Automotive
Italian designer Franco Sbarro (1939–), who works in Switzerland, has been known for over half a century for his wild concept cars. The one featured in today’s photos is actually among his more modest creations—it recently surfaced for sale on the BaT (Bring a Trailer) auction site (credit to them for the images!).
In the early 1980s, Sbarro built a series of "urban" hatchbacks: the Super 12, Super 5, and Super 8. The "5" was based on a Renault 5 Turbo, topped with a fiberglass body designed by Sbarro. The Super 12 featured a similar body style but with significantly flared wheel arches and air intakes; it was a mid-engined machine, housing a transverse, inline twelve-cylinder (!) engine—constructed by combining two six-cylinder Kawasaki motorcycle engines.
As for the Super 8—well, here it is. You can see what’s under the hood in the photos. It’s not quite as radical as the Super 12, but for a city-sized hot hatch, it’s still quite something.
The current bid stands at $160,000.
