flat out, but both the van and bug struggled around the 65/70 mark. All of them had the 700cc engine. Great little cars, cheap to run, easy to fix. Had a lot of fun in them.
@PhillRobinson
5 жыл бұрын
A ton how ?being dropped out of an aeroplane .
@ttothep2443
5 жыл бұрын
Don't ask me how, I've no idea how it managed it, but the needle went past the 90 mark (last on speedo) and actually disappeared behind the chrome trim. I have witnesses.
@tedthesailor172
4 жыл бұрын
The Reliant was an anachronism that died between two epochs. Back in the 1950's, young working-class people often rode motorcycles and grafted a sidecar on when they got married. Threewheelers became a slightly more luxurious alternative that could be driven on a bike licence so long as the weight remained below 8cwt. That drastically limited what could be done. However, in 1959 came Issigonis's all-conquering Mini. It required a full car licence, but swept almost all before it. Reliant & Bond struggled on, determined but doomed. Today, with small, electric urban cars the height of fashion, they might have a chance - with sufficient investment - but they didn't last long enough to meet the electric revolution. Perhaps they should've looked around for a Japanese motorcycle engine instead of trying to resurrect and continue building their own mill...
@fiveowaf454
4 жыл бұрын
I think another issue for a company like Reliant to survive would be the crash and safety requirements for vehicles today. Now buyers are also interested in the safety ratings of cars they buy, whereas when I was a kid in the 60's we didn't even wear seat belts and such things were given little thought.
@alancollard8939
4 жыл бұрын
the little reliant motor is magic i have been racing one for over 20 years , it is modified to the hilt , the box is magic to every thing is so small no other manufacture can make them this light and small
@billrainford7788
4 жыл бұрын
Lesbian friends and groups
@terencejay8845
5 жыл бұрын
I remember watching this and being quite annoyed at the bodyshop people refusing to use the chopper gun. No matter what, they wouldn't use it.
@Jonathan_Doe_
4 жыл бұрын
Terence Jay It’s not always the best idea to take back people who were part of a company that’s already failed twice. Quite the opposite. He should’ve advertised the position and asked how they’d do it with a minimum of labour.
@sutherlandA1
5 жыл бұрын
Despite swimming against the tide they hung in there until 2001 finishing up with a facelifted robin with corsa headlights. The new legislation that disallowed 3 wheelers to be driven on a motorbike license and cheaper tax was the final nail in the coffin
@matthewq4b
5 жыл бұрын
We can thank the EU for the death of Reliant and the elimination of the B1 Licence.
@vasili1207
5 жыл бұрын
@@matthewq4b Bring it Back
@borderlands6606
5 жыл бұрын
Reliant never learned to embrace their weirdness and reach a younger market. By the end they were making an old-fashioned parts bin hatchback that happened to have one less wheel. You can't have conservative styling on a car that's missing a wheel. It needed a cooler, sportier image and some serious marketing to get away from the Woodbine and cloth cap image.
@tomtalk24
4 жыл бұрын
Everyone can drive a car, no one only gets a bike licence (maybe in the 30s). EU had no play in it, just the usual poor British running of a worn out idea. Too little too late... again.
@dmcg6074
4 жыл бұрын
@@matthewq4b and improvements to car safety in general, thanks EU. Why didn't they ditch the 3 wheel and promote 4, could still be fibreglass or whatever lightweight material was best. They fell behind in the end. Dad for thr brand and the employees who sat through 3 bankruptcies.
@victormuckleston
4 жыл бұрын
had a reliant Regal supervan 111, put a reliant Robin 850 engine in it, Used to love leaving Ford escort 1.4i at lights as they would wheel spin , I could pull a wheely. Also had a Bond bug, put the same 850 engine in that , you should have seen the looks when some one doing 95 mph gets passed by a 3wheeler doing 107mph!
@marshalllucky
4 жыл бұрын
the robin supervan iii is the most collectible , there is a company in bolsover doing electric conversions for the robin , they replace the petrol tank with batteries and exchange the petrol engine for an electric one , you do have to leave the car with them for couple of hours but its worth it :-(
@the_pigs_have_rebelled
3 жыл бұрын
Reliant Regal Supervan III
@guangxidavidliu
5 жыл бұрын
Hi Jonathan: You have a great wife. She stuck with you through thick and thin.
@grahamefreestone5309
4 жыл бұрын
It's a shame they couldn't carry on making the Scimitar. 🇬🇧
@deepsouthNZ
4 жыл бұрын
there is one for sale on NZ auction website Trademe and they want NZ$10.000 for it, a bargain
@grahamefreestone5309
4 жыл бұрын
@@deepsouthNZ .. I've just looked on Ebay and they're not too expensive here either. What condition they're in is another story.
@deepsouthNZ
4 жыл бұрын
@@grahamefreestone5309 the one on trademe here looks to be in very good condition , a reasonably priced classic and if i had healthier finances id deffo be tempted, cant be many of them in this country
@siguru1066
4 жыл бұрын
Reliant sold the rights to that car in 1987.. sadly the next company failed with it. I used to work nearby, I rememebr the day of the liquidation auction - bodyshells and parts going off on trailers. www.sporting-reliants.com/Middlebridge%20Scimitar.htm
@RonWylie-gk5lc
5 жыл бұрын
The BUG would be a brilliant car for the electric treatment, it is light and it would fly along, just saying
@ttbdrummer
4 жыл бұрын
Also not sure it’s gonna pass in the crash tests LOL
@branon6565
4 жыл бұрын
Ron Wylie....piss on electric vehicles, more green house gasses are expelled building electric cars than there are when building gasoline powered cars....Google that shit...
@foleyoni
4 жыл бұрын
@@branon6565 what a ridiculously stupid comment. The average car has a life span of 10 years or more nowadays. The savings on emissions during that time more than compensate for the production emissions. A child of three could understand that
@DisleyDavid
4 жыл бұрын
Sid Stevens Just a matter of branding. Reliant owned the marque.
@poolfarm2
4 жыл бұрын
@ Actually Sid, the Bond Bug was made by Reliant (Google it)
@jainscough52
5 жыл бұрын
More of a romantic than a realist.
@RonWylie-gk5lc
5 жыл бұрын
I had a reliant supervan when I was first married and we had our first baby, not a lot of money about for ordinary people then, I have to say it was a really good little car, it didnt tip over but I once gave a lift to several people and two heavy lads in the back and when I hit the first bump it did a sit up and beg lol, they were quick to lean forward and we were ok. The engine was alovely little thing
@invisible1955
5 жыл бұрын
An old friend of mine used to own a Reliant in some foul shade of robin's egg blue - he referred to it as his 'plastic pig'. One day we were motoring in the New Forest, and somehow (can't recall how) he managed to get the ridiculous vehicle wedged sideways in a ditch. We had to call upon some friendly locals to help us extricate the bloody thing and set it back on the tarmac on its three tiny wheels: truly one of the most mortifying moments of my life. On another occasion I came across a Bond Bug minus its front wheel - its female driver ejected through the windscreen and lying face down in the middle of the road. To be entirely truthful this is one British-manufactured car I DON'T miss!!
@jamescooke3763
5 жыл бұрын
I drove a Bond Bug and the front wheel was bolted on just as sturdily as the seatbelt. Also I hope she was alright after missing the steering wheel and the metal bar between the centre console and the steering column. Quite an extraordinary feat, actually.
@jostouw4366
5 жыл бұрын
Had one jump a crossroad on a dark wet night took the front clean off with my mini!
@Klaatu-gl7jg
4 жыл бұрын
The young woman (Tara Fitzgerald) appearing several times at the beginning of this documentary played the role of an accountant engaged by the management of the coal mine of the small town of Grimmley with a view to its closure. The film "brassed off" is the moving story of the mine workers and their band. With Pete Posteltwaythe, Ewan McGregor. . .
@danpreston564
4 жыл бұрын
Klaatu 1949 you mean the owner's wife? That’s not Tara Fitzgerald. That’s his wife. I can’t tell if your comment is serious or not.
@trevorford9432
11 ай бұрын
In the early 80's I had two regal supervan 3 one was a 21E I believe that was top of the range (wow) then after them I had a Robin van & Robin saloon great cars that was because I only had a bike licence (the 850 Robin was quick)
@mohammedsayfulahmed8651
5 жыл бұрын
Loved it
@deemdoubleu
5 жыл бұрын
Anyone here remember that Reliant owners always waved to one another if they passed on the road? Can you imagine that now with Audi A6's or RangeRovers? May be but a different kind of wave.
@wesleyalan9179
5 жыл бұрын
I drive a 74' vw everyday,and I wave at everyone
@johnnewman1422
5 жыл бұрын
still happens with Land Rover Defenders!
@alimcmoet
4 жыл бұрын
I thought the pick up a great looking and very practical wee thing. Im sure there would be a market for nearly all their models today.
@philt5782
4 жыл бұрын
Nice story of a British icon and a lovely couple devoted to keep it alive. But is all that stress and emotion worth it? I'm self employed in Britain and yes I have my good days but sometimes I think to hell with it. Jack the business and stack shelves. Less out goings. Less stress.
@underneonloneliness2
3 жыл бұрын
It was worth it because if he had jacked it in too soon they’d be even less on the road. I happen to own a 1999 reliant robin. I think if they had modernised the car more it would’ve sold better and been more appealing to younger drivers.
@user-mn1cx6rt9e
5 жыл бұрын
RESPECT for the Risk.
@garyhardman8369
5 жыл бұрын
I had an early model van in the mid-seventies. It was a rather fetching brown colour, which gave it the nickname 'The Flying Shite'. I remember that there was a big roundabout on my route to Technical College, where I could lift the left rear wheel on the entrance; the right rear wheel about half-way around; and then left again on the exit. Another party trick was, whilst having four mates packed into the back and stopped at a red light, holding the throttle to the floor until the valves bounced, then dumping the clutch. That manouver generated a 'wheelie' of about six inches... My favourite was, due to the dimensions in the back and the fact that the driver and passenger seat-backs hinged forwards, made it perfect for taking a young lady back there for... 'fun'. I'm 60 now. The 'young lady' has been my wife for many years.
@marshalllucky
5 жыл бұрын
Love these old robin reliants, after Brexit we will be able to start making fine motors like this again :-)
@jonmortermusic
5 жыл бұрын
marshalllucky 😂
@jimgamble2429
5 жыл бұрын
Reliant robin!! Why do people always get it wrong?? 🤪
@marshalllucky
5 жыл бұрын
@@jimgamble2429 I know , it`s crazy . Did you know Robin also made a version with four wheels called `the kitten`but I dont think it sold well as you needed a car licence to drive those :-(
@philhealey449
5 жыл бұрын
@@marshalllucky Who is Robin?
@jimgamble2429
5 жыл бұрын
marshalllucky yes, but I imagine they handled a lot better than the three wheelers...
@toppertruthio
5 жыл бұрын
The biggest shock of this doc was realising it was narrated by robert lindsay....sounding so posh,and awfully british
@toppertruthio
5 жыл бұрын
@James Smith seems so
@waytosacramento3843
5 жыл бұрын
Didn’t expect to see Geoff Wardle in this video. He is now Executive Director of Transportation Design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.
@Sohave
5 жыл бұрын
I wonder if it had survived till today. would it have stood a better chance with an electric engine and a little lithium battery pack as an electric city runabout. batteries, motor controller and electric motor production sourced outside.
@JohnDoe-bd5sz
5 жыл бұрын
Probably not. The car you describe was already made in 1987 in Denmark and called the "ellert" It was never a big succes. billeder.bazoom.dk/biler/galleri/479/wh/2000/2000/2394608/ellert-mini---el.jpg
@marshalllucky
4 жыл бұрын
If only they`d used a chopper gun like jonathan asked them to ..
@colintinker7778
4 жыл бұрын
Spoke to a fireman many years ago who attended a car crash between a "normal" car and a Reliant. The Reliant was in bits with shredded bodywork all over the road. Both Reliant occupants died at the scene. The driver in the metal bodied car was fine. I remember him saying Reliants were "death traps" and should be banned!
@garethjones8047
Жыл бұрын
But still better than motorbikes
@abbottfamily6317
5 жыл бұрын
6:29 Is that a Royal Mail design in the background?
@dannystirrups7691
5 жыл бұрын
Yep. Never happened as ldv stayed afloat.
@chuckschillingvideos
5 жыл бұрын
If nostalgia was his only reason for buying Reliant, the effort was doomed from the start. These days automobile manufacturing is a hyper-competitive business requiring massive outlays of capital as well as massive investment in processes and human resources. And on top of that, you burden your enterprise with a brand reputation no less dubious than Edsel and Yugo? This enterprise has/had no chance to survive, much less succeed.
@AndreLuiz-ip3fh
4 жыл бұрын
The same history here in Brazil. We had a car maker, named Gurgel. Fiberglass
@nor0845
3 жыл бұрын
My stomach was in knots with tension just watching this 😳.
@hairybear7705
5 жыл бұрын
Not a word about 'Only fools and horses'. I was under the impression that popular program gave Reliant a huge publicity boost? Or have I got the story wrong..... haven't lived in the UK for almost 40 years.
@johnkrols7974
5 жыл бұрын
Some programs did the opposite. The most widespread lie is that Reliants cannot go around corners. This was supposedly demonstrated on the BBC's Top Gear programme, but the always annoying Jeremy Clarkson himself admitted in The Sunday Times that the Robin only rolled over frequently because the production team messed with the differential. If it hadn't, the car would have been much more stable.
@jostouw4366
5 жыл бұрын
Not wrong it did give a little boost.
@mrbrown2186
5 жыл бұрын
It's definitely given the second hand market a boost. Replicas of the fools and horses van regularly go for between £10,000-£20,000. One of the screen-used vehicles went for over £30,000. That particular model is very rare and even wrecks go for a couple of grand. Cushty.
@DavidB-rx3km
5 жыл бұрын
1:35 a 70 year old Robert Llewelyn time travelling back to 1993
@p24hrsmith
5 жыл бұрын
All the millions the government put into BL if they had given Reliant some help maybe it would have survived but with all the legislation changes over resent years re emissions and safety it takes very deep pockets to comply even Morgan has now been sold to some Italian company
@sutherlandA1
5 жыл бұрын
New labour stance was not to get involved in private enterprise, MG rover was allowed to go to the wall
@johndoyle4723
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks, very sad to see all this effort fail, I only drove one once, but that was not a car I would enjoy. I know how hard it is to run this type of operation,so full marks to the team who did their best to preserve a British Icon. Making all your own bits, including engine, is very brave.
@user-sw2lv3zp6o
4 жыл бұрын
My 21E van was brilliant.
@hellohellohello6847
5 жыл бұрын
Dreamer!
@donivers9454
5 жыл бұрын
what is your Web page
@Larryloafer488
4 жыл бұрын
My own opinion, the robin was outdated by 1996. The Bond bug had a little known loop hole, it could be driven on a moped license, a missed opportunity.
@robertwoodliff2536
4 жыл бұрын
How come a moped license? Bit over 50cc.
@bongoslide
4 жыл бұрын
I had the super van, had to say had more fun in that driving up to its of mull as a chaff then Cornwall with drilled holes under gutter to Bungie my surfboard, though most laughed , I had great memories, learnt how to put a wheel up going around a corner , snow was fun snake the back end but the front wheel went where it . I needed to go, though driving sideways was easier than riding up on the snow mound in the centre. slept in the back on my travels, Clarkson may have taken the piss but what a fun little car,, shame I think if the had reversed the drive it would be selling now look at the slingshot and all the other revers trikes, . would have been a world leader I think.
@donivers9454
5 жыл бұрын
i live in the USA put lets all think on what how and do it I do like the thinking of a car show
@davidvanniekerk356
4 жыл бұрын
Thanx 4 the film. In 1999 AD I saw for the first time this 3-wheel cars. It was in John O'Grotes ("Johan de Groot") far North Scotland. I toke a coupe of photos. It is bad that the entity did not made it. If I had stayed in England. I will have a Robbin bakkie (Pick-up) with a Diesel-engine... A TV-man of Top Gear. The tall one. "Germiny"- I think. He made a very bad remark on the Robbin. The Robin was a entry-level car. Not a super car. Not a Jag... Thanx 4 for the info of the licenses. With my ZA drivers licenses I could drive a Robbin..
@harrystevens3885
4 жыл бұрын
I have vague memories of an hells angel that use to own one in the 1970s.
@christopherdarker1426
4 жыл бұрын
Brilliant and innovative vehicle sunk by an ordinary and tunnel visioned legislature
@mrunknown8810
4 жыл бұрын
I think it will be better if they bought engines from an other manufacturer like honda Many small companies do that
@theyjustwantyourmoney4539
5 жыл бұрын
He drives a Range Rover, its very thirsty and also visits the garage more than it stays at home
@Johanniscool
5 жыл бұрын
I understand why he did it, but watching him fight the entrenched attitudes of the staff makes me think hiring them back was a bad idea.
@mzcymro
5 жыл бұрын
There was absolutely nothing wrong with the 'entrenched attitudes of the staff. They knew their business better than anyone, and had to work within the limitations of the antiquated production line and machine tools they had. The way that Reliants were built was somewhat anarchronistic even in the mid 90s, (even Trabant were more modern in terms of the way they were produced). Laying up glassfibre is a skilled and very labour intensive process, for which there are no cutting corners, as it can't be mechanised. The programme mentioned that Reliant had gone bankrupt three times within a short space of time, but what was not mentioned was why. The order book was full, and that was part of the problem, as the factory site wasn't big enough to be able to store enough components in order to be able to produce enough to fulfill the demand. This was partially down to the car having a separate chassis, which was made offsite by a contracting company and were produced in production run in batches, which had to be stored, and storage space was limited. Also, such production required paying for with cash - and as is highlighted in the film, cash flow was an issue, which is basically what did for the company on at least one of the times it went bankrupt. It's very easy to blame the workers, but that always loses sight of the fact that it is upon the workers that companies whether the company makes it, or fails - and with companies such as Reliant, it is only the workforce that keeps the company going. The very fact that it is emphasised in the film that some staff gave up secure jobs in order to return to working for Reliant indicates the committment of staff to the marque.
@MisterHampshire
5 жыл бұрын
I am not denying there weren't entrenched attitudes of the staff, but I think there was more of the typical arrogance from management who didn't really understand the business or man-management yet 'knew best'. Let's not forget those who actually built the cars knew what they were doing, and what's more understood what they were doing. Since Reliant had already gone bust three times or whatever it was before the new fellow got hold of it, indicates to me that there was no real business at all and the boss was clinging on to something that just wasn't there, then tried to blame those making them as being part of the problem. A romanticist if you like. It was a car merely of its time which died in the 70s due to natural wastage. Unfortunately I worked for 'management' who had all the theoretical training but simply did not understand the business they were in at all, far less those who actually made the whole thing work. Instead of listening to the staff, who knew, management ploughed on ahead with their university degrees and finished the whole thing off, leaving to f'off and ruin the next business.
@madjoemak
5 жыл бұрын
The reason the company got back on its wheels is because it only had 3 wheels to get back onto
@spotsterjon74cu
5 жыл бұрын
Police chased a Robin Reliant across three counties, they couldn’t use stingers on it, the driver abandoned it in the greyhound archway in Blandford, I remember seeing it there. I was well chuffed when the chase was shown on some police chase tv programme.
@JohnDoe-bd5sz
5 жыл бұрын
Why could they not use stingers ? Because it was legally a motorcycle ?
@spotsterjon74cu
5 жыл бұрын
John Doe that is right, the police deemed they were to unstable to use stingers, the idiot who used it as a getaway vehicle had stolen a charity box from a garage or cafe.
@JohnDoe-bd5sz
5 жыл бұрын
@@spotsterjon74cu Wow, what a star criminal. Even if they can not use the stingers it would be really hard to get away from police in a underpowered 3 wheel car. No accelerating away and no fast cornering or it would end up on it's side :) The thief would have to find some particular spot where the Robin would fit through but not a police car and hope no other units were around. Best bet would be to find such a spot and ditch the car in a hurry and run like hell. Prefereably somewhere, the sniffer dogs would loose your track, as well. All in all, not very likely unless you are very familiar with the area and have it all planned out :)
@John-ci2sd
2 жыл бұрын
@@JohnDoe-bd5sz believe me or not Reliant Robins corner faster than normal cars in Britain. Due to the car being so narrow, you can use racing lines in one lane.
@tub19
5 жыл бұрын
Me and my late dad had few, my last one was the rialtos in beige took it up to 90. big wheels on back. I buy one any time. never got stuck in snow, worked nights and remember a girl saying, well if any one phones in and say they can't get in. I just buggered there idea up. lol
@lewis72
8 ай бұрын
I'm surprised that they never put the Rover V8 in the GTE or the GTC.
@verygood7155
4 жыл бұрын
Being that Heynes owned a Range Rover say's he was no stranger to adverse situations.
@anthonyeverett1391
Ай бұрын
I believe as you have made three wheeler on this chassis, you should have made a four wheeler On the same chassis, I reckon they would have sealed more, and, probably today as well.
@davidhayes4814
5 жыл бұрын
Reliants were relatively expensive and lived, rather parasitically, on nostalgia. If cars were built out of wattle and daub, they would still be supported by some enthusiasts........ that gives me an idea.
@chrisdavidson911
5 жыл бұрын
wattle and daub, a woven lattice of strips, impregnated with sticky stuff so, carbon fibre?
@uprougher9459
5 жыл бұрын
What a lovely Missus. Cool looking car but lacking in the wheel department. ;)
@gunnerhoward3134
5 жыл бұрын
Agreed.
@dodgydruid
5 жыл бұрын
I own one and much more fun than a four wheeled car, sticks to the road like its on rails
@uprougher9459
5 жыл бұрын
I bet. There is one local to me and it can pull away at the lights alright.
@godfreypoon5148
5 жыл бұрын
I know which one I'd prefer to ride.
@jimmarshallman6300
5 жыл бұрын
@@godfreypoon5148 >8^)
@john4365
4 жыл бұрын
I lived in a Robin for eight years and it was super evrn had a full toilet areas!
@pod9538
5 жыл бұрын
That Morris guy is one of those people that just say it won't work it can't happen its people like him company's like these go under.
@martinnorth2680
5 жыл бұрын
I think Haynes took Morris with him to his next venture
@jamescooke3763
5 жыл бұрын
He was only being pragmatic. The Bug needed updating to new safety regulations and they didn't have the money.
@pod9538
5 жыл бұрын
@@jamescooke3763 yeah maybe but I don't think so bro. What if? Just maybe? Never.... Just one of them things.👍👍
@jamescooke3763
5 жыл бұрын
@@pod9538 I miss my old Bond Bug
@pod9538
5 жыл бұрын
@@jamescooke3763 well mate there is still a lot of Peep's out there looking after them and all I have to say is Good on them.👍👍
@thebestisyettocome4114
5 жыл бұрын
He tried. A for effort.
@hseochin
5 жыл бұрын
So now after Brexit in future (without EU regulations hindering ?) time to try again..but this time of course with 100 % EV version ?!? Even if EU won't buy them, make a great special deal with Trump sell them as niche toy cars in the huge USA market + the rest of the world willing to try something different ?!
@iphonemodDOTcom
5 жыл бұрын
These 3 wheelers took out more 🐇🐇🐇 than mixamatosis.
@mickmoron4455
4 жыл бұрын
@Martin Carter He is referencing an old joke about rabbits crossing the road.
@AbhiSasha
4 жыл бұрын
If A was for effort, we would have been living in iceage even today! I did alot of effort to solve the problem of peace, terrorism, interstellar travel and exploration, climate change and all the diseases in the world! Do i get A for effort even though i failed in all areas i did effort! Just because you see a documentary with sad talking and emotional people doesnt mean you straight away give A. Reliqnt was stupid and robin was a stupid idea!
@richardgregory8964
5 жыл бұрын
6:07 thats the way to do it 😂 big hammer!!!!!!
@danr1920
5 жыл бұрын
I'm guessing this doesn't end well.
@peterpenn8464
4 жыл бұрын
I would like to believe the design of the car is to drive with care
@pkquick2009
5 жыл бұрын
Reminds me of a similar story about the ' Britten ' Motorcycle that was built from scratch by a New Zealander, John Britten. The Documentary is here on KZitem.
@dave6467
5 жыл бұрын
What? Nothing in this is like the inspirational and visionary Britten.
@kasperkjrsgaard1447
5 жыл бұрын
Pk Quick John Britten were a genious and the Britten motorcycle was a true innovative piece of art. The Reliant Robin? Never mind.
@rajrenuka4897
4 жыл бұрын
Del boy might have a up to date one. The trotters
@markevans3621
5 жыл бұрын
Very fuel efficient cars
@rockyroadblues100
4 жыл бұрын
How did it all turn out Jonathan ,??a lot of pressure for one man .
@uweinhamburg
4 жыл бұрын
The design would lend itself to an electric vehicle with batteries way down and e-motors in of near the back wheels, fibreglass body. Low centre of gravity, simple construction, low weight.
@sunsetvlogs5500
4 жыл бұрын
The reliant robin is a symbol of Britain insignificant and barmy and yet enticing and intriguing
@paulwood2329
5 жыл бұрын
Loved my Reliant van. Owned it for 12 years on L plates. Then one day I was stopped by the law saying I could only drive it with a qualified driver. I think in part this was part of Reliants downfall. I did not even have a full motorbike licence. Not sure about today's laws, but I think if you are lucky enough to own a Reliant today then you need a full car licence. I don't drive anything today. I failed my first driving test on a Lambretta scooter. Never botherd again after that. But I was able to take my wife camping all over Wales in the sidecar I fitted to the scooter. Back then you could do that with L plats. Them was the days.
@koningbolo4700
5 жыл бұрын
they should have gone electric... and revive a 1960's model...
@dashercronin
5 жыл бұрын
Why not electrify the car perhaps in partnership with an existing electric car company that has the electric technology. If Reliant make everything, therefore, they can make the electric skate board chassis and buy in the electric motors and batteries
@robpriest9031
5 жыл бұрын
Can't help thinking if they had brought in an engine supplier then maybe....just maybe the new concept could have progressed?
@farcticox1409
5 жыл бұрын
Like a motorcycle engine ? kzitem.info/news/bejne/2o2QyYGihZaXo34
@MichSignMan
5 жыл бұрын
The nicest model is at 26:20 ... nothing like a beautiful, clean & lubricated body. :)
@Phiyedough
4 жыл бұрын
I wonder if those workers who gave up secure jobs to go back to Reliant were able to get jobs again when the firm closed for good in 2002?
@LUPUS1970
4 жыл бұрын
Yes an ev Reliant would be great to build now !!
@branon6565
4 жыл бұрын
Robert H....why? More green house gasses are expelled into the atmosphere when building an electric car compared to a gasoline car....google that shit....electric vehicles suck mansack....
@mrjed6912
3 жыл бұрын
@@branon6565 it wouldn’t work for the planet but it would work for the market
@jfv65
5 жыл бұрын
i always loved the Scimitar GTE. Nice GT cars. Good Ford V6 engine. The 3wheelers not so much. IMO 3 wheelers only work with 2 front wheels. The Robin was a nice effort. A company like this can only survive in a niche market. Like small city-BEV cars. Or slow 45km/h cars that you can drive without license. Or small electric urban/city delivery vans.
@TheEmbeddedHobbyist
5 жыл бұрын
I had a blowout of the offside rear tire on a Scimitar GTE at 105mph on the M4 many years ago. it kept a straight line while the tire shredded itself through the wing.
@fiveowaf454
5 жыл бұрын
The Scimitar GTE was a nice car in its day, my Dad had two of them in the early 80's.
@TheEmbeddedHobbyist
5 жыл бұрын
Hi Fiveo waf, apart from the tire the other big point I remember is the size of the fuel tank. cost me a weeks wages to fill it up. also 100mph in 3rd was great.
@johnwh1039
5 жыл бұрын
launch the new British sports car at the 1997 motor show. That would be at the same time as the Elise and MGF then!
@Jonathan_Doe_
4 жыл бұрын
John Wh A bunch of weird, mostly aging, flat cap 3 wheeler enthusiasts was never gonna be a solid foundation for sustainable business growth they should’ve re entered the sports or GT market with a new Schimitar, it’s the only model they ever made that didn’t get treated like a joke.
@djzeederbyshire2932
5 жыл бұрын
Had a Reliant Super Robin 850 a few years ago. It was faster than an XR3i to 60 mph, I know cos I raced one. The XR flew past me at 70mph, but I beat it to 60 xx
@arthurconrod9825
5 жыл бұрын
Bollocks
@davidhaney1394
5 жыл бұрын
"I`ve never done it before ".....oh shit ..
@granskare
4 жыл бұрын
perhaps the one for royalty should be made again?
@jonathanbywater2063
5 жыл бұрын
If they had restarted building Scimitars I would have bought one
@jimmyduncan7650
5 жыл бұрын
Yes indeed they are such fascinating cars.
@prawny12009
3 жыл бұрын
The engine used in scimitars were obsolete, mostly the ford V6 engines
@barrieholditch3800
5 жыл бұрын
I wanted to buy a three wheel car in the early 70s, but my mother said they are for handicap people. So I bought a Mini
@78a67h
5 жыл бұрын
What your mother said is exactly what I thought when I first saw them in the 70s!
@grahamefreestone5309
5 жыл бұрын
Have a look at the Invacar. They was the cars for the disabled. I think they were owned by the government. 🇬🇧
@barrieholditch3800
5 жыл бұрын
@@grahamefreestone5309 I do know about those cars , in the early 60s a disabled man had one and all his family got in. How I do not know ! Laugh /
@John-ci2sd
2 жыл бұрын
Wtf is a reliant to do with handicap
@cbmsysmobile
4 жыл бұрын
It lasted another 4 years after this documentary was made, making cars nobody wanted to buy.
@nexus7tablet610
4 жыл бұрын
The deliberate alterations to vital parts so that you couldn't buy of the shelf alternative didn't help matters. If they had used off the shelf components they would have had a far greater pool of suppliers to choose from and got better prices. For example the brake system was adapted in later years to use mini brake components but instead of also adapting the hubs to accept off the shelf mini drums they continued to use bespoke machined parts to monopolize the spares supply. In reality this let to suppliers of the bespoke parts holding up production, the die casting company from what i understand destroyed the engine moulds in the late 90's meaning all engines after then are reconditioned units.
@Jackomac43
5 жыл бұрын
He looks so like Harry Enfield I kept expecting a punchline.
@prawny12009
3 жыл бұрын
@Demo The rules changed again allowing full car license holders and full motorcycle licence holders to drive the three wheel models so long as they are over 21.
@mankesh8661
4 жыл бұрын
He wanted to go over the moon without down to earth? Him self driving fast monster 4 wheeler drive machine?
@christopherdyer1299
4 жыл бұрын
should of done the drive wheel on the back and made it an entry level sports model, would of been a winner!! the reliant was dead once the licensing issue happened, who would buy a 3 wheeler when a 4 wheeler was available, however a 3 wheel sports car would of been a real option.
@michaelusswisconsin6002
4 жыл бұрын
Why don’t they just put the single wheel in the rear? It will be more stable that way.
@John-ci2sd
2 жыл бұрын
That doesn't work like that with this type of vehicle
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