by Giles Chapman (Author)
For almost 30 years, the Reliant Robin was a familiar fixture on the country's roadscape, an object of amusement to those who didn't understand its ultra-thrifty ways, and pride to the thousands who did. Being a "tricycle," it enjoyed motorbike levels of road tax, and to keep it within strict weight guidelines, the body was of lightweight glassfibre. Allied to a light and efficient four-cylinder engine made entirely of aluminum, this made the Robin extremely frugal, yet still nippy enough to mix it with modern traffic. The car was a massive hit, and Reliant couldn't make them fast enough, until a culture of more sophisticated car buyers, and a dwindling of the hard-working folk in the traditional heavy industries of mining and steel, saw it go into eventual decline.
Author Biography
Giles Chapman is an award-winning writer and commentator on the industry, history, and culture of cars. He has been editor of Classic & Sports Car, the world's best-selling classic car magazine, and since 1994, he's worked freelance across a huge variety of media. His books include Worst Cars, Cars We Loved in the 1960s, 1970s and 80s, Chapman's Car Compendium, and 100 Cars Britain Can Be Proud Of.