Just when you’re certain you know a lot about post-war American racing cars, someone steps up to educate you about the depth of your ignorance. Such is the case with the Sabel sports racers, a series of competition cars I knew nothing about until recently.
John Sabel grew up in Ross, California, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge. In the early 1950s he and his high school buddies were simply wacky about the automobile. Sabel said, “Many of my friends had old Fords and Caddies and the returning GIs were bringing back MGs and Fiats from Europe. It was a fun time and it seemed like everyone in California was thoroughly into cars. I bought my first car, a ’31 Model A Ford Roadster, before I had a driver’s license with the money I made cutting lawns while in the eighth grade. I followed all the early car magazines and being a constant doodler, I spent many hours sketching ideas for new cars. My high school drafting instructor thought my drawings were pretty good.”
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