Sabre GT

The Grand Theft Auto VI version was seen briefly in a September 2022 leaked clip. A cream-coloured example stood outside a Quickshop grocery store in Port Gellhorn, with only its nose visible. Its appearance in that footage looked like a low-detail-distance model, so the clip provides limited visual information about the vehicle.

The footage identifies Port Gellhorn as a region where the car has been spotted. It does not show its rear, interior, driving behaviour, available modifications, or a full-resolution finished model.

The Sabre GT/Turbo combines features from several American cars, chiefly the second-generation Oldsmobile 442. Its rear bumper and vertical tail-lamp treatment draw from the 1970 442, while the round lamps and openings in the front bumper resemble the 1971–72 versions.

The front end also borrows from the 1970 Buick GSX, paired with a cross-pattern grille resembling that of the 1969 Buick Skylark. Its bonnet combines cues from 1970 Skylark and Chevrolet Chevelle designs. The side silhouette recalls the 1966–69 Buick Riviera. The stripe treatment mixes elements associated with a 1970 Chevelle SS, the first Mustang Mach 1, and the 1968 Shelby Mustang. The hood-scoop options used on the GTA IV Sabre GT likewise resemble 1968 Shelby Mustang and 1970 Chevelle SS parts.

The car had already appeared in Grand Theft Auto IV, Episodes from Liberty City, Chinatown Wars, Grand Theft Auto V, and Grand Theft Auto Online, following an earlier 3D Universe version. GTA IV called it the Sabre GT and added more defined grille sections, bumper trim, and badges to the older design. It retained circular headlamps and upright rear lights, but gained square grille lamps, additional rear indicators, and small reverse lamps within the tail-light units.

GTA IV examples could use a plain bonnet, a five-sided intake bulge, or a twin ram-air arrangement marked with “cui” lettering. Their secondary paint covered stripes across the bonnet, roof, trunk, and lower body, with Sabre Turbo lettering near the rear wheels. Chinatown Wars returned closer to the Vice City-era shape: it lacked GTA IV’s chin spoiler, used a ram-air bonnet, carried chrome bumpers, and retained the two-tone central stripe.

GTA V and Online restored the Sabre Turbo name while keeping SABRE GT badges. The chin spoiler was removed from the standard model but could be fitted at vehicle workshops, as could bonnet choices that were no longer built into the base vehicle. The striped secondary colour arrangement and the wheel design remained; the wheels derive from the Muscle Freak rim style. In GTA V and Online, it is classified as a Muscle vehicle.

In GTA IV, the Sabre GT was described as using a turbocharged 9-litre, 550-cubic-inch V8 from the regular Sabre’s drivetrain, an intentionally oversized displacement for this kind of car. It was compared with the Dukes for engine output, although its wider tyres and shorter wheelbase made its wheelspin less severe. Its rear could still break loose in bends, but it was more manageable than the Imponte alternative. The engine had its own exhaust sound and shared the regular Sabre’s horn; from the front, both turbo whistle and V8 roar could be heard.

GTA V and Online retained a 550-cubic-inch turbo V8, rear-wheel drive, and a long-throw five-speed semi-automatic manual gearbox. Its heavy construction, soft suspension, and weak brakes contributed to wheelspin under acceleration, while its turning circle and power allowed it to contend with newer muscle cars. Its mass also reduced oversteer and helped it push other vehicles. It used the same high-revving engine audio found on the Gauntlet and Buffalo S, but, despite the Turbo name, lacked the earlier game’s turbo whine.

In Chinatown Wars, the Sabre GT cost $700 from the Auto Merchant. In GTA IV, it was wanted for Brucie Kibbutz’s Exotic Exports and Stevie’s vehicle-theft requests; after Stevie’s collection was completed, he paid $2,500 for one. GTA Online’s resale value at Los Santos Customs is $1,500. In GTA V, it began spawning reliably after Trevor completed the Minutemen Strangers and Freaks chain, and appeared more often in Downtown Los Santos when the player drove a Dominator, Gauntlet, or Phoenix.

A GTA V Stunt Cage modification visually removes the passenger seat even though the car continues to hold two occupants. Its tubing crosses the passenger area, yet an entrant from that side still shifts to the driver’s position by passing through the cage. The GTA V reverse-light glow is also misplaced: the driver-side glow sits between lamps, while the passenger-side glow appears at the outer lamp; destroying the driver-side light removes the passenger-side glow during reversing.