Reliant bought the rights to produce an Ogle designed fiberglass coupe that was built on an improved Daimler chassis. It was a 2+2 car, and got the designation SE4. All cars were fitted with a 6 cylinder for engine, the inline Zodiac for the first 300 cars (SE4A) the 3 litre Essex V6 for the second series of 590 cars (SE4B) while the last range (SE4C) received a 2.5 litre V6.
Production of the Coupe stopped in 1970. In the meantime Reliant had come up with a shooting brake version of the car, dubbed Scimitar GTE SE5. It was presented in 1968 and became an instant hit. In various versions the car would remain in production up to 1986. Engines were again the traditional Ford V6s. In 1975 the SE6 version appeared, which had a 10 cm longer wheelbase and a wider track, but lost out in the roadholding department. The SE6A from 1979 got things back on track. The GTC version was a four seater cabriolet which appeared in 1980.
For a small outfit like Reliant, from 3 wheel car fame in the first place, the Scimitar was a great success. The SE5 managed 9416 units, the SE6 4857 and also 443 Cabriolets were made. Popularity in the UK was enhanced by the fact that it was the private vehicle of Princess Ann, who used 9 different models in the process…..
The car still has a lot of followers and surprisingly quite a few have been converted to V8 propulsion, using the ubiquitous Rover V8, but also bigger Ford or Chevrolet engines.
Shown here are a few SE5s at the Silverstone Classic 2006, including a V8 conversion.