Reliant Fox
| Reliant | |
|---|---|
 Reliant Fox
|
|
| Fox | |
| Sales designation: | Fox |
| Production period: | 1983-1990 |
| Class : | Utilities |
| Body versions : | Box trucks , flatbed trucks |
| Engines: |
Otto engines : 0.85 liters (30 kW) |
| Length: | 3380 mm |
| Width: | 1540 mm |
| Height: | 1520 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2146 mm |
| Empty weight : | |
| Previous model | Kitten |
The Reliant Fox is a small, four-wheeled van, to the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth ( England produced) 1983-1990. The car had a body made of GRP , a four-cylinder in-line engine made of aluminum with a displacement of 848 cm³ and an output of 40.5 bhp (30 kW) and a manual four-speed gearbox. It was derived from the Kitten car model .
The Fox has an interesting story. Reliant had exported technology and design to various companies in different countries, including a. also at MEBEA in Greece the models Robin and TW9 , but with this model the strategy was practically reversed. In the late 1970s, MEBEA developed a "passenger van", a design that was in great demand in Greece because these vehicles were classified as commercial vehicles by law and taxed accordingly. MEBEA was just one of several manufacturers of such vehicles, others were Namco Motors , Autokinitobiomihania Ellados , MAVA or Automeccanica . MEBEA, who already built the Reliant Robin under license, modified the four-wheel chassis of the kitten so that it could carry more payload and built a prototype of a light commercial vehicle with a GRP body on it. For series production, MEBEA would have had to deal with the formalities of a type test, which was very complicated for cars developed in Greece - unlike for other types of vehicles. So MEBEA did what other Greek automobile manufacturers had already done: They looked for a partner abroad, as type approval in Greece was much easier to obtain for vehicles that already had such approval abroad. Of course, Reliant offered itself as a partner and the British company was also involved in the final development and approval of the series vehicle.
The car was sold under the name MEBEA Fox in Greece from 1979 to 1983 . In 1983, however, the tax laws favoring such vehicles were changed, sales fell and production was finally stopped after around 3,000 copies. But the vehicle had a second life, as Reliant began manufacturing the vehicle in 1983 in Great Britain as the unofficial successor to the Kitten model. By 1990 around 600 were made in the UK.
There is a “conservation association” for small Reliant with four wheels, which is called the Reliant Kitten Register .
literature
- Quattroruote, Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1982–1983 , Editoriale Domus, Milano (1982)
- Daily Express Guide to 1982 World Cars , Motorfair Edition (1982)
