Rare Mini Variation - Ogle SX 1000

After serving as a decorated and honoured Supermarine Seafire pilot in the Second World War David Ogle DSC MBE attended the Central School of Art to study Industrial Design.



On completion of his studies he worked for Murphy Radio and later Bush Radio where he was credited with the design of the TR82 transistor radio.



In 1954 David founded his own industrial design studio which has been credited with the design of all manor of wheeled transport from Chopper Bicycles (1970), through the Reliant Scimitar, to award wining truck cabs for Leyland Road Train vehicles.



In 1959 Ogle design started building the first of three series of glass fibre bodied cars the 1.5 built on a Riley Chassis with a BMC (British Motor Corporation) motor of which eight were built.



In 1962 Ogle launched the SX1000, as seen here at Goodwood, initially as a conversion built around a customer supplied Mini.



It is thought 66 of these vehicles were built with the last one leaving the factory in 1964. The slippery Coupé was capable of 110 mph when fitted with a top of the range Mini Cooper S engine.



After David Ogle died driving an SX1000 on the way to Brands Hatch and car production at Ogle had been wound up the SX1000 body moulds were sold to a boat builder in the Midlands who exhibited his self named Fletcher GT at the Racing Car Show in 1967.

Today with only 26 of the original SX1000's thought to have survived Nostalgia Cars in Taunton Somerset produce identical replica SX1275 models as kits for Mini enthusiasts.

Thanks for joining me on todays SX1000 edition of 'Gettin a li'l psycho on tyres' I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don't forget to come back now !

Move Over Henry Let Rover Take Over - Reliant Scimitar GTE V8

The Reliant Scimitar GTE can trace it's origins back to two vehicles, the chassis is a direct descendent of Reliant Sabre and the fibre glass body which is a direct descendent Ogle SX250 a privately commissioned prototype coupe built on a Daimler SP250 chassis.



The Ogle SX250 design, which was offered to and turned down by Sir Williams Lyons who owned Daimler, was purchased by Reliant and with a few modifications required to fit the Reliant Sabre 6 chassis became the Reliant Scimitar GT SE4, production models were powered by a variety Ford engines in straight 6 and V6 configurations.



In 1968 Tom Karen, who had completed the design of the Ogle SX250 after originator David Ogle had been killed on his way to the Brands Hatch racing circuit, and Peter Bailey worked on the design of the Reliant Scimitar GTE.



With the addition of a rising waist line the GTE was a development of the 1966 Ogle Triplex Scimitar GTS concept car which had featured 43 square feet of safety glass, a vehicle eventually purchased by Prince Phillip.



Like the preceding Reliant Scimtar GT SE4 Ford engines were used to power the GTE SE5 production models though only the 2994 / 182.7 cui Essex V6. Interestingly the aforementioned Peter Bailey acquired the prototype GTE and had a 4735 cc/ 289 cui Ford V8 fitted which gave the prototype a top speed of 150 mph.



Somewhere along the way this Scimitar GTE has acquired a 3528 cc / 215.9 cui V8 engine which the engine size and badges suggest is an all alluminium Rover Buick derived unit which could have been sourced from any number of vehicles ranging from MGB V8, Rover 3.5 Coupe, Rover SDI, Triumph TR8 or conceivably even a Land or Range Rover.

My thanks to Dave Poole of sporting-reliants.com whose excellent website covers the Reliant story in fascinating illustrated detail.

Thanks for dropping in on this Ogle designed edition of 'Gettin' a lil' psycho on tyres', I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Ferrari Friday. Don't forget to come back now !