1988 Reliant (Robin) Rialto SE 3-door Hatch

Description

The Rialto was a three-wheeled fibreglass-bodied car manufactured by the UK’s Reliant Motor Company, which replaced the original and better-known Reliant Robin in 1982. The Rialto featured a much squarer aerodynamic body with thicker fibreglass construction and service panels, a single large windscreen wiper and an upgraded interior, but it shared the chassis, engine, and a lot of other components with the earlier car. Built as a saloon, estate, van, hatchback, pickup and flatbed, the Rialto Mk1 ran from 1982 to 1983; the Rialto 2 series from 1983 to 1986; the Rialto SE from 1987 until 1998; and the Robin Mk2 from 1989. The Rialto 2 model featured a number of improvements over its predecessor including a reworked 850cc engine which had a raised compression ratio, a different SU carburetor and a specific distributor. To match the new engine, the rear axle ratio was raised to 2.78:1 which, combined with the engine, gave the car a claimed higher top speed of 100 mph and a fuel economy figure of 72mpg at 56 mph. Rialtos now also had vinyl seats on basic models or cloth seats on GLS models, and all had a vacuum economy gauge along with a new decal set of a double coach line with "RIALTO 2" on the guards and rear door, and new hub caps. Another change on GLS models were black plastic bumpers which wrapped around the front and rear. In the 1980s the Rialto was Reliant's only three-wheeler model, and the last variant to be built was the estate. Production of the Rialto finally ended in 1998.