Race Reliant Scimitar – The Perfect Recipe

There is something so very naughty about an old car that is filled with roll cage, bucket seats and other race accoutrements. Don’t get us wrong, we love a restored, immaculate classic as much as the next enthusiast, but when it comes to classics that have been built to battle it out on track, there’s just something about it that makes us giddy. It’s a clear demonstration of the fact that classic cars are what you want them to be. New cars don’t hold the keys to every vehicular activity – classics can, and do, play as well. Much as this stunning Scimitar GTE goes to show. 

Before we go into this racy little number though, it’s worth looking at the Scimitar in general. Or the Reliant Scimitar to give it its full name. And yes, that means the mighty slot-mag wearing beast you see here was indeed designed and built by the same people who gave us the Robin. Many of you will know that, of course, but for those who don’t, Reliant wasn’t always the purveyor of odd tri-wheeled machines. 

The Scimitar’s story actually starts with Daimler back in 1964. The first model was a coupe, and was actually based on a prototype of the Daimler SP250, or Dart to use its more common though not official name. That said, the body was re-worked by the team at Ogle Design. It wasn’t all Daimler though. The chassis was indeed Reliant and came from the earlier Sabre, while the 2.6 straight-six engine came from Ford’s Zephyr/Zodiac range. 

Over the years, the Scimitar grew and changed. The body, for example, evolved into the gorgeous ‘shooting brake’ style you see here. The engine stayed a six-cylinder, and it also remained Ford. However, the straight-six was swapped out in favour of the more compact and more powerful Essex V6.

At base level, that’s what we’re looking at here. It’s a 1970 model, and would have started life as a GTE SE5. Though as you can tell, the car is anything but standard as it sits today. Now, it’s a cut-down, stripped-out, lightweight, track-focused race car. And it’s no ‘have a go’ hero. This is a class-winning machine, but then look at it, is it really hard to believe? 

The current owner, Phil Otley, bought the car a number of years ago. Back then it was also in race trim, but very little of what made it a race car remains today. Phil, an engineer and classic car specialist, has been through the car from front to back, top to bottom and as such, has renewed and changed almost everything on the car, building it into the race machine it is today. But don’t think Phil is just the man on the spanners. He’s also the man who has taken this car out on track for three seasons of the Classic and Sports Car Club’s ‘Swinging Sixties’ championship, which takes in tracks like Thruxton, Oulton Park, Brands Hatch and Silverstone. Oh yes, Phil is the real deal, and so is his mighty Scimitar. 

What makes it so mighty then? Well, there’s the car itself. The Scimitar lends itself to racing thanks to being of a fibreglass construction. This means it’s light, and in the case of Phil’s car, it’s even lighter given that any excess fibreglass has been cut out (door internals etc), plus it’s completely stripped out. Inside, you’ll find a serious roll cage, an OMP bucket seat, TRS harnesses and Sparco ‘snap-off’ steering wheel. The dash is a bespoke unit with digital read-outs, fuel and electricity cut-off switches and a few switches for things like lights, the fire extinguisher and so on. It’s a strict ‘only there if it’s needed’ internal diet for this orange monster. 

Externally, the Scimitar is largely business as usual, bar the inclusion of some sponsor stickers and race numbers. Look closer though, and the differences from stock start to jump out. The vented, perspex windows, the lightweight race wing mirrors, the custom-made alloy fuel filler surround and the missing bumpers all combine to remind the onlooker of the seriousness of this car. Then, there’s the stance. The Scimitar sits over deep Wolfrace slot-mag alloys wheels wrapped in sticky Yokohama rubber. And it sits low, because low is better for cornering and handling, but only if you have the right suspension of course. This car does, no worries there. It sits on competition coilovers, the suspension mounting points have been reworked to make for more adjustment, everything is rose-jointed and polybushed. It’s proper. 

As for stopping power, which is deeply important on track because let’s face it, power is nothing without control, there is plenty. Up front there are Sierra RS Cosworth drilled and grooved discs with performance pads, activated by Wilwood calipers. Out back you’ll find Rover 800 discs and calipers. More than enough to keep this beast under control as it powers around some of the UK’s best-known circuits. 

Now, all of this specification is nice, but there is one thing we’ve not covered yet. Don’t worry though, we’re saving the best until last. Unclip the pins and take the bonnet off this machine, and you’ll still see a 3.0 V6 Essex engine, but it’s far from being standard. Today, it’s a snarling 300bhp monster running triple Weber carbs, MSD ignition, race crank, race heads and more. It’s an Essex in the best guise possible. It’s also an engine with an interesting history. You see, when Phil bought the car, the original engine it came with let go on track. Needing a new Essex V6, Phil had no option but to employ the only one he had, which was living in his Mk2 Consul at the time. The beauty here is that the Consul was (and still is – he has it in storage) Phil’s first car! How many of us can say our first car’s engine is now powering our race car? 

Out the back of the engine, there’s a Cosworth T5 transmission, lightweight prop and a Sailsbury live axle fitted with a limited-slip differential. The rear axle also boasts reworked ramp angles for better traction and power delivery. 

Phil has campaigned the car for three seasons, during which he’s taken home three class wins, he and the car have also come over the line second in class some four times. This car is, make no mistake, a serious contender. One that clearly relishes the chance to be pushed hard. It’s proof that with the right outlook, a classic car can be anything you want it to be. The Scimitar GTE is a great car in standard guise, a weird and wonderful example of British design and engineering. But as Phil’s car goes to show, it’s also a serious contender on track and one that has plenty of competition left in it. However, this car’s future racing career isn’t down to Phil. He has other cars and other projects he wants to focus on, meaning the car you’re looking at here is now for sale. But for how much, you may be wondering? Seventy grand? Fifty grand? How about £22,500? If that’s not a tremendous bargain for a competition-proven Scimitar, we don’t know what is. Go on, do it. Orange is your colour this season. Trust us.

Missed out on this one? Here’s where to keep a lookout for a Reliant Scimitar for sale.