Reliant started out when Raleigh employee Tom Williams (and others) decided to carry on the Raleigh motorised three-wheeler van when Raleigh pulled out of this market in 1934. It is claimed that the 'Reliant' named was coined because many of the parts for the first vehicles were stamped with 'R' for Raleigh. However, Tom Williams had his own design by 1935, somewhat resembling a motorcycle with a small truck body behind the seat. A single cylinder 600cc JAP motorcycle engine powered this first Reliant, and later a twin cylinder JAP engine. But in 1937 Williams was allowed to use Austin Seven 747cc sidevalve engines, and when in 1939 Austin stopped making this engine Williams just carried on his own manufacture of this unit. The 'girder fork van' was launched in 1935 and manufacture commenced in Tamworth. By 1938 the Austin Seven engine allowed the payload to increase to 12cwt, and the driver sat beside the engine rather than astride it. By 1950 the Regent 10cwt van took over, and Reliant began to create a car version of this, originally as an open two-seater and later with hardtop. In 1952 Reliant marketed the Regent Van and the Regal three-wheeler car. Sales took off, attracting motorcyclists because British law allowed 3-wheelers to be driven on motorcycle licences and to pay only motorcycle taxes. The Regal evolved into the moncoque Regal 3/25 of 1962, and a four wheel version of it was launched in 1964 as the Reliant Rebel. Other 4-wheel cars canme about when Reliant were asked to lend their expertise with fibreglass to an Israeli car project. That ended up in 1961 as the Reliant Sabre, the ancestor of the Reliant Scimitar and GTE. Meanwhile Robin continued the 3-wheeler business aided by the 4-wheeled Kitten. Car production stopped in 2002.