SALUKI (1981-1985)

Designed to take the Rover V8, the Saluki was the brainchild of Sam Lyle of Gisborne. Like the Escartus, it had a fibreglass body attached to a steel chassis. Although not a replica, its shape was inspired by the British equivalent of the Lancia Stratos, the mid-engined AC 3000ME. The prototype was originally built with an Austin Kimberley six-cylinder. In those days, it was quite a simple job to get your car road registered; it merely involved a walk up the stairs of the local Post Office and later a drive to a testing station, where it had to pass nothing more stringent than a warrant-of-fitness check with its new plates already in place. Sprinting and hill-climbing events became ways of testing and modifying the prototype, with the shortcomings of the car’s original engine, the heavy and gutless Austin 6, quickly revealing themselves. A chance meeting with an engineer from Auckland was to change all that. The engineer had taken the small four-cylinder engine out of the rear of his Hillman Imp and replaced it with a Rover V8, giving the car devastating power-to-weight performance. The V8 was using the Austin gearbox, and Sam convinced the engineer to let him have the templates for the gearbox adapter plates. It wasn’t long before the Saluki had a modified Rover V8 in place, with 250hp on tap. Once the car was competitive, orders for more started to roll in. By 1985, Sam had sold five cars as kits and possibly could have sold more, but, when given the opportunity to go overseas and experience European rallycross circuits, he sold the car and moulds to a gentleman in Katikati. The purchaser was going to relaunch the car as the ‘Sonic 40’, but it never happened.