20 Wonderful Vintage Photos of Reliant Regal Cars Video

The Reliant Regal was a small three-wheeled car and van manufactured from 1953 to 1973 by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England, replacing the earlier Reliant Regent three-wheeled cyclecar van. As a three-wheeled vehicle having a lightweight (under 7 cwt, 355.6 kg) construction, under UK law it is considered a “tricycle” and can be driven on a full (class A) motorcycle licence. A light-commercial version with a side-hinged rear door was marketed as the Reliant Supervan. Launched at the 1952 Motor Cycle Show, the Regal was the first Reliant passenger car. The three-wheeled, four-seater convertible had an aluminium body and was powered by a 747cc engine derived from the Austin Seven. The Regal name continued a royal theme started with the Regent van. With fuel consumption of around 50mpg and a road tax of only £5, the Regal provided a practical and economical alternative to the motorcycle combination. Reliant was established in 1935 by Tom Lawrence Williams, previously the designer of the Raleigh Safety Seven three-wheeler. When Raleigh dropped out of car manufacture, Williams set up Reliant to make simple three-wheeled delivery vans with motorcycle engines and front forks. Austin Seven engines were used from 1937 but these were soon superseded by Reliant’s own updated version of the same unit. --