Famously adored by Princess Anne, who has reportedly owned a total of eight examples, the Reliant Scimitar GTE is now the subject of a sensational update.
Retropower is rebuilding the Reliant from scratch, creating its own rigid tube-frame chassis with double wishbone suspension all round to replace the original Triumph-derived trunion system.
Under the bonnet will be a four-liter Cosworth GAA V-6, built by Ric Wood Motorsport and delivering over 420 bhp, compared to the 140 horses offered by the original three-liter Ford Essex unit. A Getrag 265 five-speed gearbox will replace the four-speed-plus-overdrive transmission.
Most radical of all, however, will be the bodywork. Retropower has 3D-scanned the shooting brake in order to recreate its own, subtly wider version in carbon fibre. It will be “sympathetic to the shape of the original,” says Retropower.
“We at Retropower have long thought the Scimitar GTE to have vast reserves of untapped potential, and so everyone who works here was overjoyed when, late in 2023, an inquiry concerning the feasibility of a resto-modified example came our way. Better still, the car in question came with a story attached to it, having been owned almost from new by the same family.”
When it arrived at Retropwer HQ in Leicestershire, the Scimitar was in a state, however. Despite the family having kept the car for sentimental reasons it had been left outside to rot in a hedge for 30 years.
It’s going to be a long process to reimagine the Reliant, and you can follow its progress on Retropower’s YouTube channel, but the end result looks like it may well be fit for a princess.
