Sold my Saab 900 recently and agreed a sale on the 996 this morning. Sadly most of that £ is ear-marked for school fees (time of life, sadly) but I have a little negotiated with the wife to replace them with something inexpensive and fun. Always like the look of the Scimitar, and the fact they're so seemingly under-loved. Sort of have an eye on an SE6 manual which needs a bit of work if I can find one. 3.0ltr Ford Essex motor (apparently the post '79 SE6a with the more powerful 2.8 was a lot quicker as it off-set the extra weight of the SE6, but they seem mega money). Anyway, anyone had one or know about them? Any tips or warnings?
I know of two locally that are both mint! one is in a 1970's purple and one's in tangerine, engines and specs I couldn't say as I always seem to be driving in the opposite direction, other than that I understand that the 'factory modification' for water in the footwells - was to drill a hole in the floor.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Ha! Holes drilled in things is a racing modification in my view.
I've never had one but always thought they look lovely. As long as you don't get a lemon, presumably not too much to be lost trying one, i'd imagine prices must be stable by now?
Good helpful FB page; worth applying:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/51023216426/
Very cheap for a lot of car. Obvious problems re. chassis corrosion, but Ford V6 mechanics practically bomb-proof. If anything needs fixing, you only have to fix it once, then it stays fixed. Good performance too. Cheap insurance, stylish, affordable, no road tax to pay, what's not to like?
Went to buy one myself last year, but the present Auntialec couldn't contort herself into position. The seats are a bit rakish tbh; more sports car than comfy saloon. So I kept the Disco and swerved the Scimitar - but one day I will have one. Just need to swerve the FPO.
Oh yes!
The SE5 is prettier of course, but whichever variant you get I’ll be envious.
The thinking man’s Ford Capri...
I've always liked them.
Strange thing up here, it's only bikers (gang types) that I've ever seen with them.
Cheers,
Adam.
I don't know much about Scimitars, but the 4 speed Ford box isn't great.
A lot of people swap them for the Type 9 5-Speed Sierra box which is much nicer - You can get bellhousings and adaptors to fit them without permanent modification if you ever wanted to return it to standard.
Finding an unmolested one will be tricky, though, these sorts of cars used to be pennys on the pound so they got hacked around a lot.
Funny, I never think of Princess Anne as a 'Gang Biker', but she's a dark horse!
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I did say "up here", she's only ever in a Range Rover when here.....
(NE Scotland)
Cheers,
Adam.
I don't know about the big scimitars, but I've owned a series of the SS1 and Sabre models and they are beautifully put together and a real pleasure to work on. Either obsessive Waxoyl or galvanised subframes are a must and get used to working in fibreglass and tracing strange earth faults.
Yeeesss....Originally Posted by draftsmann
...and as Snowman has already observed, women as well.
http://www.sporting-reliants.com/Famous%20Owners.htm
From a couple of visits to the Classic Car show at the NEC a little while back I can remember there being an enthusiastic owners club, along with a reasonably active online forum. Might be worth checking out if you haven't already done so.
Loads of really useful replies here guys, thank you. Prices seem wildly various, element of “scene tax” creeping in.
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There's one in the workshop from time-to-time. A few things that spring to mind:
- Suspension is from the TR6. So readily available. For upgrades: try RevingtonTR.
- Chassis can rot. Have it checked, walk away from cars with impact damage.
- Body: respraying a GPR body can be expensive. Check for osmosis (bubbles and blisters under the paint - expensive to correct)
- GPR body parts and Lucas electrics are a challenging combination... Check every single electric item for proper operating. Most parts are off the shelf Lucas or Smiths, but can fail and will fail. Carefully check if the correct fuses are used (e.g.not a 30A fuse where a 5A fuse should be!)
- I remember that the guy here who owns one had serious trouble finding affordable interior items. They can be found, but it looks as if they're expensive.
- Ford engine is good. Check for unleaded: valve seats done? Earlier models had overheating problems. Always a good idea to renew, restore the radiator and pump on an old car. Check for the correct pressure cap. Check if there's a real thermostate inside the housing. Don't ask me why I know that...
- Aforementioned suggestion of a gearbox upgrade sounds like a good one. I don't know nothing about the auto'boxes though.
When all is sorted, you'll own a trouble free car with hardly any problems during your ownership. It soldiers on and on.
I don't know if they were ever sold with LHD. The one I know is RHD. But I would seriously consider buying one if a LHD specimen came on the market here in Holland!
Last edited by thieuster; 21st March 2021 at 22:12.
What an excellent summary, really appreciate that. Thanks.
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With GPR and electrics: when problems occur, they're mostly 'ground' related. That plastic body doesn't conduct electricity.
This is one of the cars where you should take an expert with you. Triumphs and MGs are easy to find and they're so 'household' that everybody can picture a decent one or a lemon. Despite it's long production run and the theoretically longevity of the body structure, not many Scimitars have made it into the 21st century. There must be a reason for that. I'm pretty sure that there's a Scimitar Owners Club out there. A Club membership (low contribution I suppose) can save you a lot of money later on.
Menno
I've had a couple of SE5's and a SE5A over the past 30 years, but have never had an SE6.
Sign up to the RSSOC website, and do the rounds of the various facebook forums - you'll learn all you need to know about them as owners tend to be very hands on and there is a massive knowledge base.
Menno has covered most of the problems, however if it has the Essex V6, check to see if it has the fibre timing gear. if it does - replace it with a metal timing gear
Menno - Erik Hofman is the man in the know in the Netherlands. http://www.scimitar.demon.nl/
Last edited by catflem; 22nd March 2021 at 10:00.
Fab. Thank you.
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[QUOTE] however if it has the Essex V6, check to see if it has the fibre timing gear. if it does - replace it with a metal timing gear/QUOTE]
Sounds like a good advice, since the Ford Cologne V4 in the Saab 96 is known for eating the teeth of the fibre timing gear!
Thanks for that, I'd never heard about him.Menno - Erik Hofman is the man in the know in the Netherlands. http://www.scimitar.demon.nl/
Quick update: that Dutch site is a treasure-trove! It links to the Fb page of the Dutch club. And, lo and behold: the first short vid clip is a LHD Scimitar that's back on the road after so many years.
Last edited by thieuster; 22nd March 2021 at 10:48.
Apparently - it is well known that any discussion about the Scimitar will always include "Princess Anne had one"I don't know much about Scimitars, but the 4 speed Ford box isn't great.
A lot of people swap them for the Type 9 5-Speed Sierra box which is much nicer - You can get bellhousings and adaptors to fit them without permanent modification if you ever wanted to return it to standard.
Finding an unmolested one will be tricky, though, these sorts of cars used to be pennys on the pound so they got hacked around a lot.
Funny, I never think of Princess Anne as a 'Gang Biker', but she's a dark horse!
M
Indeed - But I think I've a greater claim to raise the point since she nearly ran me down as a child in hers in Windsor Park!Apparently - it is well known that any discussion about the Scimitar will always include "Princess Anne had one"
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Yeeesss....
Surely that's all the reason you need NOT to get one?
The first TVR I had many years back was an S2, which I believe had the same engine, just modified a bit. It was a good engine, very reliable and robust, gearbox a bit iffy though as I recall.
So clever my foot fell off.
Princess Anne still does. One of those posh modernised versions, like the Scimitar version of a Singer Porsche or a Beecham Jaguar. Can’t remember the name of the company other than it begins with “M”.
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That'll be Middlebridge.
That’s the one.
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Yes, like Eric Morecambe and InterceptorsApparently - it is well known that any discussion about the Scimitar will always include "Princess Anne had one"
Ah, but Chris Evans has a fleet of Ferraris...
I think it's unwise to cars discount on the account of other owners
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I have had... many! SE5s, SE6s manual with overdrive and the odd automatics. Mechanical things are the least of your worries and Ford (Triumph front suspension) based though the cooling system can be a bother though easily fixed. Make sure whichever you get has stainless fuel tank/exhausts and the coolant pipes if possible. Chassis do rot but not usually that bad compared to say, TVRs and Lotus etc. They are a bit old school to drive but fun nonetheless. The fibreglass bodies are surprisingly heavy as the FG is very thick but repairs to it (the body) are tricky and need 'know how' to be done properly ad the paintwork is pretty specialist to apply properly. So learn and do it yourself - I did and it was fun.
The interiors are where (to my mind) the fun starts. The dashboards are about a micron thick and warp and crack if you look at them harshly, new ones are available but it all costs... Seats are pretty rubbish and the trim in the 6s goes baggy and wears very quickly. The SE5s I had were blessed with leather-trimmed seats and still seemed to have been done to a very low price! All the cladding on the inside at the rear is weak and fragile and it will crack if it isn't already.
The 6 is a much more comfortable and stately car and feels more of a cruiser but the various 5s I had with the Manual o/d gearbox were great fun and could be hustled around with great alacrity! I'd have another 5 in preference to a 6 but then that's just a taste thing.
More excellent insight. What a great thread this has been for a punter like me. Thanks a lot!
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Never had one myself but three friends have had them. Coincidentally all three of them ended up on the hard shoulder watching the car burn to a cinder (not at the same time - that WOULD be a coincidence). Earthing of the electrical system reputedly the issue.
Exactly. shortage often masked by the use of heavy fuses. Which is, in itself, a real Joe Lucas problem. E.g a Triumph Spitfire only has 3 fuses of 35Amp! That's the equivalent of a carpenter's nail. Installed in line with poxy little & thin cables. Other British cars from the 50s, 60s and even 70s have
In another posting, I write about a Saab 96. Saab used a mix of Hella and Lucas material. A Saab's electrics never fail. Why? Because that car has 12 separate fuses!
Many fires in Reliant Scimitars are due to an easily checked and easliy-fixed potential problem with the connection from fuel supply pipe to carburettor. The tube accepting fuel into the float chamber is prone to dislodging, thus spewing fuel onto hot engine components. Pinning it solves the problem.
So not a reason to dismiss them as possible purchases.
But do make sure that insurance is in place!
Built them down the road from me. Made a thing about "improved galvanising to the chassis together with anti corrosion treatment on all the steelwork in the body".
Not many rolled out of the factory though.
The problem is they are ALL lemons.....
Common problem with the Essex, not unique to the Scimitar.
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Had an SE5 and later a Middlebridge bought new.
Do your homework. As others have said if its an olde worlde scimi check earthing on all the electricals.
Door seals, hinges and rear window hinge fittings.
Overheating was an issue on the early ones so electric fans are a must.
B
Last edited by Brian; 23rd March 2021 at 10:42. Reason: spelling
No experience with them, but I am a fan.
I have a soft spot for anything Shooting brake ish.
Yeah me too, I should have kept this...
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
this , we have had 1 SE4 and 2 SE5 and they are a bugger when it comes to interiors and electrics which gets more entertaining with water leaks thrown into the mix
In early British motorbikes and cars the wiring seems to be there to protect any damage to the fuses!
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
True! I once melted the under-dash wiring of a Triumph Spitfire. When re-installing the bracket between gearbox cover and dash, I managed to 'stab' a wire with a parker screw. The fuse didn't do its work. It was the wire + all others in the bundle that caught the heat... Took me 3 weeks and a chiropractor session to rectify the mess!
oooofffffff lovely
Yeah me too, I should have kept this...
Yes you should have!Yeah me too, I should have kept this...
This one was at a local show a few years back. It was converted by Crayford IIRC.
Reminds me of the Lynx Eventer, managed to use one of those for a couple of days when I worked for Jaguar.Yes you should have!
This one was at a local show a few years back. It was converted by Crayford IIRC.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
It could well have been Lynx, were they based in Bexhill?
Lynx were built in Sussex, so Bexhill is likely
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
It’s definitely a Lynx then, I remember that it was built in Bexhill as that’s a few miles down the road from me.
Cheers number 2.
Lynx Eventers were built on the Isle of Wight. There’s a good one (of the few left) going under the hammer on Friday at CCA. Est £25-30k but I think that’s conservative.
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Last edited by number2; 24th March 2021 at 08:55.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Went for £43,000 plus commission
It was iffy. Paint in the engine bay different to elsewhere. Lots of bodging. Expected to love it, didn’t.
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