Sbarro Super Eight hatchback based on the Ferrari 308 sports car
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Sbarro Super Eight hatchback based on the Ferrari 308 sports car

Alterations based on iconic models have long been considered a very popular and promising direction. This is mainly done by small body shops wishing to promote their services and demonstrate their creative and technical capabilities.


Owners of base cars are not offended either – after all, such a turn always serves as an additional round of popularity for already famous models. So both the authors of the replicas and the creators of the original are happy. But we, ordinary viewers, are not left in the lurch either. After all, you must admit, it is always interesting to see how one of the legends could look if it fell into skilled and creative hands.

Sbarro Super Eight hatchback based on the Ferrari 308 sports carSbarro Super Eight on a shortened chassis. Photo: youtube.com

The direction indicated is not new at all. Even in the 80s there were talented "magicians of transformation". For example, Swiss manufacturers of exceptional cars 40 years ago, they created a hatchback crossed with a supercar. It could also have an in-line 6/12-cylinder engine.

Transforming the Italian legend in his own way


The Ferrari 308 GTB served as a base. Let us recall that this sports car appeared almost ten years earlier. And by that time, the two-seater design was already on its way to the end of its history, which happened a year later, in 1985.

This legendary car had been racing in rally competitions since the late 70s. It had a long, low front end and a pair of seats to match. And the plastic body and the mid-mounted powerful sports engine pointed to the direction in which competitors had to develop to remain competitive.

A striking difference from the original. Photo: youtube.com

With a length of 4,3 meters and a height of only 1,18 meters, the Italian 1,15-ton sports car demonstrated excellent dynamics. It reached the first "hundred" in an excellent 6,5 seconds for that time. According to the authoritative Sports Car International, the Ferrari 308 GTB was among the five best sports cars of its time.

The Swiss company Sbarro came to the Geneva Motor Show in 1984 with a new brutal sports hatchback Super Eight, which became an unexpected transformation of the Ferrari 308. The proposed idea was not appreciated by everyone and not immediately.


The creators of the conversion were inspired by the previous version - the brilliant Sbarro Super Twelve of 1981, which used one of the Kawasaki models as a base. Thus, a split-clicker with a complex dual powertrain was born. Some even called the resulting car extreme.

It demonstrated brilliant acceleration and a top speed of a respectable 200 km/h. The low weight of the structure was made possible by a tubular frame and other technical developments. Over time, the company acquired more than 20 high awards from various competitions. The first notable success inspired the Swiss to move on, creating new masterpieces. The process has continued to this day, which contributed to the emergence of:

✅ Sbarro Espera ESP9
✅ Sbarro Challenge
✅ Sbarro 4×4+2 Concept (since the beginning of 2018)

But let's get back to our hero today - Sbarro Super Eight. It features a special interior that has not appeared anywhere else. Wood trim, a raster console with an AM/FM radio and other elements - this is just an incomplete list of the features of the Swiss vision of Italian chic.

All these improvements were carried out under the constant supervision of Francesco Zefferino Sbarro (born in 1939). And the talented engineer, born in the Italian city of Presicce (Apulia), began by becoming a mechanic. And at the same time - an enthusiast of everything that was somehow connected with motors on wheels.

Light brown leather interior. Photo: youtube.com

His first designs were mopeds and scooters, and later cars for the Borgward company. In 1957, at the tender age of 18, Sbarro went to Switzerland. Here he began working for the Scuderia Filipinetti racing team, for which stars such as:

✅ Jim Clark
✅ Nino Vaccarello
✅ Phil Hill
✅ Joe Siffert et al.

At the age of 32, he started his own business, organizing a company named after the owner. It began producing racing cars Lola T70, Ferrari P4 and Ford GT40. Later, they were joined by copies of Mercedes 540K, Bugatti Royale or BMW 328. Incidentally, 135 copies of the latter were assembled in Switzerland.

Gradually reaching the point of creating masterpieces


Later, he introduced his own cars, such as the sporty Stash with engines from Volkswagen or Mercedes. Then came the Challenge (allegedly the first car sold with a parking camera) and the Tiger. And only then did the custom hatchbacks Super Twelve and Super Eight appear.

Sbarro Super Eight dashboard. Photo: youtube.com

The first was equipped with two twin six-cylinder Kawasaki Z1300 engines, which created an inline twelve-cylinder engine. Its power reached 260 hp with a weight of about 800 kg. The fairing was made of polyester and laminate. The car was introduced in 1982, and a couple of years later it was supplemented by the Super Eight model with a very similar body.

By the way, the latter would fit perfectly into the computer game Cyberpunk 2077. According to available information, the hatchback was created on the basis of a shortened Ferrari 308 GTB chassis with an original engine. Let us recall its parameters:

✅ Ferrari Quattrovalvole
✅ working volume - 2927 cubic meters. cm
✅ power - 241 liters. With
✅ Four-valve technology with direct injection

The car had an attractive body with moldings in front of the rear wheels, disc brakes on the front and rear axles. The front end was in the shape of a lollipop with hidden headlights and a mask. The overall picture was complemented by other design elements:

✅ puffy wings
✅ 15-inch BBS wheels
✅ bold exhaust "four" at the back

All together created a very pleasant picture. Which was successfully complemented by interesting solutions in terms of interior design. The creators covered the salon with brown leather, interspersed with suitable textile elements.

The interior was composed of an open gearshift lever and a radio with a Clarion audio system. On the alarm-clock-type instruments located in front of the driver, one could find a speedometer with maximum figures up to 280 km/h and a tachometer with a red field for 10 revolutions.

Reaching the auction


After the car had been on display at the Geneva Motor Show forty years ago, it went to Sbarro's personal museum. It stayed there for a long time until they decided to find another owner for it. The successful sale took place about four years ago.

3-liter engine. Photo: youtube.com

When the car's history approached the 40-year mark, its new owner decided to part with the rarity. In order to make the most profitable deal, the Sbarro Super Eight was put up for sale in Paris (among examples with Dutch registration).

The auction took place on the Bringatrailer platform about a month ago, in early December last year. The current price for which the rebuilt car changed its owner was the equivalent of more than 6 million rubles. It was reported that its total mileage was less than 30 thousand kilometers (at the time of sale, the odometer showed a figure of 27 km).
Do you think the Sbarro Super Eight is a successful remake of the Ferrari 308?
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