Back in the 1980s the sports car market was exploding. Alfa Romeo launched the GTV6, Ford the Capri, BMW the E30 M3, and Reliant the Scimitar SS1.

When you think of Reliant, you probably think of the three-wheeled Robin, Rialto or Regal and not a low-slung ground-hugger with pop-up headlamps designed to take the fight to the Lotus Elan.

With a name that stood for 'Small Sports 1', styling by the same man who sketched Ferraris and Maseratis, a Lotus-inspired chassis and performance to rival the Toyota MR2 it had all the pieces of a compelling sports car jigsaw.

But where did it all begin? And how did it all end? To find out we decided to delve into its history, questionable build quality and last-ditch attempt to stave off dwindling sales.