Introduction of the Royale Sabre (Motor Company)

In the past, 'quality' was not a word often associated with kit cars, unless it was prefixed with some other word like 'bad' or 'poor'. But things have changed. There are some very impressive kit-cars on the market today, one of the most notable being the Royale Sabre.

The Sabre was designed by John Barlow, who started the Royale Motor Company in 1991. Its styling is based on that of the 1930s - 1940s era and people have commented that it looks like it could be a classic Jaguar or BMW. But the Royale Sabre isn't a copy of any car that actually existed at that time. Safety and quality were top priorities, and the fibre-glass and aluminium body panels, reinforced by a substantial steel chassis and steel bars inside the doors, reflect this. It feels as solid as, and has all the comfort you'd expect from, a production car. The roof doesn't leak, you don't get worrying creaks and rattles as you're driving along and the doors even close with a nice, satisfying clunk.

As a kit car it has the advantage that you can have almost exactly the specifications you want. It is designed for Ford Sierra or Granada running gear (engine sizes from 1.6 to 2.9 litres), but even something like a 3.5l Rover V8 engine can be adapted. It has the option of a soft-top or hard-top (or both because they're interchangeable), you can choose which mod-cons you want, eg electric windows, power-assisted steering, stereo system, and you can use whatever interior trim you feel like. Some people even make their own modifications to the bodywork using the kind of fibre glass you can get to repair boats or rust on cars.

So basically what you get is a new car that looks like a classic, but without the poor build quality generally associated with kit-cars. The only problem for most people is that you have to build it yourself, or pay someone else lots of money to build it for you. Well, it's not for everyone... but when you have to spend around £13,000, it's certainly worth considering if you're even just a bit mechanically-inclined. Think of it as a big kid's 'Mecano' set or 'Airfix' kit.