Sabra ST4878x (23/12/2008 ) Back 

ex- Herman Pauwels

7.ZV.89

Sabra ST4878 stage II (dubbele SU-carburator) decapotabel

First use 12.06.1967, a (later identified) owner is Herman Pauwels, still interessed in Sabras, a special story!

Herman Pauwels bought his Sabra16/05/1972.  The car was then 5 years old.

He could only buy it after a long term "VETO" of his mother was suspended.  The VETO being spoken out after a test drive at 100mph.

The points were removed at the moment of purchase but lay in the trunk, the vertical "stripes" in the radiator were removed????

The car still looks fine, all the family wanted to have a picture in the car.

Theese crs are only driven by playboys, wonderfully dated picture.

or playgirls??... The "points" are mounted again - extra chromium, seats are red-black.

The younger brother would very much like to...

Then he was painted in blue, the hood is stille the same, this must be summer 74, five years too late Brian.

Another motorhood was mounted, the ails - ailerons at the rear are missing. One way or another the motorhood didn't fit totally so it's locking was amended; for faster acceleration (more power) smaller wheels (13') were mounted at the rear.  This indeed gave more "push".

Still a fine car, the younger brother is three years older now.

Herman Pauwels, Sabra-fanatic in those days, was stopped once by the police and was told that winged hub nuts weren't allowed anymore in Belgium and that he could only avoid a ticket by selling the car "for demolition" or "for export".  In fact Belgian law forbid dangerous ornaments.  In those days wheel caps with look-alike winged nut and look-alike spokes were popular, and forbidden by law because they were useless and protruding further out of the cars' profile than necessary by construction.  The police officer interpreted the law in his own way and Herman, law-obidingly acted as he was told to and sold his car against his wishes - for 5.000-BFr - to a mecanic that didn't mind putting "for demolition" on the contract.  Some months later the same car - with several more or less vital parts missing (had they indeed started dismantling?), was sold to me, for 27.000-BFr (how to get rich).  The car had passed M.O.T. , an institute that has the last word over any tecnical problem with cars.  Herman Pauwels had passed several M.O.T.-tests the former years but the police officer claimed to know better.  25 Years later Hermans' sister heard me on the radio, asking for persons that new about or had a Sabra and immediately phoned to get my coördinates as she new Herman was anxious to gather any information about Sabras.
I heard Hermans' story when he phoned me and suggested him to have a chat with Jacques.  Herman went to Jacques with all the cherished souvenirs of his old Sabra and Jacques discovered that Hermans' car was indeed Jefs' car.

Herman Pauwels noted thirty years ago:
Sabra GT on autoshow 1968: 127.500-BFr, the cabriolet was then 105.000-BFr.

Thanks to Herman Pauwels.

See allso ST 4878 

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