Reliant Scimitar SS1, Michelotti’s last design

Press, 25 October 1985, Page 14

Reliant Scimitar SS1, Michelotti’s last design

The wind in the hair, string-backed-glove motoring brigade has had not much more than a sense of deprivation in which to wallow since British Leyland crushed the MGB and MG Midget against the wall of the international car market without so much as batting an eyelid. Nowadays the open air motoring enthusiast can be tempted to pay up to $20,000 for an MGB in good condition. That is quite a sum in the average New Zealander’s language and especially for a car that, right from its inception, could hardly be described as technologically advanced. Although there is no reason to suspect that the traditionally high resale value of the MGB will take a hammering, I have no doubt that the advent of the Reliant Scimitar SSI on New Zealand roads will bring more than a gleam into the eyes of those who like to drive with the wind riffling through their hair. Imported by Procon Motors, Ltd, an offshoot of Eurotrans Motors, Ltd, the Renault importer that is almost wholly owned by New Zealand Forest Products, the SSI carries a price ticket calculated to quickly dull that anticipatory gleam in the eyes of the many enthusiasts who will be unable to afford this slick little two-seater.

The SSI, fitted with a hardtop will run out at $36,500, and the rag top version will sell for $2OO less. That is a wad of money for an open two-seater sized midway between the old Triumph Spitfire and the MGB. What is more, it is a lot of money for a 1.6-litre Ford Escort-powered car with a plastic panelled body. But those ingredients do not necessarily mean that the Reliant is a ho-hum car. After all, the SSI has been shortlisted by the British Guild of Motoring Writers in its 1986 Top Car competition. It could be added in passing that the Scimitar has such cars as the Audi 200 quattro, Fiat Uno Turbo, Ford Granada, Saab 9000, Toyota MR2 and the Renault Espace among its adversaries in the Top Car contest.

On top of all that, whatever the future of the SSI, it will go down in history as the last design to come off the drawing board of the acknowledged Italian master, Giovanni Michelotti. Reliant assigned Michelotti to design the SSI, and he completed the job just before his death. Reliant and Michelotti worked on the SSI for four years. They did not set out

to design the ultimate sports car, but rather a twoseater with traditional sports car feel. Essentially, it was designed to meet the demands and aspirations of people who have owned or aspired to own an MGB. A conventional front engine rear drive car, the SSI is powered by the 1596 cu cm Ford Escort engine which develops 71kw at 6000 rpm. The drive is transmitted through a fivespeed Ford Sierra gearbox to the rear wheels via a Sierra differential

The layout of the rear end is about the only concession to modernity, if one discounts the sleek body. An independent rear end, employing fabricated semi-

trailing arms and concentric coil springs and dampers is employed, in conjunction with a small anti-roll bar. A conventional double wishbone layout is used at the front end. However, as there is insufficient space to house the shock-absorbers within the compact coil springs, gas-filled dampers are mounted almost horizontally to a chassis cross member and are actuated by a bell-crank lever on top of the upper wishbone. High-geared rack and pinion steering, requiring fractionally less than three turns of the wheel from lock to lock, is employed, and brakes of British Leyland origin are fitted, these being solid discs at the front and drums at the rear. The basis of the SSI is a steel skeletal chassis to which the plastic panels are attached. This chassis is so complete that with the running gear in place the car is quite capable of being

driven without its bodywork.

Reliant claims that the SSI is capable of 177km/h. Simulated fuel testing has returned 10 litres per 100 kilometres in urban driving and 6.4 litres per 100 kilometres at a constant 90km/ h.

Pop-up headlights, a fixed windscreen and quarterlight, with wind-up windows are features of this attractive two-seater. Initially, the Reliant Scimitar SSI will be sold through two retail outlets, one in Auckland and the other, Federal Motors, in Christchurch. First examples are expected to reach the city before Christmas.