They both had fibre-glass bodies?
Correct.Ferrari 308GTB Vetroresina -
Vetroresina - Italian for Fibreglass.
So Reliant made their cars from fibreglass because it was
cheap and cheerful? No. In fact the opposite is true, car bodies made in fibreglass can truly be considered
hand-built, the process does not lend itself to mass production because although the start-up cost is low, the unit cost of each product is high: perhaps 30mins to produce a fibreglass panel compared with a second or two in steel (once you've invested a fortune in a line of power presses and press tools).
Reliant found itself in a dilemma, attempting to market a low-end product with high-end costs, the Scimitar GTE was better able to carry the cost because of the high-end market (and hence price) it was aimed at, as was, of course, the Ferrari Vetroresina.
Here's a touch of irony - Ferrari made the 308 in fibreglass 1975-77, 808 were made, after that, in response to customer pressure, the bodies were made in steel (customers considered this better quality).
Here's the irony: If you would like to buy a Ferrari 308GTB Vetroresina now expect to pay 2.1/2 times the price of the steel bodied equivalent, because of the rarity value.
Peg.
P.S. So would I buy a plastic or steel 308? I'll let you know when I win the lottery.