What would you bid on the lowest-mileage car from a sought-after foreign maker?
Next week, bidders will have a shot at taking home a beautifully restored 1962 Sabra Sports Roadster built by Autocars, Ltd., based in Haifa, Israel.
1962 Sabra Sport Roadster
Don't feel bad if you didn't know there was a car manufacturer in Israel. We didn't either. That's probably because only 185 models were sold in the U.S.
This particular example saw only 40 miles of driving before being placed, unloved, in storage for 38 years.
1962 Sabra Sport Roadster
Why unloved? It seems this Sabra was bought by a U.S. car dealer for his daughter to drive. We're not sure why (maybe it was the wheezy 61 bhp engine), but she did not find it acceptable.
And so, after just those 40 miles, the car sat in storage, covered with junk for 32 years until being discovered by a Sabra collector who restored it to its current state and drove it another 610 miles.
1962 Sabra Sport Roadster
Bonhams auction house estimates the Israeli car will bring as much as $70,000 when the gavel falls.
1962 Sabra Sport Roadster
Considering how much it must have cost to restore such a rare vehicle, that could very well be a steal for someone who's into low-volume, fiberglass-bodied, Israeli-built cars.
1962 Sabra Sport Roadster
Would you place a bid? How much do you think it's worth?
