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123-499: Reliant Motor Company was a British car manufacturer based in Tamworth, Staffordshire , England. It was founded in 1935 and ended car production in 2002, the company had been known as "Reliant Motor Company" (or RMC for short) until the 1990s when it became "Reliant Motors" and then finally became "Reliant Cars LTD" after production had ended of the Robin as the company was restructured to be

246-525: A Flemish member of a Jesuit mission in China around 1672. It was a 65-centimetre-long (26 in) scale-model toy for the Kangxi Emperor that was unable to carry a driver or a passenger. It is not known with certainty if Verbiest's model was successfully built or run. Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is widely credited with building the first full-scale, self-propelled mechanical vehicle in about 1769; he created

369-407: A Fiat vehicle. Toyota , Nissan , Suzuki , Mazda , and Honda began as companies producing non-automotive products before the war, switching to car production during the 1950s. Kiichiro Toyoda's decision to take Toyoda Loom Works into automobile manufacturing would create what would eventually become Toyota Motor Corporation , the largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Subaru , meanwhile,

492-685: A Turkish delegation visited Autocars in Israel and was impressed with its car production; Turkey would later instruct Reliant to design its own peoples' car. Through this deal Reliant designed the Anadol, a saloon vehicle using a GRP body, separate chassis and Ford running gear, this deal though would not just be for a vehicle design but to help Turkey create its whole car production from its factory, paint and production. The company would be named Otosan. The Anadol would be designed into two-door saloon, four-door saloon, van, pick up and estate, several redesigns would keep

615-399: A car import business. It is now a dormant company and the only entity left is a separate parts company created called "Reliant Partsworld" which produces parts for Reliant vehicles. Reliant was a large manufacturing company that mainly produced vehicles for niche markets, such as small three-wheeled vehicles and sports cars. It was best known for the three-wheeled Reliant Robin , but produced

738-437: A combination of the use of feet and hands, and occasionally by voice on 21st-century cars. These controls include a steering wheel , pedals for operating the brakes and controlling the car's speed (and, in a manual transmission car, a clutch pedal), a shift lever or stick for changing gears, and a number of buttons and dials for turning on lights, ventilation, and other functions. Modern cars' controls are now standardised, such as

861-417: A crankcase-compression design, resulting in the fuel/air mixture passing through the crankcase before entering the cylinder(s) . This design of the engine does not include an oil sump in the crankcase. Four-stroke engines typically have an oil sump at the bottom of the crankcase and the majority of the engine's oil is held within the crankcase. The fuel/air mixture does not pass through the crankcase, though

984-497: A crankcase-compression design, where a partial vacuum draws the fuel/air mixture into the engine as the piston moves upwards. Then as the piston travels downward, the inlet port is uncovered and the compressed fuel/air mixture is pushed from the crankcase into the combustion chamber. Crankcase-compression designs are often used in small petrol (gasoline) engines for motorcycles, generator sets and garden equipment. This design has also been used in some small diesel engines, however it

1107-523: A four-wheeled vehicle design which could be built in Israel that was strong for their rough roads and could be used with a choice of van, pick up, and estate body styles. The car used a lot of Reliant's existing parts; basically converting a Regent into a four-wheeled vehicle. This vehicle would never be sold in the UK and called the Reliant Regent four 10 cwt van, this would be sold in Israel by Autocars limited but

1230-495: A full motorcycle licence (the B1 allowing the holder to drive a three or four-wheeled vehicle up to the weight of 550 kg [1,210 lb]). The change capped Reliant's market share. The Hodge Group bought the majority of Reliant in 1962, selling it 15 years later to the Nash family. During the early 1990s, the owner of Reliant was a major housing developer and when the 1992 recession hit,

1353-475: A long-established wagon and coach manufacturer, started to build cars in 1897 and commenced sales of electric vehicles in 1902 and petrol vehicles in 1904. In Britain, there had been several attempts to build steam cars with varying degrees of success, with Thomas Rickett even attempting a production run in 1860. Santler from Malvern is recognised by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain as having made

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1476-411: A messy environment, because oil spray from the moving parts was not contained. Another disadvantage was that dirt and dust could get into moving engine parts, causing excessive wear and possible malfunction of the engine. Frequent cleaning of the engine was required to keep it in normal working order. Some two-stroke diesel engines, such as the large slow-speed engines used in ships, have the crankcase as

1599-458: A motorcycle fitted with a box body. The initial prototype had handlebars for steering, but after several trials with small local companies, it was changed to a steering wheel. The work moved to a disused bus depot on Watling Street in Fazeley . On 3 June 1935, the first Reliant was delivered. Powered by a single-cylinder air-cooled 600 cc J.A.P. engine, the driver sat centrally on the vehicle astride

1722-656: A new model DMG car was produced and the model was named Mercedes after the Maybach engine, which generated 35 hp. Maybach quit DMG shortly thereafter and opened a business of his own. Rights to the Daimler brand name were sold to other manufacturers. In 1890, Émile Levassor and Armand Peugeot of France began producing vehicles with Daimler engines, and so laid the foundation of the automotive industry in France . In 1891, Auguste Doriot and his Peugeot colleague Louis Rigoulot completed

1845-423: A quarter of world oil production as of 2019 . Both petrol and diesel cars pollute more than electric cars. Cars and vans caused 8% of direct carbon dioxide emissions in 2021. As of 2021 , due to greenhouse gases emitted during battery production, electric cars must be driven tens of thousands of kilometres before their lifecycle carbon emissions are less than fossil fuel cars; however this varies considerably and

1968-419: A result, Ford's cars came off the line in 15-minute intervals, much faster than previous methods, increasing productivity eightfold, while using less manpower (from 12.5 manhours to 1 hour 33 minutes). It was so successful, paint became a bottleneck. Only Japan black would dry fast enough, forcing the company to drop the variety of colours available before 1913, until fast-drying Duco lacquer

2091-428: A separate scavenge blower or supercharger to draw the fuel/air mixture into the compression chamber. Therefore the crankcases are similar to a four-stroke engine in that they are solely used for lubrication purposes. Most four-stroke engines use a crankcase that contains the engine's lubricating oil, as either a wet sump system or the less common dry sump system. Unlike a two-stroke (crankcase-compression) engine,

2214-507: A small amount of exhaust gasses often enter as "blow-by" from the combustion chamber , particularly in engines with worn rings. The crankcase often forms the upper half of the main bearing journals (with the bearing caps forming the other half), although in some engines the crankcase completely surrounds the main bearing journals. An open-crank engine has no crankcase. This design was used in early engines and remains in use in some large marine diesel engines. Many two-stroke engines use

2337-467: A steam-powered road vehicle. It was unable to maintain sufficient steam pressure for long periods and was of little practical use. The development of external combustion (steam) engines is detailed as part of the history of the car but often treated separately from the development of true cars. A variety of steam-powered road vehicles were used during the first part of the 19th century, including steam cars , steam buses , phaetons , and steam rollers . In

2460-526: A steam-powered tricycle. He also constructed two steam tractors for the French Army, one of which is preserved in the French National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts . His inventions were limited by problems with water supply and maintaining steam pressure. In 1801, Richard Trevithick built and demonstrated his Puffing Devil road locomotive, believed by many to be the first demonstration of

2583-561: A three-wheeled car powered by electricity at the International Exposition of Electricity . Although several other German engineers (including Gottlieb Daimler , Wilhelm Maybach , and Siegfried Marcus ) were working on cars at about the same time, the year 1886 is regarded as the birth year of the modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—when the German Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen ; he

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2706-429: A variety of vehicles over 60 years, including sports cars, convertibles and commercial vehicles. Approximately half a million Reliant vehicles were produced and sold in at least nine countries. For a period from the 1970s until the 1990s, Reliant was the UK's second biggest British-owned car manufacturer behind British Leyland . To make their vehicles light, the company decided to produce car bodies from fibreglass in

2829-673: A way to head off on unchaperoned dates, plus they had a private space to snuggle up close at the end of the night." Similarly the costs to society of car use may include; maintaining roads , land use , air pollution , noise pollution , road congestion , public health , health care, and of disposing of the vehicle at the end of its life; and can be balanced against the value of the benefits to society that car use generates. Societal benefits may include: economy benefits, such as job and wealth creation, of car production and maintenance, transportation provision, society wellbeing derived from leisure and travel opportunities, and revenue generation from

2952-470: Is a motor vehicle with wheels . Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads , seat one to eight people, have four wheels , and mainly transport people over cargo . There are around one billion cars in use worldwide. The French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first steam-powered road vehicle in 1769, while the Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz designed and constructed

3075-476: Is called " Fordism " and was copied by most major industries. The efficiency gains from the assembly line also coincided with the economic rise of the US. The assembly line forced workers to work at a certain pace with very repetitive motions which led to more output per worker while other countries were using less productive methods. In the automotive industry, its success was dominating, and quickly spread worldwide seeing

3198-448: Is expected to improve in future due to lower carbon electricity , and longer lasting batteries produced in larger factories. Many governments use fiscal policies, such as road tax , to discourage the purchase and use of more polluting cars; and many cities are doing the same with low-emission zones . Fuel taxes may act as an incentive for the production of more efficient, hence less polluting, car designs (e.g., hybrid vehicles ) and

3321-464: Is generally acknowledged as the inventor of the car. In 1879, Benz was granted a patent for his first engine, which had been designed in 1878. Many of his other inventions made the use of the internal combustion engine feasible for powering a vehicle. His first Motorwagen was built in 1885 in Mannheim , Germany. He was awarded the patent for its invention as of his application on 29 January 1886 (under

3444-478: Is less common. Both sides of the piston are used as working surfaces: the upper side is the power piston, the lower side acts as a pump. Therefore an inlet valve is not required. Unlike other types of engines, there is no supply of oil to the crankcase, because it handles the fuel/air mixture. Instead, two-stroke oil is mixed with the fuel used by the engine and burned in the combustion chamber. Large two-stroke engines do not use crankcase compression, but instead

3567-521: Is not allowed on British motorways. This is not the case. Any two-, three- or four-wheeled vehicle is allowed on the motorway as long as its engine size is over 50 cc (0.05 L)(with the exception of most agricultural vehicles). It is a common misconception that the main character Derek "Delboy" Trotter in the British television comedy series Only Fools and Horses owned a Reliant Robin. Many people painted their Reliant Robins and Rialtos yellow with

3690-423: Is squirted into the crankshaft and connecting rod bearings and onto the cylinder walls, and eventually drips off into the bottom of the crankcase. Even in a wet sump system, the crankshaft has minimal contact with the sump oil. Otherwise, the high-speed rotation of the crankshaft would cause the oil to froth, making it difficult for the oil pump to move the oil, which can starve the engine of lubrication. Oil from

3813-621: Is that cars can use lighter batteries. Most cars are designed to carry multiple occupants, often with four or five seats. Cars with five seats typically seat two passengers in the front and three in the rear. Full-size cars and large sport utility vehicles can often carry six, seven, or more occupants depending on the arrangement of the seats. On the other hand, sports cars are most often designed with only two seats. Utility vehicles like pickup trucks , combine seating with extra cargo or utility functionality. The differing needs for passenger capacity and their luggage or cargo space has resulted in

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3936-826: Is the replacement of physical knobs and switches by secondary controls with touchscreen controls such as BMW 's iDrive and Ford 's MyFord Touch . Another change is that while early cars' pedals were physically linked to the brake mechanism and throttle, in the early 2020s, cars have increasingly replaced these physical linkages with electronic controls. Cars are typically equipped with interior lighting which can be toggled manually or be set to light up automatically with doors open, an entertainment system which originated from car radios , sideways windows which can be lowered or raised electrically (manually on earlier cars), and one or multiple auxiliary power outlets for supplying portable appliances such as mobile phones , portable fridges, power inverters , and electrical air pumps from

4059-464: Is the usual formal term in British English . "Autocar", a variant likewise attested from 1895 and literally meaning " self-propelled car", is now considered archaic. " Horseless carriage " is attested from 1895. "Automobile", a classical compound derived from Ancient Greek autós ( αὐτός ) "self" and Latin mobilis "movable", entered English from French and was first adopted by

4182-574: The Automobile Club of Great Britain in 1897. It fell out of favour in Britain and is now used chiefly in North America , where the abbreviated form "auto" commonly appears as an adjective in compound formations like " auto industry " and " auto mechanic ". In 1649, Hans Hautsch of Nuremberg built a clockwork-driven carriage. The first steam-powered vehicle was designed by Ferdinand Verbiest ,

4305-645: The Bond Minicar and the Bond 875 , but Reliant's vehicles outsold Bond's in huge numbers, with a much larger production and dealer network. Reliant did use the Bond name for the 1970s Bond Bug , which was a Reliant prototype originally named the Reliant Rogue. The Bug was a sporty three-wheeler designed by Ogle designer Tom Karen . The Bug used a shortened Reliant Regal chassis and other mechanical parts, but many parts, such as

4428-463: The Chevette . On 8 July 2017, a blue plaque was unveiled to honour both the founders, T. L. Williams and E. S. Thompson, and marked the birthplace of Reliant. The first Reliant prototype was built by Williams and Thompson in 1934, in the rear garden of Williams' residence, named Bro-Dawel, on Kettlebrook Road. The most widespread myth regarding Reliant vehicles is that they cannot go around corners. This

4551-631: The Great Depression , by 1940, only 17 of those were left. In Europe, much the same would happen. Morris set up its production line at Cowley in 1924, and soon outsold Ford, while beginning in 1923 to follow Ford's practice of vertical integration , buying Hotchkiss' British subsidiary (engines), Wrigley (gearboxes), and Osberton (radiators), for instance, as well as competitors, such as Wolseley : in 1925, Morris had 41 per cent of total British car production. Most British small-car assemblers, from Abbey to Xtra , had gone under. Citroën did

4674-645: The Portsmouth Block Mills , England, in 1802. The assembly line style of mass production and interchangeable parts had been pioneered in the US by Thomas Blanchard in 1821, at the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts . This concept was greatly expanded by Henry Ford , beginning in 1913 with the world's first moving assembly line for cars at the Highland Park Ford Plant . As

4797-603: The Raleigh Bicycle Company decided to discontinue the manufacture of their three-wheeled vehicles in 1934, their works manager, T. L. Williams, and a colleague, E. S. Thompson, felt that the days of lightweight three-wheelers were not over. They decided to build their own vehicle in Williams's back garden on Kettlebrook Road in Tamworth . Their home-built design closely resembled the Karryall van previously built by Raleigh, and

4920-511: The Wankel engine has had more than very limited success. All in all, it is estimated that over 100,000 patents created the modern automobile and motorcycle. Large-scale, production-line manufacturing of affordable cars was started by Ransom Olds in 1901 at his Oldsmobile factory in Lansing, Michigan , and based upon stationary assembly line techniques pioneered by Marc Isambard Brunel at

5043-440: The tax opportunities. The ability of humans to move flexibly from place to place has far-reaching implications for the nature of societies. Cars are a major cause of urban air pollution , with all types of cars producing dust from brakes, tyres, and road wear , although these may be limited by vehicle emission standards . While there are different ways to power cars, most rely on petrol or diesel , and they consume almost

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5166-707: The 1.8% annual average reduction between 2010 and 2015. Given slow progress to date, the IEA estimates fuel consumption will have to decrease by 4.3% per year on average from 2019 to 2030. The increase in sales of SUVs is bad for fuel economy. Many cities in Europe have banned older fossil fuel cars and all fossil fuel vehicles will be banned in Amsterdam from 2030. Many Chinese cities limit licensing of fossil fuel cars, and many countries plan to stop selling them between 2025 and 2050. Crankcase Two-stroke engines typically use

5289-487: The 1950s, Chevrolet shared bonnet, doors, roof, and windows with Pontiac ; by the 1990s, corporate powertrains and shared platforms (with interchangeable brakes , suspension, and other parts) were common. Even so, only major makers could afford high costs, and even companies with decades of production, such as Apperson , Cole , Dorris , Haynes , or Premier, could not manage: of some two hundred American car makers in existence in 1920, only 43 survived in 1930, and with

5412-808: The 20th and 21st centuries because there are more cars; the 1980s oil glut even fuelled the sales of low-economy vehicles in OECD countries. The BRIC countries are adding to this consumption. As of 2023 few production cars use wheel hub motors . In almost all hybrid (even mild hybrid ) and pure electric cars regenerative braking recovers and returns to a battery some energy which would otherwise be wasted by friction brakes getting hot. Although all cars must have friction brakes (front disc brakes and either disc or drum rear brakes ) for emergency stops, regenerative braking improves efficiency, particularly in city driving. Cars are equipped with controls used for driving, passenger comfort, and safety, normally operated by

5535-412: The Anadol looking modern into the 1970s, later Otosan became more distant from Reliant as local content rose. Reliant offered in the 1980s again to redesign the Anadol even presenting a prototype but by this time Otosan believed it could go it alone and redesigned the vehicle itself, this wouldn't end well for Otosan with declining sales and eventually Otosan became a Ford assembly plant for Turkey producing

5658-552: The Benz car to his line of products. Because France was more open to the early cars, initially more were built and sold in France through Roger than Benz sold in Germany. In August 1888, Bertha Benz , the wife and business partner of Carl Benz, undertook the first road trip by car, to prove the road-worthiness of her husband's invention. In 1896, Benz designed and patented the first internal-combustion flat engine , called boxermotor . During

5781-645: The Carmel. The Carmel was designed around the same time Reliant were designing its Regal 3/25 and somehow some of its design features rubbed off, the square styling with a reverse slant Ford Anglia rear window for one, the engine was also the 1100cc Ford Anglia unit, apart from the body many of the chassis and running gear was used from the Sussita. Reliant would later design the Sabra Sport using Ashley Laminates existing kit car designs which Reliant would redesign again to sell it in

5904-523: The Ford Escort. Shortly after Reliant announced that production of the Robin would cease, production rights for the Reliant Robin were sold to a Sudbury -based firm called B&N Plastics, which redesigned major parts of the car. A deal was done where Reliant would supply the mechanical parts of the Reliant Robin to B&N Plastics and then the fibreglass skills of B&N Plastics would be used to build

6027-471: The Reliant Robin was produced with leather seats, metallic gold paint, alloy wheels, walnut dashboard, and some other luxurious features, which retailed for £10,000. The car was made in the company's 65th year of production, and so was named the Reliant Robin 65. Reliant Cars Ltd. was renamed Reliant Partsworld, and operates from the factory where the Robin was built. The old site of Reliant Motors, in Tamworth,

6150-511: The Robin, licence-built in Greece by MEBEA ), which was a chassis and cab, onto which a custom rear body was fitted: a road sweeper, a flat back, a van, a milk float and hydraulic lifting rear bed version were common fitments. Also, a fifth wheel (actually fourth wheel) articulated tractor unit was created to pull large trailers. It was often used by public utility companies or more commonly sold to councils, where its ability to negotiate narrow alleyways

6273-455: The UK market as the Reliant Sabre. Reliant would continue designing vehicles for Autocars into the early 1970s when Autocars started to source parts from Standard-Triumph, severing ties with Reliant in the process. Autocars would end in the late 1970s and would plan to start a new company selling Reliant Kittens in Israel but this would not happen. From this export started another as in 1962

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6396-561: The UK, but gave the Fox many design changes, including 12-inch wheels, altered suspension and the high compression 850 cc engine. They designed a rear hardtop to make the vehicle into a van or estate. Tandy Industries used Foxes as a basis for a compact, two-berth camper-van. Reliant also made a small three-wheeled commercial vehicle called the Reliant TW9 , later sold by other companies as the Ant (and, like

6519-594: The US's first pedestrian car casualties in 1899 in New York City. There are now standard tests for safety in new cars, such as the Euro and US NCAP tests, and insurance-industry-backed tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). However, not all such tests consider the safety of people outside the car, such as drivers of other cars, pedestrians and cyclists. The costs of car usage, which may include

6642-640: The US, where they replaced horse-drawn carriages . In Europe and other parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not increase until after World War II . In the 21st century, car usage is still increasing rapidly, especially in China, India, and other newly industrialised countries . Cars have controls for driving , parking , passenger comfort, and a variety of lamps . Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles, making them progressively more complex. These include rear-reversing cameras , air conditioning , navigation systems , and in-car entertainment . Most cars in use in

6765-569: The United Kingdom, sentiment against them led to the Locomotive Acts of 1865. In 1807, Nicéphore Niépce and his brother Claude created what was probably the world's first internal combustion engine (which they called a Pyréolophore ), but installed it in a boat on the river Saone in France. Coincidentally, in 1807, the Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz designed his own " de Rivaz internal combustion engine ", and used it to develop

6888-629: The United States. His patent was challenged by Henry Ford and others, and overturned in 1911. In 1893, the first running, petrol-driven American car was built and road-tested by the Duryea brothers of Springfield, Massachusetts . The first public run of the Duryea Motor Wagon took place on 21 September 1893, on Taylor Street in Metro Center Springfield. Studebaker , subsidiary of

7011-412: The auspices of his major company, Benz & Cie. , which was founded in 1883). Benz began promotion of the vehicle on 3 July 1886, and about 25 Benz vehicles were sold between 1888 and 1893, when his first four-wheeler was introduced along with a cheaper model. They also were powered with four-stroke engines of his own design. Emile Roger of France, already producing Benz engines under license, now added

7134-456: The availability of a large variety of body styles to meet individual consumer requirements that include, among others, the sedan/saloon , hatchback , station wagon/estate , coupe , and minivan . Traffic collisions are the largest cause of injury-related deaths worldwide. Mary Ward became one of the first documented car fatalities in 1869 in Parsonstown , Ireland, and Henry Bliss one of

7257-569: The best-selling sporting estate—the Scimitar GTE. To power the Scimitar GT coupe and Sabre, Reliant turned towards Ford of Britain and were supplied with the Zephyr 6 and Consul 4 engines. The coupe GT could be purchased with either the 2.5 litre or the 3.0 litre Essex V6 engine. Later, 3.0 GTEs were fitted with Essex V6 engines and gearboxes. On the 3.0 V6 GTE, the back axle ratio changed depending on

7380-552: The brand name Daimler . It was a horse-drawn stagecoach built by another manufacturer, which they retrofitted with an engine of their design. By 1895, about 30 vehicles had been built by Daimler and Maybach, either at the Daimler works or in the Hotel Hermann, where they set up shop after disputes with their backers. Benz, Maybach, and the Daimler team seem to have been unaware of each other's early work. They never worked together; by

7503-455: The car visible to other users, so that the vehicle can be used at night; in some jurisdictions, daytime running lights ; red brake lights to indicate when the brakes are applied; amber turn signal lights to indicate the turn intentions of the driver; white-coloured reverse lights to illuminate the area behind the car (and indicate that the driver will be or is reversing); and on some vehicles, additional lights (e.g., side marker lights) to increase

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7626-533: The company before production ended because he wished to create an all-new four-wheeled Reliant model instead. The last Reliant made was the Robin 65 a Reliant Robin in metallic gold to celebrate 65 years of car production. The vehicles had every optional extra and sold for £10,000 - 65 of these vehicles were built up to Valentine's Day 2001. Reliant, in the early 1950s, agreed a deal in Israel to produce Regent vans in SKD form. Not long after this, Israel would ask Reliant for

7749-461: The company created bodies for trains, kitchen worktops and boat/jet ski hulls. Reliant's main business was selling three-wheeled vehicles. The main market these would sell to would be a motorcyclist who didn't wish to pass their full car licence test. It was a sizable niche market due to the large number of motorcyclists present and it lasted until 2001 when the EU eliminated the B1 class from been issued with

7872-445: The company folded and Reliant was sold to Beans Engineering. By 1996, Jonathan Haynes took the lead and his main backer took control – Haynes created a new range of Robin and Rialto specifications to appeal to more customers including more luxury models such as the SLX. Sales doubled as previously most Reliant vehicles were basic with not even the option of metallic paint. In 1997, production

7995-443: The cost of: acquiring the vehicle, repairs and auto maintenance , fuel, depreciation , driving time, parking fees , taxes, and insurance, are weighed against the cost of the alternatives, and the value of the benefits—perceived and real—of vehicle usage. The benefits may include on-demand transportation, mobility, independence, and convenience, and emergency power . During the 1920s, cars had another benefit: "[c]ouples finally had

8118-502: The countries' own workforces to assemble. Reliant would first design the vehicle to the country's or company's requirements. The first was the Anadol in Turkey, which was based on a mix of Ford parts and a custom chassis. The Anadol began as a two-door saloon, then a four-door saloon, followed by commercial pickup and van versions. The pickup was produced until the early 1990s. A similar vehicle

8241-469: The crankcase in a four-stroke engine is not used for the fuel/air mixture. Engine oil is recirculated around a four-stroke engine (rather than burning it as happens in a two-stroke engine) and much of this occurs within the crankcase. Oil is stored either at the bottom of the crankcase (in a wet sump engine) or in a separate reservoir (in a dry sump system). From here the oil is pressurized by an oil pump (and usually passes through an oil filter ) before it

8364-425: The crankcase, contamination of the oil and rust from condensation. To prevent this, modern engines use a crankcase ventilation system to expel the combustion gases from the crankcase. In most cases, the gases are passed through to the intake manifold. Early engines were of the "open-crank" style, that is, there was no enclosed crankcase. The crankshaft and associated parts were open to the environment. That made for

8487-577: The development of alternative fuels . High fuel taxes or cultural change may provide a strong incentive for consumers to purchase lighter, smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, or to not drive . The lifetime of a car built in the 2020s is expected to be about 16 years, or about 2 millionkm (1.2 millionmiles) if driven a lot. According to the International Energy Agency the average rated fuel consumption of new light-duty vehicles fell by only 0.9% between 2017 and 2019, far smaller than

8610-744: The driver from a crash perspective, but more dangerous for other vehicles and road users. The weight of a car influences fuel consumption and performance, with more weight resulting in increased fuel consumption and decreased performance. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV , a typical city car , weighs about 700 kilograms (1,500 lb). Heavier cars include SUVs and extended-length SUVs like the Suburban . Cars have also become wider. Some places tax heavier cars more: as well as improving pedestrian safety this can encourage manufacturers to use materials such as recycled aluminium instead of steel. It has been suggested that one benefit of subsidising charging infrastructure

8733-567: The early 2020s are propelled by an internal combustion engine , fueled by the combustion of fossil fuels . Electric cars , which were invented early in the history of the car , became commercially available in the 2000s and are predicted to cost less to buy than petrol-driven cars before 2025. The transition from fossil fuel-powered cars to electric cars features prominently in most climate change mitigation scenarios , such as Project Drawdown 's 100 actionable solutions for climate change. There are costs and benefits to car use . The costs to

8856-412: The end of that year there were more than 16 million electric cars on the world's roads. Despite rapid growth, less than two per cent of cars on the world's roads were fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars by the end of 2021. Cars for racing or speed records have sometimes employed jet or rocket engines, but these are impractical for common use. Oil consumption has increased rapidly in

8979-500: The engine gave it 17.5 hp (13.0 kW), which was a big improvement over the 10.5 hp of the 750cc Austin 7 design. Reliant was one of the last companies to produce a side-valve engine design, with the production of the Reliant 750 cc engine ending in 1962. The 1963 Regal 3/25 had its body completely made of fibreglass. On previous generations of the Regal, the body was fibreglass, but

9102-399: The engine, much like a motorcyclist. The single-cylinder engine left the Reliant under-powered. In March 1936, a two-cylinder, water-cooled J.A.P. engine and an increase to 8 cwt (407 kg) gross vehicle weight was released. The driver no longer sat astride the engine and the vehicle gained more conventional forward-facing seats in the front. The first improved eight cwt twin-cylinder model

9225-511: The famous "Trotters’ Independent Trading Co" lettering, but the Trotters' van was actually a Supervan III . Many people are under the impression Reliant three-wheeler can be driven on a Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) licence, but they have engines larger than the CBT licence allows. To drive a Reliant, a full motorcycle or car licence is required and the driver must be over 21. Another widely held myth

9348-430: The final B1 licences were issued in 2001. In January 2013, the licensing changed again. Drivers with a full A-category motorcycle licence who are over 21 years of age may drive a three-wheeled vehicle of any weight. The age restriction of 21 applies to full car licence holders also in the UK. Driving any Reliant three-wheeled vehicle is not legal on a CBT licence or lower. Automobile A car , or an automobile ,

9471-539: The first internal combustion-powered automobile in 1808. The modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—was invented in 1886, when the German inventor Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen . Commercial cars became widely available during the 20th century. The 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash and the 1908 Ford Model T , both American cars, are widely considered the first mass-produced and mass-affordable cars, respectively. Cars were rapidly adopted in

9594-555: The first petrol-driven car in the country in 1894, followed by Frederick William Lanchester in 1895, but these were both one-offs. The first production vehicles in Great Britain came from the Daimler Company , a company founded by Harry J. Lawson in 1896, after purchasing the right to use the name of the engines. Lawson's company made its first car in 1897, and they bore the name Daimler. In 1892, German engineer Rudolf Diesel

9717-416: The floor was made of bolted-together hardwood. Its engine was the first mass-produced lightweight overhead valve aluminium-alloy engine in Europe and the UK. Displacement was initially 598 cc on the Regal 3/25, but was later upgraded to 700 cc on the Regal 3/30. At the same time, Reliant were working for other countries to design vehicles for home-grown production. Vehicles would be sent over in kit form for

9840-425: The founding of Ford France and Ford Britain in 1911, Ford Denmark 1923, Ford Germany 1925; in 1921, Citroën was the first native European manufacturer to adopt the production method. Soon, companies had to have assembly lines, or risk going broke; by 1930, 250 companies which did not, had disappeared. Development of automotive technology was rapid, due in part to the hundreds of small manufacturers competing to gain

9963-560: The front swingarm , were new designs that would also be used on the 1973 Reliant Robin. The Bond Bug came in 700, 700E and 700ES models until replaced by the 750 model. Reliant built four-wheeled versions of their three-wheeled stablemates – the first was the Reliant Rebel , which had three-quarters of the rear chassis design of the Regal, but front suspension based on the Triumph Herald with Reliant's own steering system. The engines were

10086-513: The idea of different makes of cars produced by one company, called the General Motors Companion Make Program , so that buyers could "move up" as their fortunes improved. Reflecting the rapid pace of change, makes shared parts with one another so larger production volume resulted in lower costs for each price range. For example, in the 1930s, LaSalles , sold by Cadillac , used cheaper mechanical parts made by Oldsmobile ; in

10209-403: The individual include acquiring the vehicle, interest payments (if the car is financed), repairs and maintenance , fuel, depreciation , driving time, parking fees, taxes, and insurance . The costs to society include maintaining roads, land-use , road congestion , air pollution , noise pollution , public health , and disposing of the vehicle at the end of its life . Traffic collisions are

10332-476: The largest cause of injury-related deaths worldwide. Personal benefits include on-demand transportation, mobility, independence, and convenience. Societal benefits include economic benefits, such as job and wealth creation from the automotive industry , transportation provision, societal well-being from leisure and travel opportunities, and the generation of revenue from taxation. People's ability to move flexibly from place to place has far-reaching implications for

10455-627: The last years of the 19th century, Benz was the largest car company in the world with 572 units produced in 1899 and, because of its size, Benz & Cie., became a joint-stock company . The first motor car in central Europe and one of the first factory-made cars in the world, was produced by Czech company Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau (later renamed to Tatra ) in 1897, the Präsident automobil. Daimler and Maybach founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) in Cannstatt in 1890, and sold their first car in 1892 under

10578-580: The location for the accelerator and brake, but this was not always the case. Controls are evolving in response to new technologies, for example, the electric car and the integration of mobile communications. Some of the original controls are no longer required. For example, all cars once had controls for the choke valve, clutch, ignition timing , and a crank instead of an electric starter . However, new controls have also been added to vehicles, making them more complex. These include air conditioning , navigation systems , and in-car entertainment . Another trend

10701-422: The longest trip by a petrol-driven vehicle when their self-designed and built Daimler powered Peugeot Type 3 completed 2,100 kilometres (1,300 mi) from Valentigney to Paris and Brest and back again. They were attached to the first Paris–Brest–Paris bicycle race, but finished six days after the winning cyclist, Charles Terront . The first design for an American car with a petrol internal combustion engine

10824-531: The market. In Japan, car production was very limited before World War II. Only a handful of companies were producing vehicles in limited numbers, and these were small, three-wheeled for commercial uses, like Daihatsu , or were the result of partnering with European companies, like Isuzu building the Wolseley A-9 in 1922. Mitsubishi was also partnered with Fiat and built the Mitsubishi Model A based on

10947-653: The material improved and the price of aluminium increased. By 1956, the bodywork of the Mark 3 version of the Reliant Regal had changed completely to fibreglass. The first generation of vehicles were designated Mk1 to Mk6, with each one getting improvements and slightly different styling. The car was originally powered by the 750 cc Austin Seven engine, originally manufactured by Austin Motor Company and later Reliant. Reliant's redesign of

11070-660: The mechanical parts of the Reliant Robin as they had decided to end production of the Reliant 850 cc engine, which meant that the BN-1 Robin would need a redesign to use a different engine if production continued. B&N Plastics had already spent £100,000 on approving the Robin design so production could start. The company sought to find more investors to help fund further redesigns to keep the Robin alive but by early 2002, no investors were found and B&N Plastics ended its car production with over 200 orders unfulfilled. B&N Plastics ceased production in late 2002. In later years, it

11193-467: The mid-1950s. From this, Reliant became a pioneer in fibreglass design, techniques, and developments. Reliant also produced kitchen worktops , train bodies, and personal watercraft shells from fibreglass. In the 1970s, Reliant was the largest producer of fibreglass in Europe. Reliant became the second-largest British-owned car company in the 1970s after the forming of British Leyland, Reliant had five factories and sold vehicles to seven countries. When

11316-426: The nature of societies . The English word car is believed to originate from Latin carrus / carrum "wheeled vehicle" or (via Old North French ) Middle English carre "two-wheeled cart", both of which in turn derive from Gaulish karros " chariot ". It originally referred to any wheeled horse-drawn vehicle , such as a cart , carriage , or wagon . "Motor car", attested from 1895,

11439-404: The on-board electrical system. More costly upper-class and luxury cars are equipped with features earlier such as massage seats and collision avoidance systems . Dedicated automotive fuses and circuit breakers prevent damage from electrical overload . Cars are typically fitted with multiple types of lights. These include headlights , which are used to illuminate the way ahead and make

11562-462: The prototype was licensed in January 1935. It was a 7 cwt (356 kg) van with a steel chassis, powered by a 600 cc single-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels through a three-speed gearbox and chain drive . The body was a hardwood frame with aluminium panels attached to it, like other cars of the time. With the motorcycle front end, mounted in the open, in front of the bulkhead, it was essentially

11685-562: The same 600 cc and 700 cc units used in the Regal, but with a higher compression ratio and more torque because of the extra weight the Rebel carried over the Regal. The last model came with the 750 cc version when the Mk1 Reliant Robin was introduced. The styling of the Rebel was intended to make the car look unique so it did not seem like a four-wheeled version of the Regal; the Rebel came in saloon , estate and van models. The Reliant Kitten

11808-634: The same Kitten mechanical. Reliant exported engines they had built for their own vehicles in the UK. Between 1983 and 1990, a utility/pickup vehicle called the Reliant Fox was produced in the UK. This was based on an original development by Reliant to design a vehicle for the Greek company MEBEA . It was based on Reliant Kitten mechanical with its own pickup body and canvas top design. It had originally been built in Greece by MEBEA between 1979 and 1983. After production finished in Greece, Reliant decided to build it in

11931-468: The same in France, coming to cars in 1919; between them and other cheap cars in reply such as Renault 's 10CV and Peugeot 's 5CV , they produced 550,000 cars in 1925, and Mors , Hurtu , and others could not compete. Germany's first mass-manufactured car, the Opel 4PS Laubfrosch (Tree Frog), came off the line at Rüsselsheim in 1924, soon making Opel the top car builder in Germany, with 37.5 per cent of

12054-430: The sump may splash onto the crankshaft due to g-forces or bumpy roads, which is referred to as windage . Although the piston rings are intended to seal the combustion chamber from the crankcase, it is normal for some combustion gases to escape around the piston rings and enter the crankcase. This phenomenon is known as blow-by . If these gases accumulated within the crankcase, it would cause unwanted pressurisation of

12177-405: The time of the merger of the two companies, Daimler and Maybach were no longer part of DMG. Daimler died in 1900 and later that year, Maybach designed an engine named Daimler-Mercedes that was placed in a specially ordered model built to specifications set by Emil Jellinek . This was a production of a small number of vehicles for Jellinek to race and market in his country. Two years later, in 1902,

12300-420: The use of either a straight four-speed gearbox or one with an overdrive unit. Reliant bought out Bond Cars in 1969 after Bond had gone into liquidation. Reliant purchased Bond after wanting to enter Triumph dealerships. Bond's Equipe sports car already had this agreement, but Triumph entered British Leyland and the deal ended. It is said that Bond was Reliant's main competitor in three-wheeled vehicles, with

12423-480: The vehicle and sell it under its own name. Production of the new Robin would begin in late 2001. The new car would be called the BN-1 Robin with no Reliant branding. The BN-2 model would be made with extras such as electric windows. The cost of the base model, the BN-1 Robin, was £10,000, but had all the features of the Robin 65, such as a leather interior. The BN-2 model had all these extras and more. However, after 30 to 40 cars were produced, Reliant could not supply

12546-455: The vehicle renamed Sussita to make it seem a more homegrown car. In 1958 Reliant showed this vehicle extensively in the UK to demonstrate they could design more than just 3 wheeled vehicles but also only showed in LHD form as it was only an overseas model. Building on this relationship Autocars would then set Reliant the challenge to design a peoples' car for their country, this car would later be named

12669-530: The visibility of the car. Interior lights on the ceiling of the car are usually fitted for the driver and passengers. Some vehicles also have a boot light and, more rarely, an engine compartment light. During the late 20th and early 21st century, cars increased in weight due to batteries, modern steel safety cages, anti-lock brakes, airbags, and "more-powerful—if more efficient—engines" and, as of 2019 , typically weigh between 1 and 3 tonnes (1.1 and 3.3 short tons; 0.98 and 2.95 long tons). Heavier cars are safer for

12792-472: The world's attention. Key developments included electric ignition and the electric self-starter (both by Charles Kettering , for the Cadillac Motor Company in 1910–1911), independent suspension , and four-wheel brakes. Since the 1920s, nearly all cars have been mass-produced to meet market needs, so marketing plans often have heavily influenced car design. It was Alfred P. Sloan who established

12915-639: The world's first vehicle to be powered by such an engine. The Niépces' Pyréolophore was fuelled by a mixture of Lycopodium powder (dried spores of the Lycopodium plant), finely crushed coal dust and resin that were mixed with oil, whereas de Rivaz used a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen . Neither design was successful, as was the case with others, such as Samuel Brown , Samuel Morey , and Etienne Lenoir , who each built vehicles (usually adapted carriages or carts) powered by internal combustion engines. In November 1881, French inventor Gustave Trouvé demonstrated

13038-521: Was sand-cast rather than die-cast. During the Second World War , Reliant machined parts for the war effort. In the post-war years, three-wheeler development continued. Reliant introduced a slightly modified van called the Regent. Visually similar to an over-sized motorcycle, the first Regent was completed on 13 March 1946, ten years after the first twin-cylinder van. The Regent grew to a GVW of 10 cwt and

13161-477: Was a big advantage. Reliant's expertise in the area of composite car body production also saw the company produce lightweight bodyshells for Ford RS200 rally cars and a fibreglass-bodied taxi , the MetroCab – the first to have full wheelchair provision (manufactured by a division of Kamkorp after 2001), they also made Ford fibreglass truck cabs and Ford Transit hightops. With Reliant's expertise in fibreglass.

13284-577: Was better equipped, with sliding windows in the doors rather than canvas side screens. Two larger models were produced, a 12 cwt Regent and a Prince Regent. In 1953, the Regent continued to be built alongside the Reliant Regal . The Regent was eventually replaced by the Regal Mk II 5 cwt van in 1956. In 1952, a four-seat car was launched, initially with an aluminium body, but panel by panel, the company substituted it with fibreglass, as their understanding of

13407-566: Was delivered on 16 March 1936. In 1938, the Reliant Motor Company started to use the 10.5 hp, 747 cc four-cylinder Austin side-valve engine as found in the popular Austin Seven . The first four-cylinder Reliant was delivered on 12 March 1938. The Austin Car Company then announced its intention to cease production of the 747 cc Austin Seven engine. As Williams was always enthusiastic about making Reliant as independent as possible, he

13530-407: Was developed in 1926. This is the source of Ford's apocryphal remark, "any color as long as it's black". In 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months' pay. Ford's complex safety procedures—especially assigning each worker to a specific location instead of allowing them to roam about—dramatically reduced the rate of injury. The combination of high wages and high efficiency

13653-514: Was done mainly for cost-saving reasons so the parts from both vehicles could be shared for production. After Reliant Kitten production stopped in 1982, the rights were sold to Sipani Automobiles in India who made the vehicle near-exactly the same, but with the name Sipani Dolphin. Later, the vehicle became a 4-door hatchback called the Sipani Montana. The car was built well into the 1990s with exactly

13776-1426: Was formed from a conglomerate of six companies who banded together as Fuji Heavy Industries , as a result of having been broken up under keiretsu legislation. The transport sector is a major contributor to air pollution , noise pollution and climate change . Most cars in use in the early 2020s run on petrol burnt in an internal combustion engine (ICE). The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers says that, in countries that mandate low sulphur motor spirit, petrol-fuelled cars built to late 2010s standards (such as Euro-6) emit very little local air pollution. Some cities ban older petrol-driven cars and some countries plan to ban sales in future. However, some environmental groups say this phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles must be brought forwards to limit climate change. Production of petrol-fuelled cars peaked in 2017. Other hydrocarbon fossil fuels also burnt by deflagration (rather than detonation ) in ICE cars include diesel , autogas , and CNG . Removal of fossil fuel subsidies , concerns about oil dependence , tightening environmental laws and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are propelling work on alternative power systems for cars. This includes hybrid vehicles , plug-in electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles . Out of all cars sold in 2021, nine per cent were electric, and by

13899-414: Was granted a patent for a "New Rational Combustion Engine". In 1897, he built the first diesel engine . Steam-, electric-, and petrol-driven vehicles competed for a few decades, with petrol internal combustion engines achieving dominance in the 1910s. Although various pistonless rotary engine designs have attempted to compete with the conventional piston and crankshaft design, only Mazda 's version of

14022-526: Was keen that the company did not buy parts that it could make "in-house". Austin sold all the 747 cc engine tooling and manufacturing rights to Reliant, allowing them to commence manufacturing the engine. Although appearing very similar to the Austin engine, the level of commonality between Reliant and Austin remains unclear; the Reliant side-valve engine was a 747 cc four-cylinder unit built using smaller-scale manufacturing techniques than Austin. The Reliant crankcase

14145-427: Was made in 1877 by George Selden of Rochester, New York . Selden applied for a patent for a car in 1879, but the patent application expired because the vehicle was never built. After a delay of 16 years and a series of attachments to his application, on 5 November 1895, Selden was granted a US patent ( U.S. patent 549,160 ) for a two-stroke car engine, which hindered, more than encouraged , development of cars in

14268-546: Was relocated to Plant Lane, Burntwood, following a major redesign of the Robin model in 1998. The new model featured all new panels and was essentially a 'heavy facelift' designed by Andy Plumb. Research continued into four-wheeled Reliant models such as a Kitten for the modern age. Prototypes for this featured in many newspapers and magazines at the time. Production continued of the Robin model until 2001 when shareholders decided to import Ligier microcars and Piaggio Ape three-wheelers instead. Jonathan Haynes sold his shares and left

14391-454: Was revealed that B&N Plastics were planning to fit a Japanese K-car 660 cc three-cylinder engine and five-speed gearbox to make the Reliant Robin more modern. Reliant produced 50 vehicles a week until 2001, when it finished production of its own models to focus on importing French Ligier microcars and motorcycles as well as the Piaggio Ape range of commercial vehicles. A final version of

14514-474: Was supposedly demonstrated on Top Gear , but Jeremy Clarkson admitted in The Sunday Times in 2016 that the Robin only rolled over frequently because the production team had welded the differential, fitted different sized rear wheels and placed heavy sandbags in the passenger footwell. As a result, the car became much less stable than before. Another myth is that a Reliant, or any three-wheeled vehicle,

14637-458: Was that all Reliant three-wheelers have no reverse gear; before 1964, the reverse gear would be disabled, but all Reliant vehicles were equipped with one. Originally, to drive a three-wheeled vehicle on a motorcycle licence required passing a full motorcycle test and completing a restriction period. When the licence was issued it included a B1 class. This conferred the right to drive a vehicle with three or four wheels up to 550 kg (10¾ cwt), but

14760-588: Was the Israeli Sabra Sport , also based on a Ford engine and running gear. Reliant was so impressed with the design, they sold it in the UK as the Sabre to help Reliant's company image expand beyond a three-wheeled micro-car maker. The car sold poorly against offerings from Triumph and MG , however. Later, Reliant bought a prototype design for the replacement Daimler Dart , which became the Scimitar coupe and later

14883-413: Was the four-wheeled version of the 1970s Reliant Robin, designed to replace the Rebel and featuring the 850 cc version of Reliant's own engine, which was introduced in 1975 (with the Reliant Robin gaining the engine shortly afterwards). The design this time featured very heavily on the Reliant Robin with only the nose of the design being different, having square headlights and a black panel around them – this

15006-528: Was turned into a housing estate named Scimitar Park, after the Reliant Scimitar that the company produced. A number of streets in the estate were named after Reliant models as well, such as 'Robin Close'. Since Reliant would be known for building robust fibreglass vehicles, it would diversify into producing fibreglass items other than their own vehicles. It was showcased in the "World of Reliant" documentary, which

15129-564: Was written and filmed by Reliant in the early 1980s to show how diverse the company had become from a small car company producing three-wheeled vehicles. Other fibreglass products produced were items such as GRP sinks and kitchen worktops, GRP replacement car wings for metal vehicles, GRP guttering and tubes, GRP train carriage bodies for British rail, and GRP aircraft bodies. Reliant also had many contracts with Ford to build fibreglass high roof tops for their Transit model. Vauxhall Motors would also contract Reliant to make their GRP body kits for

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