Its 850cc engine was born from a parts crisis: the planned 750cc unit tested unacceptably weak, so engineers rebored it with new crank and rods.
Lead trim: 848 cc light-alloy four (40 hp)
Reliant Kitten1975–1982
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FactIts 850cc engine was born from a parts crisis: the planned 750cc unit tested unacceptably weak, so engineers rebored it with new crank and rods.
The Reliant Kitten is a small four-wheeled economy car manufactured from 1975 to 1982 in saloon, van and estate variants by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. It was Reliant's second attempt at selling in the small car economy market after the 1960s Reliant Rebel, based around the design of the original 1970s Reliant Robin, and was the first production car to use Reliant's 850 cc engine. It was originally going to use the 750 cc engine fitted to the Robin, but after driving prototypes the 750 cc 32 hp engine was found unacceptable, so engineers found that by changing the crank and rods the 750 cc engine could become an 850 cc without changing the liners or pistons, saving production costs; the new engine developed 40 hp and could also be used in the Robin as an upgrade. Even though UK production ended in 1982, the whole production assembly was sold to the Indian firm Sipani Automobiles, where production ran until the mid 1990s; 4,074 were made in the UK.
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Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 848 cc light-alloy four (40 hp) | 1975–1982 | 0.8 L Inline-4 | 40 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
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Rivals
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