Engine Punk

This Super Robin certainly has presence I've seen some remarkable three wheelers in long distance trials and two of them have been built by George Osborn. George campaigned his Reliant Rialtopless ( Vintage Thing No, 120 ) in MCC events for many years with a policy of continuous improvement.  Mudguards were secondhand items off an Ifor Williams trailer At the Powderham Show this summer I managed to have a proper look at his Reliant Super Robin. It's probably a Hyper Robin now, his latest investigation into how much fun he can have with some Reliant components. George's passenger, Celia Walton, usually gets out his side, rather than clamber over the zorst. The chassis is a standard Robin chassis so, as far as the DVLA is concerned, this vehicle retain its Reliant Super Robin identity. The wheelbase is the unaltered although it looks longer due to the two-seat cockpit being further back in the chassis. The 850cc engine is relatively standard, relativity depending on the obser...

Most people are familiar with the Reliant three wheel van of Del Boy and Rodney from Only Fools and Horses. They are looked down upon by everyone but those that have driven them remember them with surprising fondness. One of my mates had one years ago and goes into raptures about them. I don't understand why he's so enthusiastic about them and can only assume there's more to them than meets the eye. Could they be a Vintage Thing? Maybe but if they are it's probably for the wrong reasons, like the Austin Allegro (VT No.23) . Or maybe they have hidden virtues known only by a select few who have personal knowledge of these devices. Me? I keep an open mind. Here's the big brother to the Reliant Regal Supervan - Reliant's description not mine. It's the Reliant Ant or TW9, a forward control version on a longer and heavier chassis but with the same all aluminium 4 cylinder engine and four speed box. That must be a joke name, surely - the Rely Ant Ant?...