The bodywork is in a sensational condition. No rust of course, thanks to that fiberglass bodywork, but then no ripples or mismatched panel alignment either, something that’s normally a given with plastic cars from low-volume manufacturers.

Not here though because the process was well-established by then, and the Reliant Scimitar had the sort of reputation in the 1970s and 1980s that many brands would kill for, even today. So, it all hangs together neatly, aligns well, and presents wonderfully. It’s a classic shape, and this is one of the better assembled and finished ones we’ve ever seen.

It helps, of course, that this was a show car, a car presumably assembled with an even greater degree of care than even the production cars. After all, they weren’t going to send You Know Who out in anything second-rate, were they?

The green paintwork gleams too, and was clearly applied by someone with the skill and experience to recognize that they were working on something very special. As we mentioned, fiberglass isn’t the easiest material to work with but the vendor was careful to only commission craftsmen who knew what they were doing.

Those body-coloured bumpers work every bit as well today as they did back in the eighties, slimming the car down and freshening it up brilliantly. The body-coloured headlamp surrounds help enormously too, as does the deep front spoiler. It looks terrific and doesn’t have a single awkward angle.

The refurbished alloy wheels, which are as unsullied as you would expect of a car as well presented as this, are shod with matching 195/65R15 Avon tyres – and we can’t think of a better brand for a classic sports car like this.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

There are other lovely touches too, like the protector on the tailgate that stops the rear wiper blade marking the paintwork, and the gorgeous rear fuel filler cap, and the air extractor vents on the trailing edge of the rear wing.

Work to do? Well, aside from the odd stonechip and minor mark there isn’t anything more serious to worry about. It really is every bit as good in the flesh as our photographer makes it look; he’s a talented chap but even the work experience bod could’ve shot this with his Nokia and made it look good.

1988 Middlebridge Scimitar

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