Reliant Scimitar GTC

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Popularised by Princess Anne in the 1970s (she owned at least eight, all with the registration number 1420 H, and was famously caught speeding in one of them), the Reliant Scimitar GTE remains one of the most practical classics that money can buy.

Clothed in a handsome glassfibre body and powered by the trusty Ford 3-litre V6 engine and box, this sporting estate offers a huge amount of style and versatility for very little money. Launched as the SE5 in 1968, the car was replaced by the SE5A in September 1972 which had a revised interior, engine and gearbox. In 1976 this was in turn replaced by the longer, wider and more luxurious SE6. In 1980 the final SE6B version came out, now with better brakes and suspension and a new Cologne 2.8-litre V6 engine.

For the first time a convertible version was also offered, the GTC. From the B post back, all the panels were new and extra bracing was added, while the roll hoop from the GTE was retained. In combination with the separate chassis, this additional stiffening meant the GTC did not suffer from the scuttle shake that can plague monocoque convertibles.

The GTC was well received by press and public alike but, with Britain heading into recession, Reliant struggled to find enough buyers at £11,360 (equivalent to £40,000 today) and just 422 were made between 1980 and 1986 when Reliant went bust. A very rare sight today, the GTC is the most desirable of the Scimitar models.

This 1983 GTC has spent almost all its life on the island of Jersey, returning here in 2014 at which point it had covered only 12,700 miles from new. Our vendor then acquired the car via Brightwells and took it to the Republic of Ireland where it has remained since.

Finished it cream with a matching velour interior, it has the desirable manual gearbox and galvanised chassis and retains its original factory hard top for snug year-round motoring. It also retains its original service book, with six stamps up to 12,200 miles in 2014, and rides on the correct Wolfrace alloy wheels which have been recently refurbished and fitted with a new set of tyres.

Still with only 14,530 miles under its wheels, it must surely be the lowest mileage GTC surviving and is only reluctantly for sale due to relocation to Portugal where a hefty tax is imposed on imported vehicles.

Please note that this car is still on Irish plates so will need to be re-registered if it is to stay in the UK for more than six months.