1951 Reliant Girderfork Van Registration Number: WXS 199 Fr...

Hammer

£4,400

1951 Reliant Girderfork Van

Registration Number: WXS 199
Frame Number: TBA

More famous for its two-wheel products, Raleigh experimented with cars into the 1920s, announcing its first car in 1933. The Raleigh Safety Seven tricycle deployed one wheel at the front and two at the back, to allowed more passenger space than the Morgan three-wheeler. An air-cooled 742cc v-twin provided the power, mated to a three speeds gearbox (with reverse), and shaft drive to the rear axle. Up front the single wheel was steered via a motorcycle-type “girder fork”.

When the Safety Seven ceased production in 1936, designer Tom Williams set up Reliant Engineering to continue production in van form. Motorcycle power units were soon abandoned in favour of the four-cylinder Austin Seven engine, production and development of the latter being taken over by Reliant in 1939.  

First registered in March 1951, and with the registration number WXS 199, this “long wheel base” (!) example is said to run and drive under its own steam, with, according to the vendor, “747cc of pure power!”. A fun commercial and a rare sight on the roads today.