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The Scimitar GTE was a remarkable trendsetter from a factory previously better known for its appalling three-wheeled cars. Dramatically styled by Tom Karen of Ogle Design, it was the first 'sports estate', featuring an opening rear window and fold-down rear seats. It became the darling of the county set and was much favoured by Princess Anne, who owned nine in succession and was famously booked for speeding in one.
Under the glassfibre shell throbbed Ford's 3.0-litre V6, good for 120 mph, although refinement wasn't its strong suit. Still, matched to high overdrive gearing, it made the Scimitar a fine and reasonably thrifty long-distance car.
As the Scimitar's popularity began to wane in the mid '70s, Reliant announced a wider-bodied version, but it never recaptured the popularity of the original - more mainstream sports estates, from the likes of Lancia with its Beta HPE, began to steal sales.
Bertone was commissioned to style a replacement, but Reliant decided against building another GTE, concentrating instead on the small Scimitar sports cars. So Bertone sold the design to Honda, and it emerged as the Accord Aerodeck in 1985. Not a lot of people know that...
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