The Ant was built for export, but British councils fell for it anyway, buying fleets of them as roadsweepers through the 70s and 80s.
Lead trim: TW9 Ant 0.7 OHV four (701 cc, 27.5 bhp) · up to 45 hp
Reliant TW9 / AntTW9 · 1967–1975
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Reliant TW9 / Ant 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.
FactThe Ant was built for export, but British councils fell for it anyway, buying fleets of them as roadsweepers through the 70s and 80s.
The Reliant TW9 (Three-Wheeler 9), also known as the Ant, is a small front-engined, rear-drive, three-wheeled truck produced from 1967 to 1987 by Reliant in Tamworth and then by BTB Engineering in Leeds (and in Greece by MEBEA), designed as a business utility vehicle in various versions and much favoured by municipal councils in the UK and Ireland; after a long run as the TW9 it was renamed the "Ant" by BTB, which built it under licence until 1986. It had a pressed-steel chassis by Press Mouldings, Ogle Design (Tom Karen) styling, a glass-fibre two-seat cabin and an engine at the front directly behind the single front wheel; early versions used Reliant's 701 cc four with a claimed 27.5 bhp, a four-speed gearbox with synchromesh only on the top three gears, an unladen weight of 1200 lb and a maximum speed of 54 mph at around 28 mpg. The 1972 increase to 748 cc brought 32 bhp, and another source says that after 1975 Reliant fitted its 848 cc 45 bhp engine, giving 50 mph and a claimed 60 mpg. A Commercial Motor test of a fully laden pickup (800 kg of sandbags) averaged 48.5 mph on a 15-mile motorway round trip, at up to 68 mph downhill.
Collectors Spotted in the Reliant TW9 / Ant Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Reliant TW9 / Ant yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TW9 Ant 0.7 OHV four (701 cc, 27.5 bhp) | 1967–1972 | 0.7 L Inline-4 | 27.5 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
| TW9 Ant 0.75 OHV four (748 cc, 32 bhp) | 1972–1975 | 0.7 L Inline-4 | 32 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
| TW9 Ant 0.85 OHV four (848 cc, 45 bhp) | 1975–1987 | 0.8 L Inline-4 | 45 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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