Sabre GT

The Sabre GT is a high performance muscle car in Grand Theft Auto IV and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Manufactured by Declasse, the Sabre GT is more alike earlier renditions of the Sabre prior to GTA IV (as GTA IV's Sabre is redesigned with a modern appearance), and is also comparable to the Sabre Turbo in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

Design
The Sabre GT borrows bits and pieces from various American muscle cars. The back and sides resemble a 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass - but the sides have softer lines and could be from '68/'69 Chevrolet Chevelles, the grille has a resemblance to a 1970 AMC Rebel, the front is similar to a 1970 Buick GSX  (the headlights and the shape of the bumper is also very similar to a 1970 Cutlass) and the front bumper's round turning signals are similar to a 1968 or 1969 Dodge Coronet. The wheels appear to be based on those found on Pontiac Firebirds during the 1970's. The paintjob seems to look like that of a Mustang Mach 1 with some characteristics of a Shelby Mustang. The different hood scoop on some Sabre GTs resembles that of a 1968 Shelby Mustang, while some resemble the 442 Cutlass. Overall, the look created emulates the GM big body V8 coupes of the early 70's (Cutlass, Skylark, Chevelle). The Sabre GT has a different Declasse logo than the makers other cars, being an older design, a circle with "Declasse" written around the inside edge.

The Sabre GT is remarkably similar to the Sabre Turbo from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. The stripes featured on some Sabre GTs look much like the ones on the Sabre Turbo, except the stripes do not continue all the way down the hood to the front of the car. The words "Sabre Turbo" are painted on the lower sides of the car, just in front of the rear wheels. Sabre GTs may also appear with a hood bulge or a large hood scoop.

Powertrain
The engine is a turbocharged 550 cubic inch (9 liter) V8, and it definitely sounds like it, with the turbo whistle evident at higher RPM. "550ci" decals are featured on the boot lid, front fenders and on the hood stripes. There are several iterations of the Sabre GT, but these are merely cosmetic in nature: some feature a plain hood, others feature a cowl (reverse) scoop on the hood for the air filter with a "TURBOCHARGED" badge on either side, and some feature a more aggressive forward-facing scoop on the hood, which also has steel quick-release pins to keep the hood from flying off under high speed. The engine is comparable to a Dukes in horsepower, but with slightly less torque, allowing for fast acceleration with the wheels much more seldom in breaking loose under full throttle. Because of the minor torque deficit, it's a bit harder to get the Sabre GT to spin both its wheels on dry tarmac. The exhaust note is unique to the Sabre GT, and it shares its horn with the Sabre. Both can be recognized immediately, although the exhaust note may also be noted as more closely resembling the Stallion, however when heard from the rear of the car, it seems muted in comparison to the Stallion, possibly because of the turbo. However, when heard from the front of the car, the whistle of the turbo and the roar of the 550ci V8 is distinct.

Handling
The Sabre GT rolls plenty through corners and has a strong tendency to understeer. This is particularly evident during hard braking; the car simply dives forward, sometimes enough to damage the front spoiler. The brakes also have a very heavy front bias, meaning more understeer during braking, but the upside to this is that there's no lock-up of the tires, meaning more consistent braking. Players may therefore take advantage of the progressive brake controls on the Xbox 360 or PS3 controllers, in order to avoid brake lockups. However, it handles far better than the Dukes or Stallion. It has a top speed of 90 mph (145 km/h). As with many muscle cars, it has low rear tire grip and very soft suspensions. But it can prove to be an advantage and disadvantage (the latter being less so). The advantage is that they can drift extremely well, beating out some Japanese imports (but some imports still beat them.) If the driver knows how to drift, then they are good to go and do so. The disadvantage is that accident avoidence is low as the rear end may slide out and drifting will not help in that situation.

The Sabre GT also proves tolerant to rain-slicked roads, if the driver does his part. Since the suspension allows for a low ground clearance (combined with the body-roll during cornering and braking), it is not uncommon to find nicks and scratches along the undercarriage due to scraping against uneven road surfaces and potholes, even when one attempts to drive conservatively. The front spoiler is prone to scraping when hitting hills, crests and bumps in the road, and may even break the turn signals mounted on either side of the front spoiler.

Variants


A Sabre GT is wanted by Brucie and Stevie for their export businesses. The Sabre GT wanted by Stevie can be found in a driveway near Meadows Park. It is seen in a unique lime green with a dark greenish-blue stripe and pearlescent tint.

There is also a variant of the Sabre GT with a unique paint-job, which has a brown two-tone scheme (top of car including roof, hood, and trunk is colored light brown while doors and quarter panels on all corners are colored dark brown) with cream colored decals. It is an attractive but rare color scheme that makes the car look more classic.

You can also find a two-tone (blue-purple) Sabre GT across from the Angels of Death hideout in Varsity Heights, Algonquin. There is usually someone that is sitting inside the car and a one star wanted level is normally aquired. You can also find one parked (possibly locked) randomly around Firefly Projects or in that general area. This is probably the rarest colour variant of the Sabre GT.

Another, somewhat less rare color variant of the Sabre GT is a dark forest green body color and darker green stripes. Both colors seem to be done in metallic paint with metallic flake that looks black at some angles, making the car stand out against other Sabre GT's.

Trivia

 * The default radio station of the Sabre GT in GTA IV is Liberty Rock Radio 97.8.
 * The Sabre may recieve its name due to its real-life counterpart the Oldsmobile Cutlass, as they are both sword-related themed.
 * In GTA IV, the police refer to the Sabre GT as a "Classique Sabre GT", but this car is made by Declasse, although it looks like an Oldsmobile.


 * Under the "Chinatown Wars" section of the Rockstar Games Social Club website, members may download a printable papercraft model the game's Sabre GT.
 * Driving the Sabre GT will make the PCJ-600 spawn more often in traffic.
 * A similar looking car (1970 GSX Skylark) was featured on the original PC cover of GTA1

Locations

 * GTA IV
 * Often spawn in Rotterdam Hill, South Slopes (Broker), The Meat Quarter, Middle Park, Suffolk, Varsity Heights and Westminster (Algonquin).
 * Sometimes spawn in Downtown and Outlook (Broker).
 * Occasionally spawn in Berchem, Leftwood and Westdyke (Alderney).
 * Sometimes parked in a driveway in Beachgate.
 * Rarely spawns in Northwood.


 * GTA Chinatown Wars
 * Found commonly on roads
 * Can be purchased from Auto Merchant at $700.