July 13, 2006

Illinois-based Saker Motorsports LLC has just announced that it is working with Michigan’s Autosport Development to help market New Zealand’s Saker SVS GTA. The Kiwi-developed racer openly apes the spirit and shape of Daytona and Le Mans racers and is pitched at those who want to go racing without going broke.

Saker’s mid-engined, closed-cockpit cars are hand-assembled to order and powered by Subaru drivetrains. The SVS GTA is said to work well for everything from sprint to endurance racing. With a weight of less than 1700 pounds, the ‘base’ model starts with 300 turbocharged horses and looks to be just the thing to mix it up with Ultimas and Nobles on weekends.

Scalable upgrading means that Saker will happily imbue customers’ cars with “…well over 400″ horsepower, though presently the car is geared toward amateur racing, track days, and club events. Still, those involved have designs on going professional racing, too.

To date, four Sakers have been built in North America (three racers and a street car), and there are hopes for 40-50 units annually at Autosport Development’s facility in Trenton, Michigan.