Reliant's little wedge borrowed its face from a Porsche — the SS1 wore uncovered, rectangular pop-up headlamps styled just like the 928, bolted onto a car that shared switchgear with Austin-Rover economy cars.
Lead trim: SS1 1600 Ford CVH (1596 cc, 96 bhp) · up to 135 hp
Reliant Scimitar SS11984–1990
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Reliant Scimitar SS1 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.
FactReliant's little wedge borrowed its face from a Porsche — the SS1 wore uncovered, rectangular pop-up headlamps styled just like the 928, bolted onto a car that shared switchgear with Austin-Rover economy cars.
The Reliant Scimitar SS1 (Small Sports 1) was launched in 1984 at the British International Motor Show in Birmingham to fill a gap in the small sports car market, Giovanni Michelotti's last design (only 1,507 built against a plan of 2,000 a year). The chassis was inspired by the Lotus Elan, with independent suspension all round (coil springs and semi-trailing arms at the rear), polyurethane or glass-reinforced-polyester body panels designed to be easily replaced, on a semi-space-frame backbone chassis. The 1.3 L (later 1.4 L) and 1.6 L engines were Ford CVH units driving the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox on the 1300 and 1400 and a five-speed with the 1600; it was planned to use the EFI 1.6 from the Escort XR3i but the lower bonnet line forced the shorter carburetted version. The 1.6 L had 1596 cc, 96 bhp at 6000 rpm and 98 lb·ft at 4000 rpm (the 110 mph and 9.6 s figures carry [citation needed] and are left out). In 1986 the range was joined by the 1809 cc turbocharged CA18ET from the Nissan Bluebird in the 1800Ti, with standard alloy wheels, a small rear spoiler, unusual Porsche 928-style uncovered pop-up headlamps and Austin-Rover switchgear, at 135 bhp at 6000 rpm and 143 lb·ft, for 126 mph and 0–60 mph in 6.8 seconds; post-1986 cars have a galvanised chassis and a single wiper. The 1988 SS2 concept was an SS1 1800ti restyled by William Towns for a GM-commissioned US V8 car, cancelled when GM funding was withdrawn. The page does not date the switch from the 1.3 to the 1.4, so those two trims carry the generation span.
Collectors Spotted in the Reliant Scimitar SS1 Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Reliant Scimitar SS1 yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
4 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS1 1300 Ford CVH (1296 cc) | 1984–1990 | 1.3 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| SS1 1400 Ford CVH (1392 cc) | 1984–1990 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| SS1 1600 Ford CVH (1596 cc, 96 bhp) | 1984–1990 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 96 hp | 98 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| SS1 1800Ti Nissan CA18ET turbo (135 bhp) | 1986–1990 | 1.8 L Inline-4 | 135 hp | 143 lb-ft | 6.8 s | RWD | — | — |
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
The Sabre was the last Scimitar ever built — reviving a name Reliant had last used in the 1960s — before the company collapsed in 1995.
The Scimitar SST fixed its predecessor's notorious panel gaps by ditching the old steel-frame body for a semi-monocoque bolted straight to the chassis.
Reliant's little wedge borrowed its face from a Porsche — the SS1 wore uncovered, rectangular pop-up headlamps styled just like the 928, bolted onto a car that shared switchgear with Austin-Rover economy cars.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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