POV: You're driving a Reliant Robin/Rialto (Full video)
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- POV video of 1994 Reliant Rialto Estate.
The car has had alot of restoration.
It really is an eyecatching car and attracts alot of attention.
It doesn't roll over or go on 2 wheels easily at all if you drive normally or fast but smoothly. If you want to drive a car like this quickly, you should me familiar with the route.
It can cruise at 60mph well and 70 if you want.
The Best Reliant Robin video I've ever seen!😅 No talking, just sit down and drive!
Something very rare on the Internet, don't worry it will appear again soon. But with a lot of talking.
Cracking motor,so smooth.I didn't think it could be driven so fast and corners great.
It does run great doesn't it? It had an engine and carburettor overhaul last year.
They are more stable than people think, I grew up with 3 wheel Reliants, my Dad had 3 in succession and I bought one 2 years after I’d passed my bike test and practised for my 4 wheel car test in it, a good car.
Someone: "Reliant Robins roll at 30km/h"
This guy: *Casually corners at 90km/h*
Great car.
Luckily this guy didn’t put weights to purposely make it roll over
Thank you for the real driving video.
Purely the sound of the engine and the running sound make me feel like I'm driving in that car. The car doesn't feel old. You take great care of it, don't you? I'm impressed. I love small but rich in ideas cars.
Please take good care of it forever.
By the way, I also love motorcycles that are different from people with roofs.
Glad you enjoyed! I do take good care of it. I'm planning on taking the body off next year in order to fully restore it.
I had 3 over 21 years, did 40,000 miles or so, no probs! did all my own servicing etc, they get to be a part of you! really special!
They really are special.
maybe it could be more if you didnt do the servicing yourself
@@chesternimitz8357 I never would have parted with my Reliant Rialto 2 , but when my Dad died I had to move to another area, it kept getting vandlised ,they even tried to turn it over! so I had to let it go, quite a heartache! got a Microcar mc2 instead, ok, but didn't have the magic of a Reliant! and the vandals smashed a mirro off of that, then the side rear window! had to have a bit of the wall removed, put down some paving slabs to get it off the road (as advised by the police) , then I got a Dancover portable garage to enclose it, had no trouble after that, wish I'd thought of that before, could have kept my beloved white with black stripes Reliant then! :)
@earplugs55 you should get another one. Plenty still come up for sale here and there
@@robertbaxter4021 I have got used to my Microcar now, with 4 wheels and automatic, at 70 , less maintenance to do.......... but never say never eh? ! :) Have you seen the youtube vid "The Last Reliant Robin- The Breakdown EP5.........Corrr! looks wonderful!
It is so rare to come across a POV Video. Thank you !
Forbidden Reliant cornering footage
Thanks for the vid John, that took me back about 20 odd years when I last owned my Reliant Robin 850, mine was a 1978 T reg estate, nippy little thing, a bit tricky to work in the engine compartment but a simple car overall.
It does give a lot of people nostalgia, I can see it in the eyes of the people I drive by and it's very wholesome. It is a simple car indeed, but very sophisticated for a 3 wheeler.
Top Gear put weights in the front of the car to make it more unstable so their Reliant Robin would fall over more easily. If they hate a car they play dirty
Top Gear didn't respect British motoring heritage as much as they should.
I don't know how true it is, but I once heard from someone that they had to do everything they could think of to make it roll - extremely uneven weight load, odd-sized wheels with massively different tyre pressures, and a welded differential.
@@Zeem4 As far as I'm concerned that it's true.
@@Zeem4 top gear was a comedic show as well, which often clashes with its factual side
Yes, that's right, they put a smaller wheel on the side side they rolled it onto as well as de-stabilising "ballast". They put a lot of effort into confirming their prejudice and then dressed it up as reportage. @@Zeem4
What a fantastic little machine! I hope it continues to bring you many more years of driving fun!
It sure will:)
Seriously? A great car. My dream is to own a Bond Bug!
The Bond Bug is a great little thing. If I ever get one I'll film a POV with both. Maybe chase the Rialto with it.
Research said that3 wheeled vehicles often didn't use power steering which saved manufacturing cost
It's not just due to cost, but most cars at the time didn't have power steering either. The steering on 3 wheelers was often very light as there is only one wheel and the car only weighs 436kg. There is absolutely no need for power steering in these cars.
@@John-ci2sd I'd like to see a video and why they made them in the 1st place
@@gasisthepastendoilWell, just ask. 3 wheelers originated in the 1920s and were originally made by Raleigh. If a vehicle had 3 wheels and weighed less than 450kg, they could be licensed as a motorcycle. This allowed reduced tax and insurance while also creating an economic and light vehicle. The business later focused on making bicycles there Tom Lance Williams who was an formal engineer at Raleigh, bought the Rights to produce the Raleigh LDV as the Reliant Regent. He formed the business in Tamworth where there was lots and lots of coal mines. Coal miners often only had motorcycles, and therefore their utility 3 wheelers proven useful.
During the second world war, only motorcycles could be driven and this led to many people converting their 3 wheeled cans into passenger cars which is one of the reasons why Reliant started making passenger cars in 1952.
This info is taken from an extremely detailed book on Reliant 3 wheelers written by John Wilson Hall.
A good Rialto will nudge 100 plus on a good day,65-70 cruising no problem,porting and matching the manifolds and leccy ignition make a big difference.the 850 is generally safe up to 6000rpm,just sounds loud because it's so close to your ears!
never revved past 4k
A Rialto with the B axel will nudge 100, but the majority still only do 85 MPH. Sadly people were complaining about not being able to use 4th gear at 30 MPH, so reliant went back to the original Diff ratio. Finding a B axle is getting harder now due to to lack of them to start with, but also many have been put on trikes.
i had one these, went all over country with it, north Yorkshire from Kent on a tank of petrol, drove them for years. I towed as well that really makes them more stable. great in the snow really good fun. They really don't turn over only twats like Top Gear turn them for fun. I drove one for about 13 yrs and never got close to flipping it. Mine did get to 80 ish, always thought an 5th gear would helped it.
I agree. They are great fun.
I miss my reliant, they gave my many great driving years,
Glad to see that people have fun memories of them.
Ah
The reliant robin
I still remember how much I rode it for school when I was 8-9 years old!
Man, nostalgia hits hard!
Also nostalgic it is ofc because of Mr Bean and the blue Reliant Robin rivalry 😆.
Great Comment. For a heads up, the car in Mr. Bean was a Reliant Supervan III which came before the Robin.
@@mrjed6912 oh wow
That's some cool info!
Great! Love ur reliant!
Greetings from Hamburg!
Glad you enjoyed! Greeting!
I don't get driven around much, I enjoyed that! That engine sounds sweet as a nut too...👍👍
It sure does, thank you. That was before we fitted a Cherrybomb exhaust too.
nice to hear one set up properly and in tune! just like I had my ones! lovely n smooth!!!
It indeed is smooth although it has an uneven idle which i can't figure out. The rev counter usually shows 1000-1600rpm for idle.
@@John-ci2sd have you turned the fuel mixture hand screw one way till it falters a bit, then back the other way till it does the same, and then set it somewhere inbetween to get best running? Also, loosen the distributor bolt a little and turn one way or the other to get best even running, mine was nice n sporty when set right!
@@earplugs55 the distributor is set to 10 degrees. The car has an AAC carburettor needle which enriches the fuel mixture, which combines with the sport air filter. The carburettor is set to 24 flats and i used a device which allows you to see the colour of the explosions. The mixture is on the richer side. I tried setting the idle lower but if i do that sometimes the car attempts idling at 800rpm which causes the car to stall. The idle is extra randomised.
I don't recall trying what you said but I'll look into it
@@John-ci2sd I did have the distributor set properly, but it didn't run so good! that moving it till it runs the best sets the timing bang on! If the mixture is a bit rich it won't like it when the engine is at a good running temperature, mine was completely standard , if it's been altered, well I don't know ......
Yeah, the 10 degrees is more of a starting point than the absolute correct position. It should be close to it tho.
A lack of oil in the carb will always cause rough idling. As you probably already know, it needs checking fairly often.
Nice vid, by the way :)
I had two Reliants. Never any stability worries. Interesting how it behaved over the ‘cushions’.
Nearest I’ve been to a journey in a 3 wheeler, looks stable…cool motor…😊
Ooh, fancy! It has a rev counter!
One that goes too high too.
Thank you *SO MUCH* Peter Stringfellow, out of lapdancing clubs!
Top Gear reference?
@@John-ci2sd czcams.com/video/QQh56geU0X8/video.html 2:41 lol
@@ic1815 We've all seen that.
Gr8 video
You need to do a short Bentley vs Reliant.
I'd rather compare it to something like a Beetle or a Fiat 500 to be honest lol.
@John-ci2sd ah I just figured u may like to get on the trend with the annoying woman advertising Mercedes that others have used to do vs. For example somebody did with a tank
You can't escape those speed bumps with three wheels! 😅
@@LordSandwichIIYup! Although sometimes if they're wide apart, the whole car fits between them!
I like old cars too! [Wokshall Corsa 92']
We all love old cars here mate!
I want one of these so badly.
Is there anything stopping you?
@@John-ci2sd I've already got four cars, two of which are projects, and nowhere sensible to put another one (yet).
@@Zeem4 If you ever plan on getting one me and John are free to ask. Let us know.
A sorted one is what, about 3-4k? Does it need to be a project? There are plenty of people that daily these.
@@MrLilredmachine I might not have written it very clearly, but I mean that I don't have anywhere sensible to put another car, project or otherwise. Although I could fix that by paving over the front lawn.
Having said that, I wouldn't buy a good one anyway; I'd buy one for £1000 that needed work doing to it, as it's one of my hobbies. In 27 years of driving, every car I've ever owned has been sub-£500, old and needed work doing to it.
Shows up the obstacle course that most of our roads have become.
Quite literally. It's very miserable on a rainy day too. The potholes just never go away.
So Nice 👌👌
Thanks.
Eu tenho um carro desse em casa no Brasil e ele tá todo arranhado :p
A Reliant in Brasil?
@@mrjed6912 Eu comprei em um leilão que teve aqui
@@AdrianDasAntigaWhat model? Is it really the same brand?
I have a T Rialto with 25k on the clock....how many miles has yours done?..great video 👍
We got around 48k on the clock
How is parts and service availability for one of these?
Readily available and very easy to find. Parts can be easily obtained at CHG Classics or at Reliant parts world, other sources if preferred. The Reliant owners group is also very strong and will reply for help within seconds. Reliant cars which aren't driven get taken apart and sold in parts. You can easily obtain engine parts or an entire engine. You can even obtain entire body shells. The only real struggle would be the front Arm and kingpin service.
Note: For younger Reliant 3 wheelers, not all Mot centres offer service for class 3 trikes.
tip if you have a full motorbike license you can legally drive one as its classed as a tricycle 3 wheeler
Sadly the taxes for these are quite high due to emissions
@@John-ci2sd ain't the 2000s ones better on emissions or are they all the same ?
@@jackwhite6513 i think the compression was lowered but my one (1994 model) has one muffler and that's it. I'm thinking if adding a stainless steel straight pipe.
@@John-ci2sd ??? I've got a Microcar now, but when I had a Reliant the road tax was about half! around £70 per year then
@@John-ci2sd ????? My Reliants never had to have an emission test when mot'd
How come they were a joke car and cool now??
Someone out there in the 80s just thought that a silly looking car would make a great joke for comedy shows. In the 90s they became quite a laughing stock as they were still made alongside all those advanced cars while they still ran the same interior, frame and drivetrain. The only people who drove them in the early 2000s were mainly older gentlemen with no other choice or motorcycle owners. It was quite ironic to make fun of it as the 1964 Reliant Regal was already more advanced than what we had in Poland in the 80s. Nowadays the cars are pure nostalgia for middle aged people who seen them a lot in their childhood and it's excitement for modern generations. After all, they never were as bad as people said. Seeing one drive is like seeing a childhood friend you haven't seen for 20 years walk past you.
These cars were never sold in the USA. Probably wouldn’t pass EPA/DOT standards
There was a time they were. They sold 5 in the US in total as it wasn't very successful. The car which was made was the Reliant Zoe which was a Rialto with a wide body kit for added stability and lack of narrow roads in America. The car was made by an American Company on a license and were apparently offered in electric and hybrid variants.
@@John-ci2sd Interesting….they just seem so flimsy and completely impractical for our weather and road conditions in the Northeast. I do recall being intrigued by them as an exchange student in Wales in the late 1980’s. They always seemed parked outside public housing developments…..
@@fanbatcher Well, Reliant cars were always good in harsh weather. Especially snow. They were popular as a second cars for the wife, a car for winter, van versions being good for postmen, people of middle class during the fuel crisis of 1973 which is also when the Robin came out. It also has 8.5 cubic metres of loading space with the rear seats folded. Also 40% of their buyers worked as miners.
@@mrjed6912 Snow? You mean the dusting of snow you get in the UK and not the 2-4’ we have in New England….?
@@fanbatcher I don't think any normal car is practical for that type of snow mate. The Reliant outperforms regular cars in regular snow. Especially UPhill.
What's the engine's displacement?
850cc
It's an 848cc OHV all alloy inline 4 engine. The earlier versions were almost identical, although they used weber carbs and had a short piston stroke.
Damn this thing is quite peppy, how's the leg room in one of these? As you can tell by my name, i have to ask that first before i attempt at sitting or driving anything that I find questionable. Is the steering wheel fixed as it is or can you adjust anything?
The leg room is not so good on the passenger side as the exhaust from the surprisingly large engine is limiting it. The exhaust does gently heat up your legs which is quite comfy for the passenger. The driver side basically has racecar pedals and no place to rest your foot when it's off the clutch. The steering wheel is not adjustable. The seat position is though. It's a simple car with outstanding ergonomics if you compare it to a Fiat 126p with body measurements taken from an Orangutan:).
@@John-ci2sd thanks for reply, i suppose i could only drive it from the rear seats then 😂
@@gilburton alright so not for tall people with big shoes, gotcha
What is you top speed with that thing?? Just curious
My dad, who drove this Rialto from a car show home, decided to do a top speed test after buying a plushie nitrous bottle for a joke. On a flat surface, from 70 to 80mph in 5 seconds and it could go faster than 80 as the rev counter shows 4500rpm at 80.
I'd say 90mph max. I never did a full on test.
Brexit happened a few years ago, it's time to ease automotive restrictions enough for Reliant to make a comeback.
Probably as electric one :)
Is this still running on points or have you had the conversion to electronic ? Nice reliant.
Thanks mate. It's running electronic ignition.
Do you drive Reliant as a daily? It seems to be a fun car to drive!
I don't use it as a daily as I would feel bad if someone crashed into it. I drive it around 3 times a week.
Ma perché le reliant sono a 3 ruote e non a 4 ruote??
Reliant was a big company who made loads of 4 wheeled and 3 wheeled vehicles. The reason why it had 3 wheels: before 2012, 3 wheeled vehicles identified as small motorcycles. Because of that having a 3 wheeled car was basically free in terms of tax and insurance. What Reliant did was combine all the benefits of having a small motorbike with the benefits of a 4 wheeled car. It was a car that was almost free to own, had loads of storage space, was stable, didn't rust, was fast and reliable. It was such a success that they lasted 67 years of production!
🙌
👍
i really wanna buy one of those when im gonna be 18
If you live in the UK you need to be 21 to drive it legally sadly, but you can always get one early and restore it for a few years so it's your work when you drive it :)
@@John-ci2sd I'm from romania...in romania you gotta be atleast 16 yrs old..I CANT WAIT TO BUY IT!
@@XQLOOF you ain't buying my one but i recommend having one:) Just please drive safely and cautiously because rolling it isn't the concern but the lack of airbags is.
@@John-ci2sd i like rolling over 🤪
@@XQLOOF well as you can see they don't roll
Im from Philippines and car driving in the left road doesnt make me feel like home
Driving on the right also feels unusual if you're British.
@@John-ci2sd aye mate
😐👍
Amongus emoji
Top gear what a joke
a long time ago a guy i knew stopped by the bill and was fined for driving with a reverse 10 pounds and points when i heard i told him the old bill was wrong that law was repealed he didn’t believe me ok what do i know just saying also a friend of mine had one the head warped local machine shop skimed it the guy said turn it over to see if the valves don’t hit the pistons my friend said fuke that and just ran it i had a yamaha xs 1100 with side car i followed him a 105 mph he must’ve had 13 to 1
Interesting story!
I would be afraid, considering it only has 3 wheels
That's just paranoia rather than an actual danger mate. The car was engineered to be very well planted to the road by John Crosthwaite who was a chief Formula 1 engineer. There are 4 wheelers out there that will be worse at dodging collisions than a Reliant Robin due to bad weight balance.
Get a life!!!
You have nice gf bro.
Scary
Which part of the video did you find scary??
@@John-ci2sd
The entire drive in that little thing flying over the road coming into intersections. That car is just so tiny not to mention that you have only one wheel at the front.
@@gabesimmonds8421 i'm the passenger in this vid and i must say that the single front wheel is not a problem. As you can clearly see, even when driven hard it doesn't even lean.
@@mrjed6912 yep! lovely fun cars! a normal car seems boring to me!
@@earplugs55 same with me.