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1991 Almac Sabre
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Almac was a maker of fiberglass specialty cars in Upper Hutt, New Zealand founded in 1984 by Alec McDonald. While they got their start producing replicas of the classic MG TC and Shelby 427 Cobra, they also produced a homegrown convertible sports car called the Sabre.
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| 1991 Almac Sabre, at rear with convertible top down |
In 1988, McDonald and his son Stuart started work designing a modern interpretation of the Cobra. The first design took some of its design cues from the MGB. While the prototype was under construction McDonald became disenchanted with it and shelved the project.
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| 1994 Almac Sabre, received a minor facelift |
In 1991 the concept was revisited using a purpose built chassis and Ford Cortina parts and a Leyland P76 V8 engine. Named the Almac Sabre, it was featured in the NZ Classic Car magazine in May 1994. Styling was more contemporary than the previous proposal, more in line with peers from TVR, Jaguar, and Mazda.
However, by this time the market had changed. The Mazda MX-5 was available and, due a legislative change, cheap second hand Japanese cars were being imported. A new MX5 was only a thousand New Zealand dollars more expensive than the Sabre kit. Production ceased in 2001 after only nine models had been made.
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| 2004 Almac Sabre - Series 2 |
The Series 2 was introduced in 2004 and heralded significant mechanical upgrades and revised styling. It had a custom spaceframe chassis designed to accept the Toyota V8, from the Soarer (aka Lexus SC). Taillights became round in the style of Corvette and Skyline. As many parts as possible were sourced from aftermarket manufacturers as these parts generally had a longer shelf life than parts fitted to production cars. The new interior bore no resemblance to the original and was quite modern looking.
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Sabre Series 2 interior
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The new Sabre was launched at the Hamilton Motor Show in March 2004 but by then the mini boom had ended and only five cars had been sold when production of the car finished in 2010. A sad ending to a car that was the closest thing to a TVR that New Zealand would ever have.
Almac does still trade in replicas, however, with their most recent being the "Clubsprint" which is a Lotus 7 clone. Learn more at the link below.
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| Sabre Series 2 |
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| Sabre Series 2 racecar |
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| Sabre (Series 1) |
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| Sabre Series 2, at the front |
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| Sabre Series 2, in profile |
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| Sabre Series 2 at rear |
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