History on three wheels

09 May 2013

This cool 1948 Reliant three-wheeled van has recently been restored at Auckland’s MOTAT museum. Originally a delivery van for Sandringham Paints and Papers, the Reliant was a familiar sight in the area for more than 20 years, until its donation to MOTAT in 1973. After several years in storage, restoration began under the leadership of Ken Ramsay, and was completed by another volunteer when Ken fell ill. Although the Reliant arrived at MOTAT sporting turquoise livery, research judged it the work of 1960-70s paint job so the colour was reverted as close to its 1950s appearance as possible – including the image of a Resene paint can!

Published: 09 May 2013