the Rialto. The Rialto was designed to have a higher compression engine and high geared rear axle for the 1980s "motorway age", but because the company wanted to bring the car to market quickly, it was launched in 1982 using the same engine, gearbox, and axle line up from the original Robin. The mechanical improvements were ready a year later, when the car was relaunched as the Rialto 2. Mk 1 Rialto The Mk 1 Rialto series was available in three separate body styles: saloon, estate, and van. The range consisted of basic specification with a vinyl interior, and could be ordered with a list of choice optional extras. GLS specification cars which came with a clock, FM/AM radio, voltage gauge, cloth covered seats with extra matching cloth covered areas on the interior, extra thick carpets with a carpeted boot area, GLS decals, leather steering wheel, a spare wheel, and radial tyres. All cars had a dark green dash with dark grey door cards. The sole available engine was Reliant's own four-cylinder 850 cc "red top" (so-called because of its red rocker cover) mated to a four-speed gearbox. This engine was carried over from the previous Mk 1 Robin, and produced , a top speed of , and fuel consumption of up to 60 mpg (imp). The most recognisable feature of a Mk 1 Rialto is the thick stripe which runs front to rear, in either gold, graphite, or silver –according to body colour. The Rialto 2 The Rialto 2 model was the second version of the Rialto, and was released to the public in late 1983. It featured a number of improvements over its predecessor, including a reworked engine (the 850 engine now had an ultra skimmed head to raise the compression ratio, along with a new camshaft for improved low-end torque), a new needle in the SU carburettor, and a specific distributor. This engine was named the "economy" engine, with each unit featuring a capital 'E' stamped on the cylinder head, and every engine number ending with a capital 'E'. The rocker cover was painted yellow, which gave the engine the nickname "the yellow top". Reliant had initially wanted to launch the original Rialto with these improvements, but were unable to do so due to time pressures during development. Therefore, the original Mk 1 Rialto was a compromise to build demand using a number of carryover parts from