Look no further if you’re in the market for a rare Italian sports car.
A one-of-a-kind 1984 Sbarro Super Eight is currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer. The sporty compact is the definition of a hot hatch thanks to the Ferrari V-8 lurking under its hood.
No, the one-off isn’t named for the American pizza chain. It’s named for its creator, Swiss coachbuilder Franco Sbarro, who at some point during the early 1980s began to wonder what would happen if you put the powertrain from a Ferrari 308 GTB into a tiny hatchback. This question nagged at him so much that he decided to find out, with some financial help from Bernd Grohe. The result was the Super Eight, which Sbarro unveiled to the world at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show.
1984 Sbarro Super Eight
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The big story here is, of course, the engine. The Super Eight is powered by a 3.0-liter Ferrari F106 V-8 with four valves per cylinder, dual overhead camshaft on each cylinder bank and Bosch fuel injection. It’s mated to a five-speed manual transaxle transmission that sends 240 horses to the rear axle. No performance numbers are given but that mill was capable of pushing the 308 GTB from zero to 62 mph in 6.5 seconds and to a top speed of 150 mph. The powertrain wasn’t all the hatchback borrowed from the sports car, though. It also utilizes a shortened version of its chassis.
Don’t discount the design of the Super Eight, though. Sbarro’s car has a pleasingly boxy shape sure to appeal to anyone who has a soft spot for 1980s rally racers. It’s also got some serious flair. Its red fiberglass body has a louvered fascia, bulbous fenders, and Testarossa-esque side strakes. It also rides on a dazzling set of 15-inch gold-plated BBS basketweave rims. The interior is just as eye-catching thanks to loads of brown leather, as well as color-matching cloth seat inserts and carpets. It also features a gated shifter and a Clarion sound system with a period-appropriate cassette stereo and an equalizer.
Inside the Super Eight
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Intrigued? The Super Eight is up for bid until next Wednesday, Dec. 11. As of press time, bidding had reached $62,500. But it’s not hard to imagine that number growing substantially in the days to come.
Click here for more photos of the one-off 1984 Sbarro Super Eight.
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