27 replies to this topic

[DavePoole]

Hello everyone,

Does anyone have any old photos/video footage of Reliant Sabres or Reliant Scimitars?

I am especially after photos of Reliant Sabres at the following events:

May 1962 Tulip Rally (Sabre 4)
Nov/1962 RAC Rally (Sabre 4)
1963 Ilfracombe Rally (Sabre 4)
Jan/1963 Monte Carlo Rally (Sabre 4)
Apr/1963 Circuit of Ireland (Sabre 4)
Jun/1963 Coupe des Alpes (Sabre 6)
Aug/1963 Spa-Sofia-Liege (Sabre 6)
Nov/1963 RAC Rally (Sabre 4 and 6)
Jan/1964 Monte Carlo Rally (Sabre 6)
Jan/1964 Welsh International Rally (Sabre 4 and 6)
Jan/1965 Monte Carlo Rally (Sabre 6)
May/1964 Commanders Cup Endurance Race at Snetterton Race Circuit (Sabre 6)

I was told that Gerry Marshall raced a Reliant Sabre once, but I have never been able to find any proof.

Any photos/footage (old or new) of Scimitars or Sabres would be greatfully appreiciated.

Kind Regards

Dave Poole

[AMICALEMANS]

i thought it was only a car for a woman with a little crown on his head

[DavePoole]

Indeed Princess Anne has actually owned 8 Scimitar GTE's. The only thing people tend to know about Scimitars is that Princess Anne owned one and they catch fire...

That is why I made my website to try and educate people

Arthur Rusling & Peter Easton in Sabre 4 at the start of the Tulip Rally in May 1962



Bobby Parkes and Gerry Cooper in Sabre 6 on the 1963 Coupe des Alpes Rally



Sabre 6's on Circuit:



Scimitar GT Rally Car:



Scimitar GTE Sprint/Hillclimb legend



Scimitar GTE Circuit Racer:



and finally a little clip of one of my favorite Scimitar GTE's at Debden Sprint in 1994:

Blue Thunder Scimitar

Dave

[RS2000]

So that's what I was looking at in Motorfilms' new DVD "Best of the Monte Carlo Rally in the 60s" (unfortunately without a soundtrack on my copy but there was an instant assurance to replace it). I couldn't place what looked like a Spitfire on steroids!
I agree many people have short memories of the marque's competition history (including Roger Clark's first works drive?) and I have been impressed with the performance of one or two in modern sprints/hillclimbs (having once been one of those who wondered why anyone would spend so much more on a car that did what a 3 litre Capri did). Engine positioning right back is the handling advantage on GTEs?
As usual for here, everything I have would be someone's copyright so can't post.

[AMICALEMANS]

I remember the first Scimitar wich was an Ogle belonging to Prince Philip and was made for Triplex company...

[rx-guru]

One of my long time favourite cars, the Scimitar GTE with 3000cc Ford engine, and IMO the ancestor of the BMW Z3 M-Coupé, which I still like very much. Over here in this part of Germany that Reliant model was only seen for a couple of years driven by some soldiers of the British Rhine Army and I wonder if there were any of them ever officially imported to my country.

[Stephen W]

Above: Bev Fawkes in Blue Thunder at Aintree in 1995

NB I understand that Blue Thunder is still undergoing a full rebuild and will soon be back on track!

[DavePoole]

Originally posted by AMICALEMANS
I remember the first Scimitar wich was an Ogle belonging to Prince Philip and was made for Triplex company...

The first Scimitar was a GT based on the Ogle SX250 (restyled Daimler SP250)

1963 Ogle SX250:



1964 Ogle Scimitar GT with Ford Straight Six engine:



Then in 1965 Ogle design and Reliant worked on an experimental car for Triplex. Using a Scimitar GT body moulds it was then elomgated to produce the estate car so that Triplex could to try out different types of glass on the car. The car was fitted with a heat-absorbing glass roof, curved round side windows, and a laminated heated front and rear window. The car was covered in a total of 43 square feet of safety glass.




Prince Phillip owned the car as his own transport for a few years.



I got to try it out in 2001



The owner of the Triplex Ogle "Don Pither" sadly passed away and the car was sold to a man in the USA.

In 1967 Ray Wiggin of Reliant approached Tom Karen of Ogle Design to come up with a new design for the Scimitar GT, to give it more room in the back for adults.

The first Ogle Scimitar GTE Prototype:



The front end was later modified and production of the new Scimitar GTE started:



There was one more Ogle Scimitar GTE produced and was shown at the 1968 motorshow on the Ogle Design Stand:




It was the one that Corgi based their Whizzwheels Ogle Reliant Scimitar model on:




Here is my 1969 Scimitar GTE:




and the rest is history as they say.......

Dave Poole

[sterling49]

Didn't they change around 1970? We had an "H" registered car on our fleet at the time for a Company Director, it looked slighly different ( different grille and slimmer bodyline?),3 litre Essex V-6 and o/d box. Pretty rapid for its time

[flat-16]

I was told that Gerry Marshall raced a Reliant Sabre once, but I have never been able to find any proof.

Gerry's son, Gregor, is a TNF member. You could always send him a message and see if he has any records?

I'm glad this thread came along. The Scimitar has a cult following, but I've never known why - hopefully this thread will explain the attraction to me! Is the weight distribution good? There's a fellow at another forum who's got one fitted with a four-point-something litre TVR engine - I bet that doesn't hang about!

There's plenty of footage of Scimitars at Youtube, with some highly tuned examples.


Justin

[SHRAEL]

a little known fact is that the Israeli produced Sabra ( a direct brother of the Reliant Sabre), was raced - very unsuccessfully - in the Acropolis Rally, apparently the suspension geometry was so bad, the car could not go straight!

elad

[DavePoole]

Originally posted by SHRAEL
a little known fact is that the Israeli produced Sabra ( a direct brother of the Reliant Sabre), was raced - very unsuccessfully - in the Acropolis Rally, apparently the suspension geometry was so bad, the car could not go straight!

elad

That is true the original supsension/les ballamy chassis on the Sabra had a lot to be desired. Reliant went on to modify the suspension setup on the later Sabre.

Reliant's "Sabra" Prototype:




Sabra races car in the USA:






Special works Reliant Sabre 6:






Dave Poole

[simonlewisbooks]

I used to run a British Racing Green SE5A as my every day car in the 90's and loved it to bits!
Sadly when wedding bells rang it was converted into a new kitchen....however it still lives locally so one day it's coming back home if I can swing it!

It was fitted with a larger carb, polished and ported heads, high lift cam and tubular exhausts, all thanks to my brother's race-prep business and it was not only pretty quick but made a wonderful noise!
When he later ran a Rover 827 (180bhp Honda V6 engine) it would easily live with it away from the lights... It was another matter when it came going round corners on the tall squashy period-spec tyres!

At one time we were seriously toying with the idea of running an SE5A in tarmac rallies . The rear axle and it's location are good, the weight distribution excellent, the Ford running gear easy to replace and tune , the body doesn't rot and the cost of a fairly reasonable car was hardly breaking into four figures.
What stopped us was the cramped cockpit. Combining my 6 foot frame and an MSA rally spec cage with door bars into the available space proved unworkable - no elbow or head room!
If we'd tried the wider SE6 it would probabaly have worked out but they were always rather more expensive to buy so we ended up with a Rover SD1 instead...

I competed against BLUE THUNDER at a Castle Combe sprint in the mid 90s with my Escort-Rover V8. My god it was a quick car and it sounded wonderful. Glad to hear it's still around!

[Rosemayer]

Reliant Scimitar were not some of these used by the Police as patrol cars?

[bradbury west]

In the mid/late 60s I recall seeing 2 of the ex works Sabre Sixes , GUE...D reg?? IIRC, tucked away at the back of Sandford Garage, all kitted out, (a few miles inland from Weston super Mare). Never worked out whose they were.
Roger Lund.

[David Lawson]

This is Nigel Newth-Gibbs in his Sabre 6 at Brands Hatch, I took the photograph in about 1974. He was a work colleague of mine at the time and I photographed a couple of stages of his car's rebuild although this is the only print I can now find in my haphazard archive.



David

[DavePoole]

Originally posted by David Lawson
This is Nigel Newth-Gibbs in his Sabre 6 at Brands Hatch, I took the photograph in about 1974. He was a work colleague of mine at the time and I photographed a couple of stages of his car's rebuild although this is the only print I can now find in my haphazard archive.



David

Hi Dave,

That's a superb picture, many thanks ;) I know of Nigel Newth-Gibbs, but have never met him yet. He still owns a ex-works Sabre 4 I believe.

Thanks again

Dave Poole

[Mistron]

I used to work for one of the first 2 graduates of the RCA vehicle design course, and he told me that both he and his 'classmate' did work experience at Ogle as Tom Karen was one of their lecturers, and between them did the GTE - one did the front, the other the rear!

The other student was Peter Stevens - I can't recal who did which end thought.

A mate of mine is currently building a 'bio diesel' (AKA chip fat) powered Audi engined coupe. should be running by the summer.

And no, I don't know why

[DavePoole]

Originally posted by Mistron
I used to work for one of the first 2 graduates of the RCA vehicle design course, and he told me that both he and his 'classmate' did work experience at Ogle as Tom Karen was one of their lecturers, and between them did the GTE - one did the front, the other the rear!

The other student was Peter Stevens - I can't recal who did which end thought.

A mate of mine is currently building a 'bio diesel' (AKA chip fat) powered Audi engined coupe. should be running by the summer.

And no, I don't know why

Hi Mistron,

I have met Tom Karen a couple of times. He is a very interesting guy.

The "Bio Diesel" coupe sounds interesting, I would love to get more details and see pictures of that! I dont think I could drive a car with chip fat fuel as the smell would always make me hungry

Cheers

Dave Poole

[Mistron]

He has already converted a Landrover without any problems.The smell thing did strike me as a possible issue, but it's not that bad! Probably worse for the car behind!

I suggested a race team called 'Scuderia Pomme frite"!

[Leigh Trevail]

http://[IMG]http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/9588/sabra001zf1.th.jpg[/IMG]

About twelve years ago I purchased this bodyshell for £10 from a local auction. It had been entered as a Sabra, no one wanted it and rather than see it smashed up I had it. I was later told that it was in fact an Ashley kit car, which is what Reliant cribbed the shape from.

I seem to remember that an art student had it from me to make the back half into a bed, which sounds about right for an art student.

[Andrew Kitson]

Originally posted by Leigh Trevail
I seem to remember that an art student had it from me to make the back half into a bed, which sounds about right for an art student. [/B]

Oi...watch it!

[Leigh Trevail]

He wasn't a proper artist like you Andrew, he was more of the 'Conceptual' type!

[Leigh Trevail]

http://[IMG]http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4773/scimitarrh5.th.jpg[/IMG]




This sad looking Scimitar Coupe is languishing near Diss in South Norfolk, should anyone wish to come to it’s rescue give Jason or Vincent a shout on 01379 740940

[duby]

hi all

i wrote a story a couple of years ago about Israeli crew who used to rally with a sabra in the 1962 acropolis rally .

the crew was kurt gumpert as a driver and amos shashevski as a co-driver , i hope i spell their names o.k.

the car was no-3 on the entry list but didnt make it to the finish line.

i have the full details of the car and also a pic from the rally but dont know how to up-load it here, so if some one wants to up-load it for the forum...i will love to e-mail it.



duby

[martin Borch]

Hi racer.

Here are one old picture from about 1966 of a Sabra, this car is still out there.

Kind Regards
Martin Borch

[DavePoole]

Originally posted by martin Borch
Hi racer.

Here are one old picture from about 1966 of a Sabra, this car is still out there.

Kind Regards
Martin Borch

Hi Martin


I would love to know more about that Sabra car if possible.

I spotted your post a while back on the Historic Motorsport Damark forum, but couldn't translate the text.

I have been trying to collect as much information on the cars as possible and have been trying to compile a log off all Sabra's that were built between Autocars Ltd & Reliant Motor Company Ltd.

The first car I have been trying to trace is the one that competed at the 1963 Sebring 12 hour race. It was driven by Edmund Hessert jr, Henry Swartz jr, James Diaz and Benjamin Poster. I have a photo of it when it's axle broke on the 90th lap and it span infront of Graham Hill'e Ferrari in 3rd place:



I was then sent a colour photo:



I was told that Edmund Hessert owned the Sabra. I would love to find out the details of that car and find the chassis number to help complete my archive.

I saw the pictures of car your car 93 and wondered if it was the same car used in 1963 Sebring?

Could you tell me any details of the car?

You can email me direct at dave_poole8@hotmail.com

Many Thanks

Dave Poole

[DavePoole]

Originally posted by duby
hi all

i wrote a story a couple of years ago about Israeli crew who used to rally with a sabra in the 1962 acropolis rally .

the crew was kurt gumpert as a driver and amos shashevski as a co-driver , i hope i spell their names o.k.

the car was no-3 on the entry list but didnt make it to the finish line.

i have the full details of the car and also a pic from the rally but dont know how to up-load it here, so if some one wants to up-load it for the forum...i will love to e-mail it.



duby

Hello Duby,

I think you emailed me back in June or July. I would really like to hear the story of the Sabra on the Acropolis Rally and see any pictures of the car!!

Do you know if the car still exist's??

The only picture I was sent was very small:



It would be great if you could send me the story and any photos direct and I will be happy to upload them on this forum.

Kind Regards

Dave Poole from www.sporting-reliants.com