Description

1966 Reliant Scimitar SE4 GT

No Reserve

Rare 2.6 straight-six with manual overdrive; one of only 297 made; restored in 2011 and only 8,000 miles since; specially prepared for gentle road rallies

Although best known for their three-wheelers and the Scimitar GTE, the Reliant story really kicked off in 1964 with the launch of their Ogle-styled coupe, the SE4 GT. Launched at the Earls Court Motor Show, the Scimitar SE4 was widely praised for its elegant lines and performance, though this came at a hefty price of £1,292.

Power came from the smooth and powerful 2.6-litre Ford straight-six from the Zephyr / Zodiac range with triple SU carbs as standard. Producing 120bhp and mated to a four-speed overdrive gearbox, this was sufficient to propel the car to 60mph in 10 seconds on its way to a top speed of 120mph. Reliant produced just 297 SE4 models before it was replaced by the V6-engined SE4b in October 1966, of which it is though that fewer than 40 survive, making this a rare car indeed.

First registered as XBF 469D in July 1966, this Scimitar GT had four owners up until 2009 when it was acquired by a Mr D Bowlas of Birmingham who was to keep it until 2020. When acquired, the car had been off the road since 1998 due to a broken clutch housing so he set about a full restoration which took two years to complete, as documented by many invoices and photos on file.

The full extent of the work carried out is too detailed to list in full here but it was a body-off job and included restoring and strengthening the chassis and rebuilding the engine with an unleaded head. All mechanical components were refurbished as required, incorporating various upgrades to make the car suitable for gentle road rallies.

These include uprated brakes and suspension; twin Facet fuel pumps (operated via flick switches on the dashboard); alternator charging; battery relocated to the rear seat area; Recaro seats with reinforced steel mountings; inertia reel seatbelts; halogen headlamps; battery cut-off switch; electric cooling fan etc.

Other invoices attest to regular upkeep over the following years (including a rolling road tune up in 2016 and 5 new Vredestein tyres in 2020), while 7 old MOTs show that it has covered some 8,000 miles since the restoration was completed.

Originally gold, the car was repainted yellow during the restoration but has since been repainted again in burgundy with gold coach lines and a rather curious satin finish. It has also been re-registered as VLZ 776, a transferable number which goes with the car.

Supplied with sundry useful spares and two sets of keys, it also comes with various workshop manuals, press cuttings, rally plaques and much technical literature relating to the model.

Starting promptly and running well as we have moved it around on site, with good 50psi oil pressure, this rare and nicely uprated Scimitar is on offer here at no reserve so the best bid takes it home.

For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com