This quintessentially British sports car exists because an Israeli car-company boss spotted a fibreglass body at the 1960 London Racing Car Show and brought the idea home to Reliant.
Median 49 hp across 9 similar cars
Lead trim: Sabre 1.7 Ford OHV four (73 bhp) · up to 109 hp
Reliant Sabre and Sabre Six1961–1964
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Reliant Sabre and Sabre Six yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis quintessentially British sports car exists because an Israeli car-company boss spotted a fibreglass body at the 1960 London Racing Car Show and brought the idea home to Reliant.
The Reliant Sabre (also "Sabre Four") and the Sabre Six were small two-seater sports cars produced by Reliant between 1961 and 1964, developed with the Israeli company Autocars (the Sabra), after Autocars managing director Itzhak Shubinsky saw the Ashley 1172 fibreglass body and a Leslie Ballamy-designed chassis at the 1960 London Racing Car Show; Reliant's David Page redesigned the chassis and Eddie Pepall the bodyshell to meet US requirements, and Reliant sold a right-hand-drive version for the UK as the Sabre. Launched in 1961 as a two-door convertible, front-engined and rear-drive, with four-cylinder OHV Ford Consul (later "Zephyr 4") engines of 1,703 cc, front disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, a ZF all-synchro gearbox and an unusual leading-arm front suspension, 73 bhp giving at least 90 mph. Coupés were introduced in June 1962 and total production reached 208. At Earls Court in October 1962 the Sabre was shown with a redesigned "less bizarre" front end and a six-cylinder Super Sabre SE2 prototype, which became the Sabre Six with a 109 bhp Ford six of 2,553 cc; all but the first 17 Sabre Sixes had more conventional suspension from the Triumph TR4, and of 77 built 75 were coupés and two convertibles. The Sabre was succeeded by the Scimitar.
Collectors Spotted in the Reliant Sabre Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Reliant Sabre yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabre 1.7 Ford OHV four (73 bhp) | 1961–1964 | 1.7 L Inline-4 | 73 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Sabre Six 2.6 Ford six (109 bhp) | 1962–1964 | 2.6 L Inline-6 | 109 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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