About the Club

1967

Various adverts appeared in the motoring press from Colin Forest who lived in Bournemouth asking if fellow Raleigh Safety Seven Car and Van owners would like to come together and form a club.

1969

The Raleigh Safety Seven and pre 1950 Reliant Owners Club had been formed.

The club also incorporated The Historic Raleigh Motorcycle Club (This was not a separate club, but at the time it was felt this was a way of including motorcycles.)

The first Newsletter was issued and an AGM was held to draw up a basic constitution and aims of the club.

Since then the club has grown to include all SV and OHV Reliant up to 1972 together with Raleigh mopeds.

Present

The club has a quarterly Newsletter with articles from members and technical details from earlier Newsletters etc.

A small spare scheme is operated for Motorcycles and Reliant, together with a Library, dating service and technical advisors for each vehicle.

Mr T.L. Williams, who was employed in 1930 by Raleigh to improve the Raleigh Karryall three wheeler Light Vans then in production which were initially based on a motorcycle front end with two wheels at the back. With motorcycle production ceasing in 1933 Raleigh saw a market for a three-wheel lightweight car and van to take advantage of the lower tax. Mr Williams was asked to design these and he came up with the Safety Seven Cars and Vans based on the same chassis. Having started production in late 1933 for 1934 Raleigh decided to wind down their motorised side of the business in favour of Bicycles. Mr Williams didn’t agree and left in 1934 with another employee Mr E.S Thompson as they saw a future in three wheelers. They bought some of the old Raleigh lightweight van parts and produced the first Reliant in late 1934 in Mr Williams back garden. This vehicle was registered in early 1935. In the meantime by 1936 Raleigh had ceased production of the Safety Seven leaving the field open for Reliant to grow and take over the three-wheeler market.