Scimitar GTC History and Quick Facts

Reliant began planning their convertible in 1977 and commissioned Ogle Design to create a proposal. Tom Karen adapted his earlier GTE design and created a beautifully proportioned 4 seater convertible with a good sized boot. From the B post backwards all of the panels were new, extra bracing was introduced between the rear side panels and between the door hinge plates running under the dash board. The roll hoop from the GTE was retained, and for additional support this was linked to extra tubes running around the front screen creating a T bar design that would ensure the rigidity of the new body design. As the car sported a separate chassis and the extra bracing it did not suffer from the scuttle-shake that monocoque designs quite often do.
The hood was designed in house by adapting the hood frame from a Triumph Stag. This is quite evident as most of the nuts and bolts in the hood frame assembly are available Stag parts specialists.
A prototype car was produced in 1978 (still in existence today), this was powered by a 3.0 Essex engine. Later Reliant would replace this with a 2.8 Cologne engine as Ford withdrew their Essex engines from the European market and replaced them with the Cologne. The Cologne engine was slightly down on torque compared to the Essex engine, so to improve performance Reliant changed the final drive ratio from 3.31 to 3.54.
The GTC was launched in March of 1980 and was well received by the motoring press. However in 1980 the country was heading into a recession and Reliant struggled to sell their £11360 convertibles in great numbers. As a result many cars were left sitting at the factory for months until owners could be found.
Today the GTC is is a very rare sight on our roads and is possibly the most desirable of the Scimitar models. When compared to similar classic cars such as the Triumph Stag or Mercedes SL they offer exceptional value for money. In my humble opinion they are vastly under valued, so I would suggest if you don't already own one buy one quickly before the word gets out...........

What the Press Said