So when Reliant Motors went broke in 1995 did they owe STL money? Most likely, indirectly - I think the Robin 3-wheeler had what is known in the trade as a banjo axle - (imagine a banjo with two fingerboards), based on a pressed and welded design, STL didn't make such an axle their chosen design was a beam axle, a central malleable cast iron gear case with tubes pressed in either side housing the drive shafts to the wheels. STL made just the differential if customers so required to fit themselves to their banjos. At the time of going broke Reliant was owned by the old automotive engineering company Beans Engineering of Tipton (they made their own range of cars and commercials many years ago) now Beans supplied parts to Reliant most likely including the rear axle and unfortunately Beans crashed at the same time as Reliant, I've seen reports that Reliant dragged Beans down and some reports saying the opposite, anyway if as I suspect STL supplied Beans with Reliant's differentials, STL would have been owed money, I don't suppose it matters if it was Beans or Reliant it amounted to the same thing.
At the time of Reliant's crash in 1995 I was studying for an NVQ4 at the Birmingham Business School (UCE) and I had been seconded to Reliant to help fill a gap in the purchasing dept. the company actually went broke when I was working there.
Peg.