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18 September 2018

This Reliant Rialto is a hill climbing monster

By Mitchell TulkMitchell Tulk

Hill climbing can be a dangerous sport, there’s the hazard of running off the road into a ditch, a wall or even a tree.

However, for one man this wasn’t risky enough, and he climbed the Shelsley Walsh hill, in a Reliant Rialto at the 2018 Retro Rides Gathering.

Replacing the Robin in 1982, the Rialto is another three-wheeled car, and this example has (obviously) been heavily modified.

Insert childish joke here. (image credit: HillClimb Monsters) Insert childish joke here. (image credit: HillClimb Monsters)

Gone is the 850cc engine, instead there’s a 998cc four-cylinder from a Honda CBR1000F Hurricane motorcycle, capable of revving to 12,000rpm.

Outputs are rated at 101kW/103Nm and while this doesn’t sound like a lot, the car is a bit like Speedy Gonzales, small but very, very fast.

Spot the parts from a Honda CBR1000F. (image credit: HillClimb Monsters) Spot the parts from a Honda CBR1000F. (image credit: HillClimb Monsters)

Outside, there’s a big rear wing to help with downforce and flared wheel arches to accommodate the wider rear tyres, but the single front wheel remains and how the car doesn’t rollover is beyond us.

Would you risk your life in this Reliant Rialto? Let us know in the comments.