I looked that vehicle up and it is indeed a Reliant Robin, registered in June 2000. It's done a tiny mileage for its age. I notice it's one of those vehicles that regularly gets its name switched around - the French sometimes used to refer to a 'Dyna Panhard' for example. It's a question of what sticks in the public imagination.
You are right that it's rare now. According to the 'howmanyleft' site there are 97 on the road in all of the UK, with another 202 declared offroad (SORN).
@supersnipe it was the sort of car nanna and pop went to tesco in once a week. There is one exactly like @NeddyKelly photo on here at Sherringham, Norfolk and everyone takes their picture standing next to it.
@meggie There are some vehicles around which are referred to as 'Robin' but which aren't. The Reliant 3-wheeler of 'Trotter' fame is actually a 'Supervan III', itself a commercial derivative of the 'Regal' which came before the 'Robin'.
They disappeared when more people got car licences from the off, rather than motorbike licences. Knowing this, Reliant tried to branch out into four wheelers but that just brought them smack into competition with the likes of VW, Renault, Nissan and Toyota.
They also made sports/GT cars such as the Scimitar, some of which were successful for a while.
I never owned a Reliant but my memory of them was that they were quite simple vehicles. I can remember someone when we were on a camping holiday in 1970 changing the bottom end engine bearings on a Regal - right next to his tent! ⛺🚗
I have owned 3 of these over the years, all of them regularly broke down, totally unreliable. The one in the image was the same colour as one of them. 🙄
I've owned a couple of Reliants three-wheelers, but I forget which models.
They are rare now. I see one around my area occasionally, but have seen no others for a long time now. Becoming collectors' pieces for the enthusiasts!
@JoyfulSilence Yes. It meant you could drive it without a full driving licence and just have one for a motorbike. Insurance was also much cheaper. I'm using the past tense, because I'm not sure about the current rules.
