This is a restored Reliant Scimitar GTE, if you haven’t seen one before it’s a sports car combined with a shooting brake body (two-door station wagon), that was famously favored by a certain member of the British Royal Family.
The Scimitar GTE offered genuinely impressive performance for the era into which it was released, with a top speed of almost 120 mph and a 0-62 mph time of 8.5 seconds it was quicker than many best-selling sports cars of the time – and it was a whole lot more practical.
Fast Facts – The Reliant Scimitar GTE
- The Reliant Scimitar GTE was a British-built sports shooting brake, produced from 1968 to 1986. Designed by Ogle and based on the earlier Scimitar GT, it combined a fiberglass body with a Ford Essex V6 engine and four-seat practicality. It gained fame thanks to a number of high-profile owners, including Princess Anne.
- The shooting brake concept has roots in 19th-century British hunting wagons, later evolving into stylish two-door estates. The GTE helped modernize the format for the road-going enthusiast, predating rivals like the Volvo P1800ES and Lancia Beta HPE, and featuring a practical rear hatch and full-sized rear seats.
- GTE variants included the SE5, SE5a, SE6, SE6A, and SE6B. Updates over time added features like a longer wheelbase, Cologne V6 engine, dual-circuit braking, and improved ventilation. Performance remained brisk across models, with 0 to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds and a top speed near 120 mph.
- The restored 1973 GTE featured here includes numerous modern upgrades: gas-flowed heads, a Kent V61 camshaft, Weber carburetor, Lumenition ignition, AVO adjustable coilovers, and a stainless exhaust. Repainted in Porsche Guards Red, it retains original Dunlop wheels and is offered at auction through Bonhams.
What Is A Shooting Brake?
The term “shooting brake” originated in Britain in the early 19th century to describe horse-drawn wagons used to carry shooting parties, their equipment/guns, and game. By the early 20th century, the term was adopted for custom-built two-door estate cars (typically based on luxury cars of the time) combining sporting style with the covered space in the rear needed to lay out firearms (and cucumber sandwiches) while on a hunt.
The Reliant Scimitar GTE was a British shooting brake that helped define its own niche market segment, combining sports car performance with station wagon practicality. Image courtesy of the Reliant Motor Company.
In the post-WWII era, coachbuilders applied the concept to cars from Bentley, Aston Martin, and many others. The format gained broader popularity with production cars like the Volvo P1800ES and the Reliant Scimitar GTE in the 1960s.
Today, the term “shooting brake” denotes a sporting two-door wagon. Even Ferrari got in on the action, building the Ferrari FF which meets all the criteria for a shooting brake. Though the car was likely intended more for luxury ski trips than pheasant shooting.
The Reliant Scimitar GTE
The Reliant Scimitar GTE was a British shooting brake that helped define its own niche market segment, combining sports car performance with station wagon practicality.
The GTE was produced from 1968 to 1986, and it remains one of the more unusual yet approachable British classics of its era, with a design that set it well apart from the more conventional coupes and convertible sports cars of the time.
The Scimitar name was first used by Reliant in 1964 for a sporting coupe based on the chassis of the earlier Reliant Sabre. Styled by Ogle Design and powered by a straight-six Ford engine, the original Scimitar GT was modestly successful in the sales department. However, it was the introduction of the GTE (Grand Touring Estate) in 1968 that would bring the model cult classic recognition.
The GTE offered true four-seat comfort with generous luggage space in the back, and it became one of the earliest production shooting brakes, predating both the Volvo P1800ES and Lancia Beta HPE. Image courtesy of the Reliant Motor Company.
Reliant Managing Director Ray Wiggin saw potential in offering a high-performance estate with the looks of a coupe and the practicality of a wagon. Working with Ogle’s Tom Karen, the company repurposed the existing GT chassis into a longer, more spacious body with a full glass hatchback – a relatively novel concept at the time.
The GTE offered true four-seat comfort with generous luggage space in the back, and it became one of the earliest production shooting brakes, predating both the Volvo P1800ES and Lancia Beta HPE.
The Reliant Scimitar GTE Specifications
The Scimitar GTE SE5, launched in 1968. It retained a Reliant steel chassis with a fiberglass body, an almost universal body material used by Reliant that helped reduce weight and eliminate corrosion in the body panels.
Corrosion of steel bodies could be a major problem in Britain, given the infamous weather and the lower-quality primers, paints, and rust-proofing of the time.
The car was powered by the 3.0 liter Ford Essex V6, developing 138 bhp and mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox with an optional overdrive. A Borg-Warner automatic transmission was also available for those so inclined, but almost all GTEs were ordered with manual boxes, perhaps an indication that they were often bought by more sporting-minded drivers.
The suspension used a double wishbone setup at the front with coil springs, telescopic dampers, and an anti-roll bar. The rear employed a live axle with trailing arms and radius arms, telescopic dampers, and coil springs.
The suspension used a double wishbone setup at the front with coil springs, telescopic dampers, and an anti-roll bar. The rear employed a live axle with trailing arms and radius arms, telescopic dampers, and coil springs.
Braking was handled by front disc brakes and rear drums – standard for the time, though the system would receive upgrades in later versions and switch from a single circuit to a dual circuit system.
The GTE Variants
The SE5 and its revised SE5a variant remained in production until 1975, during which time the Scimitar GTE found steady demand. The SE5a, introduced in 1972, had some cosmetic refinements, a higher compression engine, better interior appointments, and a more polished driving experience.
In 1975, Reliant launched the larger SE6 model. This version had a wider track and longer wheelbase, resulting in a more spacious cabin and increased interior comfort. The SE6’s more executive-oriented styling marked a subtle shift in the target audience.
The SE6A followed in 1976 with detail refinements and improved heating and ventilation, while the SE6B introduced the 2.8 liter Cologne V6 engine in 1980, replacing the Essex motor which was being phased out by Ford.
While power from the Cologne engine was roughly on par (135 bhp), it was smoother and more modern, with improved fuel economy. The gearbox options remained a 4-speed manual (with optional overdrive) or automatic. Over its lifespan, the GTE’s performance was respectable for a grand tourer, with 0-62 mph times in the 8.5 second range and a top speed of nearly 120 mph (depending on the variant).
The car was powered by the 3.0 liter Ford Essex V6, developing 138 bhp and mated to a 4-speed manual gearbox with an optional overdrive.
Combined, Reliant built over 14,000 Scimitar GTEs, a solid showing for a low-volume manufacturer competing in a niche market. Production of the Scimitar finally ceased in 1986, though Middlebridge Scimitar briefly revived the model in the late 1980s, producing a further 77 updated cars between 1988 and 1990 using the SE6b as a base.
The Obligatory Mention Of Princess Anne
One of the most widely publicized owners of the Scimitar GTE was Princess Anne, who famously drove a manual SE5a in the early 1970s and remained a fan of the model for years. Her ownership provided an unexpected PR boost for Reliant and helped to dispel lingering associations the company had with economy cars like the Reliant Regal and Robin.
The Reliant Scimitar GTE Shown Here
The car you see here is a 1973 Reliant Scimitar GTE that has been fully restored and repainted, and it was given a series of discreet upgrades to further improve performance.
Finished in Guards Red, an iconic Porsche color, over a Black interior. It rides on the correct 14-inch Dunlop alloy wheels fitted with matching 195/70R14 Maxxis tires (though these are now getting a little long-in-the-tooth).
The engine now has John Wade high-efficiency, gas-flowed cylinder heads, with larger inlet valves and the ability to use unleaded petrol. It has a gas-flowed inlet manifold, a Kent V61 high-performance camshaft, a Lumenition contactless electronic ignition system, a Lumenition coil, Iridium spark plugs, and silicone HT leads.
The inside of this car is beautifully appointed, looking like a far more expensive luxury GT car than it actually was.
It also has a brand-new manual choke Weber carburetor, a K&N filter, a Facet Posi-Flo FEP 045V electric fuel pump, and a custom high-performance stainless steel exhaust system. The suspension now benefits from the fitment of fully-adjustable AVO coilovers with adjustable dampers and spring seats.
The car has a long list of other upgrades, and it’s now being offered for sale in an online auction by Bonhams. If you’d like to read more about the car or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bonhams
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
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