1978

We bought our first Scimitar in 1978, a 1971 SE5 manual. Its attractions to us were looks, performance and practicality. This car was our only transport for four years after which time our two sons were 13 and 11 and getting a little too big for the car so the car moved on and we had a Scimitarless period with an ordinary family car.

1984

By 1984 the boys seldom wanted to travel with us anyway so we returned to the fold by buying an SE6a, this time an automatic. This remained our only car for a further four years and took us on many trips including to the south of France for a holiday. Changing circumstances then meant replacing it with another ordinary family car.

 1984

At the same time, 1984, we bought a 1970 SE5 in a very sorry state and I spent the next couple of years rebuilding it. It was eventually re-sprayed in its original silver colour and looked superb.

In 1990 I decided to have a go at competing with the car in the RSSOC’s sprint and hillclimb championship. After a few events Jaki decided “if you can’t beat them, join them” and from then we competed together at many venues around the country. Sadly at one event, Cornbury Park sprint in 1993, I managed to lose a major argument with a tree resulting in the need to be AA relayed home!

The SE5 was rebuilt to a standard good enough to be featured in national magazine articles and win prizes at club concours events.

1993

Following the crash with the SE5 we decided to continue competing in a more suitable car and so, in 1993, Jaki bought a 3 litre V6 Coupé (SE4a). This was reasonably standard when we bought it but was progressively modified during our ownership. The engine finally produced over 200bhp and the car sat several inches nearer to the road.

1993

We then had two weekend toys but decided to buy an SE6b as an every day car. So we were back to Scimitars as our only mode of car transport. At about the same time, 1995, our son Damon bought a 1971 SE5 from a friend of ours. This proved to be a good reliable run-around but eventually became a little neglected and moved on to a new home in 2001.

February 2007 and the car has now been sold to a fellow RSSOC member who plans to extend the car's competition history into the future.

1998

In 1998 I realised a dream and acquired a 1964 Sabre Six restoration project. The work we did on the car during our 9 years ownership included renewing the chassis, reconditioning the engine, replacing the gearbox, repairing much damaged bodywork including making a new wing from scratch, replacing the plywood floor, new stainless exhaust system and new stainless fuel tank.

1998

At this time we owned four Scimitars (including Damon’s) as well as the Sabre 6. They each played a different role for us: the Coupe was our competition car, the SE5, owned for 10 years, was used for shows and showing off (!), Damon’s SE5 was his only car, the SE6b was our practical every day car and the Sabre satisfied the mechanic and restorer in us! However I soon realised that running so many cars meant that we could not spend sufficient time on any one of them. We also had a need to return to four-door motoring. A thinning out process was therefore undertaken resulting in the silver SE5 and the SE6b going to new homes.

2002

Time passes and by August 2002 we decided we needed a Scimitar to attend the various non competition club (RSSOC) events. The Coupe was unsuited to this and the Sabre was still 4 years into its 2 year restoration! So, when a fellow noggin member decided to sell his second SE6a we bought it and it then performed as an every day car alongside our practical four door eurobox.

In August 2003 we added to our fleet again with a 1963 Sabre Six, this time an almost completed restoration project.

This superb car is pictured here in the Netherlands. We enjoyed 7 years of ownership of this car, including a memorable tour of Norway in 2008.

In the spring of 2004 we parted company with the SE6a on the basis that the Sabre Six would be the car that we used for non competition club events.

March 2007, and with some sadness, another cull! We had not competed with the yellow competition Coupé for two years and concluded that our sprinting and hillclimbing days were behind us. Lee, a friend from our local RSSOC noggin, had expressed an interest in the car about a year earlier. We agreed a price and he is became the proud owner. We had 14 years of enjoyment from this car. The car was subsequently sold to long time Scimitar owner and racer Paul Turnbull who hopes to be out on the circuits with the car soon.

Several months prior to selling the Coupé another RSSOC member, Ted, expressed an interest in buying a Sabre Six to compete in historic rallies. Bizarrely, within a week of selling the Coupé, Ted bought our Sabre Six restoration car. This car has subsequently gone to another new owner who hopes to complete the restoration shortly.

2008

In November 2008 we were lucky enough to acquire another fabulous Sabre Six, this time one of only two convertibles made by Reliant. More about this car can be found here.

2010

In March 2010, having had some discussions with its owner over the previous few months, we acquired the Sabra prototype. This car was assembled by the factory in 1960 from an Ashley body and a Ballamy chassis and, arguably, was the start of Reliant's 30 year association with 4-wheel sports cars. More about this car can be found here.

In 2010, having by then obtained the Sabre Six convertible and the Sabra prototype, we agreed to sell the red Sabre Six to Neil Condliffe whose plan was to race the car in high profile classic events. The car has since moved on to Simon Drabble who has raced the car at Silverstone and Goodwood amongst other venues.

2017

Another Sabre Six has joined our fleet. Seven years has passed since we made our last Sabre or Scimitar purchase. This is the longest gap since we bought or first Scimitar back in 1978. More details here..