1967 RELIANT SCIMITAR SE4A
Finding another Scimitar Coupé was far from easy but perseverance paid off, and Phil can re-live his youth once more now that it’s restored
‘Having owned a Scimitar coupé in the late 1970s we spent a long time searching for one to re-live my youth. A club member in Blackpool eventually offered us this one that, although complete, was in a poor state after we think it had previously been rescued from a scrapyard. The 53k-mile car had a lot of paperwork and old Mots so we bought it immediately despite its condition, and trailered it back home where the two-year restoration ensued.
‘The car was stripped to a bare shell. A pressure-test and internal inspection of the original fuel tank convinced us not to re-use it, so we sourced a new ten-gallon tank from ARF in Warrington. The original brake calipers and rear drums were stripped and re-built and the brake lines and master cylinder were renewed. Sorting the servo proved difficult– it was originally a Powerstop unit – but we eventually got one from the MGB Hive.
‘KN Engineering in Longbridge was enlisted to re-build the rear axle along with a new crown wheel and pinion, and they were also given the job of re-building the original overdrive. Specialised Engines received the car’s heart for a complete re-build and it’s remained true to standard, the only exception being alloy timing gear.
‘We turned our attention elsewhere once the mechanicals were right. The two rear chassis outriggers had to be replaced but the rest of the chassis was sound aside from one small hole. We sent the front grille, rear bumper and window catches to Agrib Chrome Platers in Leeds who did a splendid job, and we managed to find a replica front bumper.
‘After vetting several local bodyshops we entrusted the job of giving the car a full bare-shell respray to Prestige Panel and Paint near Kendal. They did a wonderful job for us, removing nine coats of old paint, making good any areas that needed it and applying five primer coats before setting to work in applying its original Golden Sand colour – it looks fantastic.
‘Inside, new door and window seals were fitted. Sorting the rare factory electric sunroof was probably the biggest headache of the entire restoration because no-one seemed to know much about them. However we had a breakthrough when we discovered that it is very similar to those fitted to period Porsche 911s. After a lot of effort which included saving the original roof motor – a friend at BAC re-wired it for us – it is now fully working again.
‘Most of the parts haven’t been too difficult to source; Nigel at Queensberry Road Garage has been an invaluable help with sourcing rare items such as the original air cleaner pan, washer bottle and jets and door handles.
‘Now restored to A1 condition, the car was an award-winner at the National Scimitar weekend where we won Best Coupé. We are members of the Reliant Sabre & Scimitar Owners’ club and also the Lakeland Historic Car Club. We have enjoyed a couple of local events as we are still getting to know and trust the car properly; its first run out was to the Silverstone Classic where (still running on the Original 40 Weber carburettor) it returned 17mpg… needless to say that this was later replaced with a 38 that gives a far more respectable figure! ‘We love the car’s shape and lines, its scarcity and the way in which it keeps up with modern traffic, and even manages to see a few modern cars off. With so much effort having been put into finding and restoring the car, it will now be improved upon but never sold – I don’t think my good lady would ever speak to me again if I did!’