Lot Ended
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 [email protected]
* All charges are subject to VAT