The Lotus Seven is one of the most well-loved sports cars in existence; it’s also one of the most frequently cloned. While the most valuable cars are always the original formula examples, there’s a lot to be said for buying a more affordable replica that provides 90 percent of the magic at a 25 percent discount (or better). This is a 1987 H&S Engineering Sabre Seven, produced for a short time by a California company in the 1980s. It’s listed here on craigslist in Maine for $19,900.
Indeed, the formula for the H&S car was faithful to the original, with a light-weight chassis and an engine that was more than capable of propelling the Lotus lookalike down any backroad of your choosing. This example uses a 2.3L Ford-sourced four-cylinder, most likely from a Pinto. While that sounds decidedly un-sexy, it likely feels a touch different in a four-wheeled roller skate such as this. You can’t beat the color scheme, either.
The seller doesn’t tell us much about the build, and there’s shockingly little information about the H&S cars available on the Google machine. From what limited references I can find, H&S was a West Coast shop that didn’t find great success with the Lotus clone. Production figures are not available but it has to be quite limited. Two message board posts indicate that when the Sabre Seven came out, enthusiasts were disappointed with the bloated size and construction quality.
Size is relative but I can see how if the body seemed bulbous compared to the insanely lithe Lotus Seven that it could be a turn-off. Regardless, this H&S car has been upgraded in a few different ways, including a custom header, adjustable coilover suspension, stainless steel front brake lines, modified Kirky buckets, an aluminum fuel tank, IDIDIT steering, and a QR Nardi steering wheel. The seller claims that there’s been “….lots of time and dollars spent,” and I’m sure the driving experience is well worth the cost of admission. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Rocco B. for the find.
Closest thing to a full size go-kart you’ll find. Never saw’r one on the street, and as a British car lover, I would have noticed it. I did see a couple racing at Road America, and did exceptionally well. A replica of this nature is about as close as one will get. I wouldn’t poo-poo the Pinto motor. Despite being a belt driven cam, that motor went on to some great things. Not sure what “bloated size” is, it looks a lot like the original. Replica or not, bet it’s a blast to drive.
Agree with Howard, the pinto engine can be built to make most happy. It already has a header, so who knows what lurks inside. I like it!
Yes very cool, must be a blast to drive, only 5 photos? GLWS.
It has the same color scheme as the one Patrick McGoohan drove in the opening credits of the British TV Series: “The Prisoner”. It was a one season series that CBS picked up as a summer replacement series in 1968. Look it up on IMDB if you’re curious. It concerns a Government bureaucrat who resigns in a rage and storms out of his boss’s office. As he’s packing to leave on a trip, ostensibly on a vacation, a man in a top hat injects a gas into his apartment through the keyhole and our hero passes out. When he awakes, he is in a place called simply, “The Village”, with no idea where he is, or how he got there. He is a prisoner who won’t be allowed to leave the Village until he tells the operators of the Village why he resigned. Our hero refuses to disclose that information, and spends the rest of the series thirteen week run, trying to find out who runs the Village, why he is being held prisoner there, and trying to escape. An initial exchange between our hero and one of his captors follows:
#2: Why did you resign?”
#6: “Who is #1”
#2: “You are #6.”
Apparently, no one has names in the Village, all of the residents were I.D. badges with the image of an old “Penny Farthing” bicycle and a number. There are a series of “#2’s”, generally a new one for every episode of the series as a new antagonist for our hero, #6. Patrick McGoohan plays #6.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny-farthing
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061287/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
Back in the 70’s in NJ I had a local Lotus dealership. The owner found a Seven tub and we rebuilt it up with a Twin Cam motor. It was RHD. I rebuilt all the interior and he did the mechanicals. I had the chance to drive it down a long secluded alley way taking 1st gear all the way up in second. That was enough! A rocket roller skate with the fenders flapping! I had a couple Elans and they were my preference. A bit more civilized but not much! It’s the one car, I really miss. They were affordable back then but you had to keep your tools and your knowledge with you!!
Did the original Lotus Seven’s or Super Seven’s (from memory) have fiberglass front fenders. My neighbor back in the late 70s had one and I remember him cutting the fenders to mount larger headlights. Definitely had fiberglass fenders on that one so not certain if original or clone back then?
Looks like he couldn’t even bother to wash it before he took the photos. Leads me to wonder what kind of maintenance it’s had over the years.
Don’t know much about these clones – is that a decent price?