'Lovely jubbly': We visited Willenhall's Reliant car centre as it celebrates its 50th anniversary

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The iconic Tamworth-based Reliant Motor Company produced iconic British cars for the niche market, the most famous of arguably being the iconic three-wheeled Reliant Regal Supervan III, otherwise known as 'the car from Only Fools and Horses'.

The famous motor was driven by Del and Rodney Trotter in the critically acclaimed series, starting a three-wheeler craze that would last for more than 40 years.

However, while the Reliant brand is a rare sight on the roads today, one car company in Willenhall has celebrated their 50th anniversary of selling the beloved motors. 

So to help celebrate the monumental achievement, we walked around the Reliant Car Centre on Froysell Street, Willenhall, to see why people continue to love the iconic vehicle.

Talking about the 50th anniversary, Andrew Smith, owner of the company, said: "My dad actually started this business back in 1975, which was only about three weeks before I was born.

"My dad has run it, I've run it, and now my two sons are down here and they're getting their hands dirty too. It's a real family business."

The group celebrated their 50th anniversary on April 7, marking half a century of selling the classic cars.

Andrew said: "The Reliant Robin is the most purchased vehicle that we have, I think they are actually getting to the point now where they are actually collector's items.

"This is all we have ever done, so reaching a 50-year milestone is a huge achievement for us."

Walking around the centre, there are plenty of examples of the old classic brands, especially Regals and Robins, arguably the most iconic of the Reliant series.

"What I love about these cars is that they have all the old-school bells and whistles.

"Compared to newer cars, they are really old school. They're just quirky. The modern cars have computers and all these gadgets, but this is just great for the old-school collectors."

The Reliant Car Centre was started by Andrew's father, Mr John Smith, who launched it as a motorcycle shop.

Talking about the shop, John said: "Back in the day it was nothing like it is now. This place started as a motorcycle shop and then we built on that.

"You could drive a Reliant on a motorcycle licence, so when the weather got colder and you put away the bike, you would get the Reliant out, because they were so cheap and economical to run."

While the market for Reliant may be lower than what it used to be 50 years ago, John said there is still a breed of drivers that adore the brand.

He said: "Reliants have dwindled over the years and they have become more of a collector item now.

"They're [Reliant] and icon, it's a niche market. But we still have a whole breed of people that love them."