The chassis was inspired by that of the Lotus Elan. The 1.3 L (later replaced with a 1.4 L) and 1.6 L engines were Ford CVH units, front mounted driving the rear wheels through a four-speed gearbox on the 1300 and 1400, and a five-speed gearbox with the 1600. Originally, the car was planned to use the new EFI 1.6 L Ford engine introduced on the Escort XR3i, however, the lower hood line of the SS1 meant that it had to use the slightly shorter carbureted version to fit. The suspension was independent all round using coil springs with semi trailing arms at the rear. The body panels were made of polyurethane or glass reinforced polyester, fitted to a semi-space frame backbone chassis. The panels were designed to be easily removed and replaced to repair accident damage. A removable hard top was available as an option.

The SS1 1.6 L had an engine capacity of 1596 cc with a power output of 96 bhp (72 kW; 97 PS) at 6000 rpm and 133 lb⋅ft (180 N⋅m) at 4000 rpm of torque. It could reach a top speed of 110 mph (177.0 km/h) and accelerated from 0-60 mph in 9.6 seconds.^{[citation needed]} In 1986, the range was joined by the CA18ET 1809 cc turbocharged engine from the Nissan Bluebird. The 1800Ti, as the Nissan-engined version was known, received standard alloy wheels and a small rear spoiler and gave the car a significant performance boost with a power output of 135 bhp (101 kW; 137 PS) at 6000 rpm and 143 lb⋅ft (194 N⋅m) of torque. This allowed for a top speed of 126 mph (202.8 km/h) and 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds.^[5]

This car had unusual uncovered rectangular Porsche 928-style pop-up headlamps and shared many components with production cars of the day, such as Austin-Rover switchgear and gauges.^[6] The post 1986 models with a galvanised chassis can be identified by having a single windscreen wiper.

The Scimitar SS2 concept car was based on the SS1 1800ti, restyled by William Towns. Intended for the United States market and powered by a V8 engine, it was commissioned by General Motors, but planned production of the car was dropped when GM funding was withdrawn.^[7]

Some of the styling features of the SS2 prototype were incorporated into a facelifted SS1 model, renamed Scimitar SST ("T" for "Towns"). The SST was launched in 1990.^[8] More than a mere facelift, the new body was also of a very different construction. The SS1's bodypanels were mounted on a steel framework, itself mounted to the chassis, while the SST's body was of a "semi-monocoque" design fixed directly to the chassis. The bodywork, consisting of two large pieces (front and rear), thus did not suffer the unsightly panel gaps that were so characteristic of the SS1.^[9]

The engines were Nissan's CA18ET (1800Ti) producing 135 bhp (101 kW; 137 PS) and Ford's CVH (1400) producing 75 bhp (56 kW; 76 PS). The only transmission available was a five-speed manual unit.^[9]

The Scimitar Sabre was the last Scimitar model to be produced, re-using the name from the 1960s Reliant Sabre.

Based on the chassis of the SS1 and SST, it was announced in October 1991 and launched in 1992 with the same 1.4 Ford engine and 1.8 Nissan engines as before.^[10] A restyle followed in 1993 with the introduction of the new Rover K-series 1.4 L engine, with a top speed of 113 mph (181.9 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 9.4 seconds.^[11] The Sabre was visually different with larger 15 inch wheels and flared wheel arches.

• "Double-edged Sword": the development of the Scimitar SS1