Saker Cars
 | |
| Ltd. | |
| Industry | Automobile manufacturing |
| Founder | Bruce Turnbull |
| Headquarters | Feilding, New Zealand |
| Products | Saker SV1, SVS GT, SVS Sprint |
| Slogan | Dedicated to the drivers art. |
| Website | Saker Cars NZ |
Saker Sports Cars were designed and built in Feilding, New Zealand by Bruce Turnbull of Turnbull Engineering from 1989 to the present day. Turnbull has been providing technical assistance in the development of the Hulme F1.[1] Since 2002 Sakers were also being built and designed in Etten-Leur, Netherlands.
Models
The Saker SV1 was the first model of the car.[2] The car was road legal and regularly used for touring and competition. The SV1 was designed to be powered by a variety of engines, including V8 and V6. They were sold in the UK, Japan and New Zealand.
In 1999 Turnbull introduced the Saker SVS GT and SVS Sprint. The Sprint was an open-top version. These model features updated chassis and mechanics. The main changes were to the space-fame chassis, to allow it to accept boxer type 4 or 6 cylinder engines. The most common engine used was the Subaru Impreza WRX turbo 4 and 2 wheel drive, converted transaxle. Both the GT and Sprint were manufactured in the Netherlands, though there was a dispute over the licensing.
A small number (Believed to be around 3) of race-only Saker GTs were also manufactured under license in the USA. One road-going Saker SVS was imported from New Zealand into the USA in 2004. It was fitted with a Lexus 1UZ-FE 4.0-liter V8 engine mated to a Renault UN1 5-speed Transaxle. Since then it has undergone surgery to accept a highly modified Chevy LS6 5.7L V8 that is just shy of 500bhp mated to an Audi 01E (DQS variant) 6-speed transaxle. At the time of the engine change the owner also modified the body, headlights, tail lights, and front bumper/splitter to make the car look more modern.
Netherlands
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In 2002 Huub Vermeulen (DNRT) and Robbert Visser were wanting to make an affordable racing car. Bruce Turnbull's Saker appeared to meet that need. The rights to manufacture the cars were purchased and Saker Sportscars was founded in the Netherlands. The company is now run by Herbert Boender with the support of the Meyer brothers, Laurens and Gerrit.
Both the Saker GT and Sprint are still made by Saker Sportscars. In 2010 two new versions were added to the range, the RapX and the Sniper. However, the specifications remain the same as the GT and Sprint with only the bodywork changing.
Sports car racing
The Saker Sportscar Challenge was founded in 2004 allowing Saker Drivers can compete against each other under the banner of the DNRT. The Saker Sportscar Challenge is one of the top of amateur racing classes in the Netherlands. The series races are held at Circuit Park Zandvoort, TT Circuit Assen, Spa-Francorchamps and Brands Hatch. The final race of the season takes place in late October at Circuit Park Zandvoort.
Besides the Saker Sportscar Challenge Sakers compete other competitions. It has raced for several years in the 24 Hours of Dubai and achieved a class victory in the 24 Hours of Barcelona.
External links
References
- ↑ Bruce Turnbull, retrieved 8 January 2016
- ↑ Saker SV1, Paul Woodford, Constructors Car Club, retrieved 8 January 2016