Princess Anne's first Scimitar GTE wasn't bought — it was a joint 20th-birthday-and-Christmas gift from the Queen and Prince Philip in November 1970, the first of nine GTEs she'd go on to own.
Lead trim: SE5A 3.0 Essex V6 (121 mph)
Reliant Scimitar GTE SE5 / SE5A1968–1975
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Reliant Scimitar GTE SE5 / SE5A yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactPrincess Anne's first Scimitar GTE wasn't bought — it was a joint 20th-birthday-and-Christmas gift from the Queen and Prince Philip in November 1970, the first of nine GTEs she'd go on to own.
Tom Karen of Ogle was asked to submit body designs based on the Ogle Design GTS estate car experiment for a new four-seater Scimitar, the SE5, which was conceived and ready for the 1968 Motor Show in less than 12 months. Reliant's chief engineer John Crosthwaite and his team designed a completely different longer chassis frame, revised suspension, a new fuel tank, a rollover bar, a new cooling system and a spare wheel mounted in the nose to give increased rear space. The main change was the sports estate hatchback body shape, and the SE5 came with the same 3.0-litre Ford Essex engine used in the SE4a/b, giving a claimed top speed of over 120 mph. A Borg-Warner 35 automatic transmission was added as an option in 1970 and by 1971 overdrive on the 4-speed manual was offered. In 1972 several improvements were included in the upgrade to the SE5A, including a boost in power of 7 hp, and the GTE was then capable of 0–60 mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 121 mph; the flat dashboard also gave way to a curved and moulded plastic one.
Collectors Spotted in the Reliant Scimitar Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Reliant Scimitar yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE5 3.0 Essex V6 | 1968–1972 | 3.0 L V6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| SE5A 3.0 Essex V6 (121 mph) | 1972–1975 | 3.0 L V6 | — | — | 8.5 s | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Of all the SE6-shaped Scimitars built, nearly 3,900 were the SE6A alone — making it the single most popular version of the whole SE6 run.
Princess Anne's first Scimitar GTE wasn't bought — it was a joint 20th-birthday-and-Christmas gift from the Queen and Prince Philip in November 1970, the first of nine GTEs she'd go on to own.
The Scimitar GT's shape started life as a one-off Daimler Dart special that Daimler itself never used — Reliant bought the rights after spotting it at a motor show.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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