I unironically think the kitten is dead cool. Perhaps, dare I say, even more than a mini 😳

Lovely. Brings back memories of my 2 kittens I had in the eighties. Refined....no. Zippy and interesting....yes. A car magazine of the day rated it as economical as a mini 850 but as fast as a mini 1000. I achieved 63mpg with mine on a long run.

My dream classic collection would include a kitten which would live next to a DAF 33. I’ve always had a thing for simple but clever small cars. My first car was a Reliant Supervan so I learned to appreciate Reliant as a brand.

Your passion for these old beauties is infectious. You do a great job presenting them too. Cheers!

An all-electric version of the Kitten would sell today. A delightful car, ours only suffered from overheating on long fast runs in a heatwave (Kenlowe electric fan sorted that).

The engine was, to those in the know, a sweet, tunable unit. That advocate of the plutocrat's express the Bristol, LJK Setright himself, loved it.

I passed a certain yellow Kitten on the dual carriageway the other day. I thought Ian would love a test of that! I'm assuming from this footage that it was Mr. HubNut at the helm!

One of my sixth form teachers (Mr Brookes aka Brooksie) had a Kitten estate that he drove to work in. He would teach car maintenance to kids with it. And he was responsible for buying and running both the school minibus and the school coach! He had a pre WWI Lanchester in his garage that he was planning to restore when he retired! As my Mum taught at the same school, I do know that he is still alive and well, but have never managed to confirm whether he still has his Kitten or whether he ever restored the Lanchester to full working order!!

I have a 76' Kitten Saloon, which I have had as a daily driver for the last few years. The Fox is much heavier than the Kitten, even with the Tandy top off. The Kitten can be driven on a B1 licence, unlike many of the competition of the day, mine has been on some long runs without incident. It is NOT a live rear axle, it has a differential as have all of the three and four wheeled Reliant including the Fox, although the Fox has a lower ratio.Kittens were also built in India under licence as the Sipani Dolphin, the Fox sold well in Greece.

With very little tuning gas flowed carb and some port polishing mine was quite happy to do 100mph as confirmed by the police 😐

I a kitten in the mid 90s and loved it, i travelled from Skegness to Bedford to collect from a chap that used them for timed hill climbing. I got stopped by the police in Spilsby, they wanted to know what it was. Gosh I did some miles

I was missing road tests, nice to see they return 🙌

Well done to those that saved it from being scrapped, one for the future HubNut museum when it opens Ian? That showroom window takes you back, must be a great draw to what's actually for sale - I take it those cars are display only?

I do have a passion for all things Reliant, the 3 wheelers are so cute, as is this Kitten, I used to own a 1993 Robin LX, I had many hours of fun driving it❤️.

Ah, the four wheeled three wheeler! Cool! 😎

My sister worked at sgt taplow, where your fox was registered , and would regularly drive home in something from the garage. In those days they sold, reliant, morgan, Subaru, lotus and mitsubishi as well as all the Japanese bikes. My sister bought an early x plate mitsubishi starion from them. That and the x plate kitten would have made an interesting showroom comparison. I went for a job there , in the parts department, sadly I didn't get it.

Lovely to see you in a Kitten. It brought back a lot of memories of my 1976 estate in Harvest Gold which my dad passed on to me when I was 18. It wasn’t the coolest car to be seen in but was great fun to thrash around the Cornish lanes. I used to hold on to the gears a little longer than you as it would do nearly 50mph in second gear, which probably explain why I never got fuel consumption better than low 40s to the gallon.

I had my Kitten estate from 1989 - 1998 - it was a 1978 model (BGH 451S) painted Blue and Silver (not it's original colour). Mine had a cigar lighter (I don't think yours did) which I used to use as I smoke cigars. Yours had a clock which mine did not have. Mine had reclining front seats (I imagine that this one did though they were not demonstrated - that's what the other lever would have been when you climbed into the rear seat) although I replaced the drivers seat with a fixed seat from a Kitten van as my reclining mechanism broke. I had several holidays in Snowdonia with my Kitten in the 90s and I used the reclining passenger seat to sleep in the vehicle. Nice to see this video. So many memories. Pure nostalgia.

I had one of these in the green that Robins came in. The rear door was rubbish but I managed to get a Robin one the same colour. As the Kitten handled quite well, you could amaze people who were chasing you on country lanes as it easily hold its own on the bends. The look of determination on the face of those following was something to behold. I seem to remember that Princess Anne had one but don't hold me to that.

What a great little car. I first came across the kitten when I was at university (early 1990's) when a friend had one. I'd heard of the robin of course but never the kitten. Reliant had some great cars in there day. I always think its a shame that they are no longer with us. As always a great video to watch :-)

Looks quite a fun car to drive! Sporty looking steering wheel. Admired Reliant as a company, to keep going as long as they did but they were so “Reliant” -yes pun intended - on other car manufacturers for their parts supply , which as we all know certainly was not without a few problems as far as continuity of work was concerned. Wonderful vid. if I remember rightly these were strong contenders in the Texaco Economy Tour of Britain, I’m of a certain age to remember that one!

The two wheels on the front look almost like an afterthought. Rear is like a Volvo station wagon. You don't see dealers here in Australia specialising in 70s and 80s cars like that one. I liked the final Cortina in the background.

I was once driving back from a gig at 1.30am and came across somebody pushing one of these up an incline next to a rural airport as it had broken down. I got out and helped push it to said nearby airfield and having never seen one, I was grateful that the owner filled me in on the history of these. Really interesting stuff! Love this video!

My mates mum had one of these as her first car when she passed her test in 1985. Happy memories

'The sun visor is my airbag' one of the most hubnutiest lines ever! Another great vid Ian👌

This is just great! No one here in Finland has even the slightest of idea what he is on about and I love it.

A lot more period civilised than I'd expected, lovely. Thank you.

I think the Reliant Kitten is much nicer than the Rebel which came before it. I always liked the look of the Kitten, like a Robin with four wheels.These cars are getting rare now and I enjoyed your video of this one

I was given a lift in one of these that the owner had somehow fitted a Rover 3.5 into it. It was stupid, dangerously fast. I was amazed but very happy to get out at the destination. These days 136BHP is not much but in a glass fibre car it is way over the top.

Reminds me of a little Allegro estate car, it is very nice indeed.

So many memories. I had a white kitten saloon in mid to late 80's, PNA 514R. It was known as "the star car" due to its registration by my mates. I was shocked to see its still on the road, its now bright orange & attends a few shows. I was in my late teens at the time. Most of my mates had minis or rusty escorts & I bought it as the GRP body & no rust really appealed. It was superb at the time as cost pennies to run and I only sold it as my mates mum kept pestering to buy it every time I went to their house. Another superb review Ian keep up the good work.

Mine is on steel rims. I recognize everything you mention about driving behavior from my Kitten. The steering wheel feels almost against the door. I have one of the few LHD. The interior of my Kitten looks very used, the outside is also not suitable for standing on Pebble Beach. The previous owner built a carburettor that was too big, so mine is not economical. Greetings from the Netherlands.

Very cute!! These older cars look so much easier to maintain for the average Joe or Jane.

I fondly remember when I was around 16 and a mate had a kitten van given to him, a bright orange one. It was tremendous fun and made for some great memories. Used to keep it going with literal rubbish found around various parents garages, one time I found some old Volvo marked spark plugs (must have been my parents 240)and even though they were well past it they gave the kitten a couple more months life.

I think the back door lock/handle came from an Austin A35 or another BMC/BL model the Kitten looks so cute

Nice seeing a Kitten again , a local farmer had one and it was a hoot to drive . Storm Dudley, Storm Eunice and now storm Frankin ?? while here in Spain we are in midst of a bad droubt

Jasper Carrott was able to harvest a lot of his comedy material from the Reliant Robin and also the Skoda 120L.

Awesome v log really loved all the mechanical noises

A Reliant Kitten overtook me once at well over 70 mph !!!!!!! It sounded as though someone had put a very high powered motor bike engine in it. I expected it to be upside down in a ditch a few miles up the road !!!!!! 😂

Very nice! I always liked the Kitten. I still see one regularly tooling around Kidderminster - they look like fun to drive.

Now I need one of these.. Thanks a lot, Ian.

Fantastic little car great bit of fun always wondered what they were like 👍👍

16:58: Bonus rear parcel shelf action! Marvellous. 👍

Wow, that showroom is SOMETHING!!!! amazing stuff! And I always had a soft sport for the sweet little Kitten! fantastic video!

Many years ago, when I was a mechanic, I worked with a guy who had one of these. It looked scruffy, although it was solid, but he'd done a few bits to the engine, including a set of quad carbs from a Kawasaki GPZ 1100. For what it was it went pretty well, and thanks to the induction noise from those carbs and a home made big bore exhaust system it sounded good too.

God I miss seeing cars like the Kitten around. Another great little drive Ian, you're putting content out thick and fast of late, or maybe I'm just watching more than usual, either way it's great viewing!

Seeing the foybles of the old cars, as seen as an annoyance, now have the warm fuzzy feeling of nostalgia 👍😀👍. Glad to see you weathered the recent storms.

Awesome. I have very fond memories of my Reliant Kitten. It was amazing how fast you could get around in a Kitten, it really was excellent around town. (I'm 6'5" btw, and managed to fit in without too much bother).

I had a Kitten saloon which I found out was one of 3 prototypes and a Kitten van. Van had round headlights car had rectangular. Loved both, heaters were not good but economy was brilliant! Thanks for the review!

A delightful little Reliant! It certainly looks like you had a lot of fun Ian. Shape wise if you squint (a lot) reminds me of the old Allegro Estate that's been in the wash at a high temperature. The body on these didn't suffer the metal moth though. A terrific example in a great colour, almost lemon curd that I remember from the same era. These were built not too far from where I grew up in the midlands. It's sad that the company stopped in 1998. My dad had an old 950cc Herald and I can just about remember that it could turn so tight.

Love your enthusiasm for all these wicked cars. Many i knew as a child.

One of my neighbours bought a blue one of these for his wife when she first passed her test in the early 80's. Apparently she didnt like it much so he used to run around in it and she drove his Morris Marina. I can remember them owning it for a good few years though.

it was made in Tamworth staffordshire. when i used to go to Morrisons, you could smell the fibre glass from the factory ! very strong it was.

"I think the sun visor is my airbag"😂😂loving this video I'm looking at buying a kitten and this is really helpful, thanks!

I had a 1972 Regal for a short time and later had a road test in a Robin but the Robin felt more cramped than the Regal. The early aluminium bodied Regals were very narrow though.

There was something very wrong with that left wiper, by the looks--didn't seem to be clearing the left side of the windscreen at all! I've only ever owned two petrol-engined cars that would routinely top 50mpg in normal driving, and oddly, one was a 1.4 litre Renault 19 Chamade--to this day I have no idea why that one was so good, because no other 1.4 I've owned has come close!

Great review Ian. I remember these back in the day. Always been a rare sight on the roads. Do you ever think you'll get to review a Dutton Sierra? An early attempt at an SUV / soft roader.

My grandad had one of these for many years, surprising just how much fun they are!

What a great little car that had everything needed for 2 retired people with a golden retriever.

great video and thanks for the ride! i thought were going to do a cheeky little wheel spin when you pulled out of the junction at 15:29

What a great review Ian I remember being taken in a kitten my uncle had on demo always liked them since then seemed to get through the smallest gap!

love the way the left viper works without removing any water at all like its not touching the windscreen.

Fun review! Always learning more, be it classic British cars or swanky words to add to my vocab. And keeping a close ear for customary HubNut understatements. Thank you.

Just up your street.basic motoring and 50+ mpg.easy to work on.Goes from a to b and keeps you dry..what is there not to like but smile.from Tamworth myself,and my dad worke_ at reliant in early 70s.

I'll have to watch this later as can't draw my eyes away from that Cortina in the showroom. They are currently closed or I would be on my way.

I was holding my breath when you turned next the skip. What a cracking little car.

What a delightful vehicle! The engine sounds just like Foxannn's! A shame it was not popular, and rare as well. Love that maneuverability! Wonderful test drive and review, thank you very much!

Great stuff simple engineering good commentary as always

Many years ago a friend had one of these with a tuned engine, modified suspension, wide wheels and foaming resin in some of the hollow fibreglass sections. It was surprisingly quick and a monster in the twisty bits. A lot to be said for so little weight.

That's the old Hubnut we know and love, getting excited about odd little cars. Bloke across the road from me has a yellow Kitten with a tuned Cosworth engine in it.

Yep brings back memories my first boss had one not a good one S reg .It had one wiper on the passenger side I used to have to tell him if anything was coming if it rained.! We had to refiberglass the door hinges using filler from Taskers!I was an apprentice decorator in 1988 but I also learnt a lot about mechanics and rebuilt a mini clubman estate a result.I also learnt that a mechanic put the carburettor on upside down and and leaked fuel on top of the engine it went up thanks to a school fire extinguisher the car was saved but for the heater matrix now no demist either. Engineers at Reliant put a Scimitar engine in one with frightening performance the bosses wouldn't let it out of the company car park! The Kittens brakes were totally pants! I know personally I've worked on them enough ....lol

Great little review, the kitten is a cool little car, I was at a car meet and met a fellow Hubnutter and her Fox, was good to see one in the flesh.

A great video, I always wondered about the Kitten owner opposite my mums house and now i know how it was for her going down to the coop in the early 80's. Noce little car but probably too small to be viable for my 6ft. Dyanes are my thing and I can fit into those though the refinement and interior fittings are none exsistant compered to this little machine. Please carry on going though my car bucket list.

I remember my friend got hold of a van in early noughties, he got it free, wasnt running, took the head of and number 3 piston had a brussel sprout sized hole in it, he ended up giving it to a guy who put a bike engine in it and grass tracked it a few years before it falling into disrepair and being scrapped (insidentally he turned it into an estate because of the regs ie no commercials ;) ) the dinky closing handles are just mini ones aswell as the correctly identified maxi/marina/allegro opening ones and i believe the wheels look like KN's not to be confused with the filter people, keep up the great work ian :)

There's a blast from the past, ain't seen one in years. That engine sounded an absolute delight.

Great to see you up in Yorkshire in my neck of the woods. I'd have come and spectated your test-drive had I known :D

I had 2 Robins and a Supervan III in the 70s [provincial licence], I could only dream of a fourth whel.

That 850 was a good one. Nice torque curve and in the Robin at least they would do over 90 if you were daft enough. 70mph no problem at all.

Another great test Ian! I'd have one of these for buzzing about in, except the roads in Sheffield would probably break it as well as me! Imagine a more peppy engine and a 5 speed box.... that would be awesome. It's probably a bit too late to the party and that's why they didn't sell so well? They make sense today. Cheap as chips in all respects. A great find, and that garage.... takes me back!

That is the epitome of what is missing from modern cars. Totally love it

Nice video takes me back as an Apprentice in 1973 when the dealership I worked for selling British Leyland vehicles, added the Reliant franchise and I was chosen/sent for factory training on the new Robin at Tamworth, there was a prototype four wheel Robin at the factory but the Kitten when released had a different front end, the dealer I was at Only sold a few kitten’s but plenty of Robins many to motorcyclists without a car licence, they were simple and easy to work on but Robin engine access a bit more restricted, and no rust with fibre glass body and Galvanised chassis.

We had one of these. Great handling. Great fun

Fun little car, love the black vinyl interior I must say. People below a certain age don't understand the entertainment of actually having to drive a car rather than just travelling in it.

I want one of the vans. I love the name. I think Kitten is the best car name ever. Reliant was such a cool company. As an American I am just learning about them.

Wow, excellent stuff! ❤️

Quite like videos with you driving around familiar roads! I went to school not far from Wrenthorpe.

It's nice that you know the proper way of using the handbrake while driving 👍 Looks in traffic today (at least here) like most people haven't learned that. Being in another country I didn't get the yellow Reliants "meme", so will have to look it up. One of my old car friends has a yellow Scimitar, and that just looks awesome!

I remember seeing one or two of these about as a kid in the late 80s and thinking how curious it looked. So glad to find a proper review of one. The sun visor is my airbag sounds like a prog rock album title

Great video Ian,I keep having to watch it as I this week bought a 1977 kitten in the same colour as this one from Adam and his Dad.Looking forward to working on the project car as they're simple to work on as compared to the 3 wheelers.

That is a very cute little car. So was the original Robin (particularly in yellow, a relative of ours had one in yellow), but possibly a little more reassuring at higher velocities, while retaining the zippiness

What a beauty! Would love a Reliant Kitten

I must admit I haven't seen one of those for years Mr HubNut, but I do remember them it must of just started production when I first started looking at cars, great video on something I don't think anyone else has reviewed.

What a great little car. I started my career in 1982 at a Ford Main Dealer, the wife of one of the senior managers had a chocolate brown Kitten. Whenever someone brought it into the workshop, the place erupted into a fair imitation of a cats home! What you now need to test is a well sorted Rialto, arguably the best of the three wheeled range.

Enjoyable video on the Kitten. Attractive example in yellow with the alloys.

Lovely little car. Really enjoyed that

Nice little runabout. Simple and easy to maintain (presumably).

Nice review of a classic car👌

Always had a soft spot for these, the styling and size were very attractive to me.

Nice example. The colour is the same as my little Fiat 127 was. A very similar class of car but the performance was outstanding from its little 903cc engine. I can't remember if you've ever done a 127 before. If not I'm putting in a request. There's probably not many left they were clearly built for the residents of Turin only.

There's a Kitten a couple of villages along from me, still gets used as a regular vehicle for the owner I'm pleased to report!