Exposure in Popular Culture
Reliant Regals and Robins enjoy something of a special place in British culture as symbols of British eccentricity. An example of a Reliant is the iconic van belonging to Del Boy and Rodney Trotter in the long-running BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. The van is frequently, and incorrectly, referred to as a Robin, but is actually a Regal Supervan. The Trotters' original van is now on display in the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, while one of two 'back-up' vans was sold in 2007 for over £44,000 to British boxer Ricky Hatton. Copies of this iconic van appear for sale on auction websites.
In another TV comedy, Mr. Bean, a running gag in the series is, the titular character frequently comes into conflict with a light blue Reliant Regal Supervan III, which gets tipped over, crashed into, or bumped out of its parking space. One of the vehicles used in the Mr. Bean series was destroyed after a stunt.
A red Supervan appeared in the S4C Welsh language children's programme "Fan Goch".
The 2011 Disney film Cars 2 features a French character named Tomber who is patterned on a Reliant Regal saloon car, with some creative modifications, such as the headlights of a DS. His name means "to fall" in French, referencing the reputed instability of three-wheel vehicles.
A Reliant Regal is shown in the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics with it falling apart and Batman and Robin coming out of it, a plot that appeared in an episode of the long-running BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses.
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