Trouble at the top The Robin Rides again

[@Avalanche-rockers]

There was a reliant shop just around the corner from me in 2010 when i lived in Thrapston many years back. I remember always admiring them when my father would drive past

[@alexwoods1094]

Such a classic documentary. I remember being shown it in school as part of an economics lesson and Jonathan Heynes was used as an example of good business management. Such a shame that the initial impetus that he gave Reliant wasn’t capitalised on and the company wasn’t able to continue.

[@alexwoods1094]

Plus it must be said that his wife was rather lovely too! Lol

[@jurivlk5433]

@andyandyandy360 One should not attempt to achieve impossible dreams! Who should be supposed to buy these weird "cars"?

[@markcolston4602]

Brings back alot of memories for me when I had a factory visit,so sad it's no longer there,alot of history on that site,how great it must of been to roll off the 50,000 reliant regal! Cream of the times!!

[@SloopyDog]

I loved them. The first one I had, was a Reliant Robin with an Austin engine in it. I then had several more of the later ones. The main problems I had was the kingpin and bush on the front wheel of the early ones. The chassis on the early ones were prone to rot. The brakes were poor, and you needed heavy boots to make them work, having said that I loved them, and I was so sad when they stopped making them. They were cheap to run and cheap to tax. Granted they didn't pull the birds, not a lot of room for fun and games. Please bring them back.

[@asimiqbal7421]

Excellent documentary

[@underneonloneliness2]

We need to start making our own cars again like the old days. Bring back the 3 wheeled car.

[@marshalllucky]

now we are out of brexit they can crank up the robin reliant production line again :-)

[@ambivalentonion2620]

​@@marshallluckystill impossible because of uk and eu regulation that we still have to abide by

[@marshalllucky]

@@ambivalentonion2620 Where`s your British spunk? our Robin Reliants WILL be made again and no wine guzzling Eurocrat is going to change that now we are out of Brexit :-)

[@prawny12009]

The whole thing would need to meet modern type approval because the original has expired. Any new models would need to meet contemporary emissions and construction regs too. Won't help that pretty much every body mold, chassis jig and casting die was scraped or destroyed.

[@marshalllucky]

@@prawny12009 Brian can make them with his chopper gun :-)

[@scousepie2]

You are all British Legends... Made in the Uk...!!

[@marshalllucky]

love these old robin reliants

[@fluxington]

Reliant Robins.

[@kennethchesworth5024]

Had a couple of these little cars and yes really enjoyed them even in the snow what a pity they're no longer available you can even sit underneath and fix them when it's raining on a mat of course went camping and fishing in them enjoyable times

[@underneonloneliness2]

I wish reliant would come back and make a Reliant Robin mk4. I think it could take off again as you can now drive one on a full motorcycle licence again.

[@John-ci2sd]

They would at least need airbags so people accept them. But yeah it is a good idea

[@KKTR3]

When did it ever stop that you could drive on a motorcycle license?

[@underneonloneliness2]

@@KKTR3 Sometime in the early 2000’s then it changed again around 2013 ish. They should just leave the rules alone.

[@KKTR3]

@@underneonloneliness2 Did grandad rights exist though?

[@marshalllucky]

Robin also made a four wheeled version of the reliant called the Kitten , legend has it that a new apprentice was left in charge of the production line one friday afternoon after the rest of the team had an extended liquid lunch celebrating a colleagues birthday , he didnt know they were only supposed to have three wheels and actually put four wheels on each car accidentally , when the foreman came back he was so impressed instead of sacking him they put the four wheeled version into production !

[@prawny12009]

they have all got four wheels (one in the boot)

[@MrRaulstrnad]

silly actually-one of those urban legends in reality to turn a three wheeler into a four wheeler would need months of design work and brand new machinery-just look at the documentary to see the detail work needed to produce the cars product design and manufacture involves hard work not just a drunk sticking a fourth wheel on, although its a nice story

[@knuckles1206]

That sounds lovely but can't be true if the kitten evolved from the the rebel

[@marshalllucky]

@@knuckles1206 the kitten was a version of the robin reliant but it had 4 whells , never seen a robin rebel :-(

[@fluxington]

Strange how so many people can't work out that the company was called Reliant and the car was a Robin - even in the comments under a video which clearly makes the point.

[@Deano14397]

I want one

[@MatthewSpeller-gt5eg]

Enjoyed owning 14 reliant three wheelers,sometimes a pain in the a** and one caught fire but reliant No 15 i have owned for nearly 13 years have always maintained and @ 98000 miles despite a bit of blue smoke is so reliable and fun to drive ❤😅

[@kennethchesworth5024]

just a thought maybe they could bring them back as a electric cars what do think

[@paulmoran3482]

Loved the Bug 👌

[@zOiNhUh]

I can relate the fate of Reliant to the one of the Brazilian automaker Gurgel. Politics were much more of a problem than the technical features of the vehicles.

[@car9723]

Bringing back these kind of budget-oriented 3-wheelers into the modern era could be impossible, but it's impressive and admirable at the same time to see this kind of challenge in order to make things work. That's what I think about Jonathan Hanes of Reliant, as well as Rover Group of 1980s and 1990s as well - probably the "Mission Impossible" to make it work in long terms, but can't ignore or blame all of thise effort.

[@oliveroneill1388]

Puke bucket

[@KKTR3]

What in-house engineering👍

[@timothysimpkins6229]

I looked on Google Reliant went bust in 2002.

[@thesunreport]

7:24 - They mention a guy called Graham Walker, who is stealing their share of the parts market. Graham Walker is still in business!!

[@KKTR3]

Once went 97mph in one , It was crazy days going from 156mph motorbikes to a 3 wheeler having never driven anything with more than 2

[@KKTR3]

How young does his wife look but with such a sold mature head she as on her shoulders

[@themacmaster7456]

Happy memories and the people…..just the best place to work but bad management was it’s downfall 😔

[@sebastianohalloran9093]

What was your role? Were you in this programme?

[@themacmaster7456]

I was one of the buyers

[@marshalllucky]

Has Brian borrowed a chopper gun yet to do the bodies?

[@prawny12009]

If he did he probably would have deliberately fu***d the job up anyway to prove a point and make the boss look as big a cu*t as he was acting. It is painful to see management that doesn't understand what they are managing telling the people with the experience and expertise what to do, he had probably never produced any fibreglass components in his life.

[@grahamariss2111]

@@prawny12009 Even more painful to see that the person with supposedly "experience and expertise" cannot explain why "chop" cannot be used on the car's floor and instead just insists on refusing to find out if it can. I recall Sterling Moss recalling why he liked driving for Mercedes if you said for example "I think the car would go faster with square wheels", there were two responses either "we tried that in 19.. and the car did not go faster" or you had square wheels on your car for the next test session. That attitude is one of the reasons Mercedes is still with us and Reliant is not.

[@marshalllucky]

@@prawny12009 Didnt Mr Haynes want to make the crankshafts with a chopper gun too ? lol

[@RiteSedFred123-l5k]

Whatever happened to this guy?

[@markportwood4045]

The negative man in the meeting is just awful. The kind of pessimist with lack of vision that destroyed the British car industry. And, demeaning the man who was trying to save, Reliant, to his face, and on camera.

[@underneonloneliness2]

A typical negative grumpy old man! People like him are the reason many businesses close down for good!

[@garethjones8047]

I'd say he was realistic,

[@oliveroneill1388]

Turns out he was right . And your fking wrong

[@Zwia.]

​​​@@garethjones8047I wouldn't. I have come across plenty like him who are stuck in their ways, afraid of change, who only think there is one way to do things which is their way. A major reason Reliant were not productive is because of conservative managers like him. If only the new boss came in 10-20 years before the company was too far gone.

[@jontaylor4511]

seems they didn't go into it with enough dough, cashflow is everything

[@brushfuse]

This would make a great plucky British underdog movie. I don't think it's a happy ending though.

[@KKTR3]

👍

[@marshalllucky]

just get a goddam chopper gun will ya and get them robin reliants rolling again :-(

[@fluxington]

Reliant Robins.

[@zzhughesd]

Pick up looks well

[@kdlofty]

Never knew Rose West worked for Reliant. Lol.

[@Jon-xx8td]

They go faster than that

[@markcolston4602]

Another great British product lost to under investment,50,000 reliants back in the 70s!,crying shame it's all history now.

[@jacksonmahr8915]

It's what Oscar Wilde said about remarriage - a triumph of hope over experience.

[@marshalllucky]

so glad they are building these robin reliants again , old men with goofy teeth and square glasses wouldnt be seen in anything less :-(

[@grahamariss2111]

This was filmed 23 years ago, I recall they kept going for a few years but they could not afford to keep the vehicles compliant with emission and safety legislation and then moved over to spares and importing Italian 3 wheeled scooter vans.

[@edgarbeat275]

Spooky I saw that exact kind of guy in one on Monday

[@prawny12009]

@@grahamariss2111 and importing microcars which also suffered sales losses when the licencing laws changed

[@KKTR3]

I don’t remember having goofy teeth aged 31 flying around at 97 and two wheels-

[@fluxington]

Reliant Robins.

[@mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm420]

If you're going to post a video about someone at least take the trouble to get their name right. It's Jonathan Heynes.

[@artisancans3954]

"HILARIOUS!"..................

[@langfordrae2589]

British people would not buy three wheel cars today, whether made in Britain or not, they never had a chance.

[@zzhughesd]

There definitely is that !!!!!!!! Doomed. Odd. Axiam do OK in France with Quadricycles for the drunks and banned from driving. They can keep driving there in one of them. Madness. 3 wheels. Just no. Sidecars didn’t work either

[@reluctantheist5224]

I would if it was cheap enough. We had an Aixam at one point too. Brilliant wee car. Topped up with 20 quid every 2 and a half weeks. Used it every day!!

[@malcolmcowan9554]

Hi staff are most deppresiing people I have ever seen in my life no wonder Britsh manufacturing went bust

[@sra3722]

This is a TOY

[@richardt.4224]

They were may main means of transport for over a decade, more than a F**king toy!