1985 - ACA SBarro

Sbarro Challenge - 1985

At the 1985 Geneva Motor Show, Sbarro astonished all visitors with what remains the most surprising car ever designed by the Swiss manufacturer: the Challenge.

The first Challenge, pearly white. Official photograph by Peter Vann to promote the car.

Daring the unibody

The project and its study were financed by Joseph E. Adjadj, a Saudi businessman who had ordered the Cadillac Function car from Sbarro. Without this funding, Franco Sbarro could not have embarked on this unusual project.
The line of the Challenge is so personal that it resembles nothing ever seen before. It's a real tour de force that Sbarro has succeeded in creating a single-body, wedge-shaped line. So unusual and yet so simple. It broke completely with the usual stereotypes of car production at the time. Even today, the Challenge's design remains current and innovative.

A few modifications on this model: a cover over the rear wheels to improve aerodynamics, a different front bumper and headlights, and a lower rear air intake.

Advanced aerodynamics

The aesthetic canons are different for everyone, so I leave it to you to appreciate (or not) this formidable automobile. Technically, however, the Cx (coefficient of drag) is 0.26, making it one of the best of all time. By way of comparison, a contemporary Porsche 928 from Sbarro had a Cx of 0.34, while an Opel Calibra, long held up as an example in this field, only "did" 0.29! The windshield can "slide" forward to act as a sunroof. The windshield wiper operates by rotation, like a propeller whose blades act as brushes.
The front end seems to plunge into the asphalt. This is Challenge #7, a Porsche-powered version, registered in Spain. 
On the roof, behind the windshield, two retractable fins act as airbrakes. You may have noticed the absence of rear-view mirrors. These have been replaced by a camera integrated into the left rear wing, leaving the body free of non-aerodynamic protrusions. The screens, located in the doors, also allow you to watch a film, as the car is equipped with a VCR (the only way to watch a film outside a cinema in 1985).
The camera that replaces the rear-view mirror, a system first introduced in 1985, is positioned above the left-hand rear light.

Conventional interior

The interior is very conventional. Too conventional, perhaps, when compared with the exterior styling. The seats are fixed and custom-built for each owner. The entire cabin is covered in Conolly leather (as in Rolls-Royce and Aston-Martin of the period), with wood veneers. For the record, the handbrake is located on the lower left of the driver's seat.
Conventional interior for Challenge #1. The dashboard is different on Porsche-powered versions.

Challenge 1

The powertrain on the Challenge 1s produced in 1985 came from a Mercedes 500: it's a V8, supercharged by two IHI turbochargers, and developing 350 hp. The automatic gearbox comes from a Jeep Cherokee. This level of power, combined with the car's aerodynamic design, enabled it to exceed 300 km/h.
Perhaps the most innovative feature was the four-wheel drive, which was not common on a sports car in 1985. The Audi Quattro had paved the way, and the Porsche 959 followed a few months later. However, this innovative handling system was not fitted to all Challenge models.
The Mercedes-powered Challenge #1 exhibited at Geneva in 1985

Challenge 2

In 1986, Sbarro exhibited a modified version at the Geneva Motor Show: the Challenge 2+2. It differed from its predecessor by adding two extra seats and a modified dashboard. Technically, the engine is that of a Porsche 930 turbo, a 6-cylinder boxer with 300 hp. The car loses its four-wheel drive and becomes a rear-wheel drive. The gearbox is no longer automatic, but manual with five gears. A Challenge 2 is painted in a magnificent gradient of red at the rear and grey at the front by Andréini, who had already made a name for himself on the Sbarro Super Twelve.
The Porsche-spotted Challenge 2, with its red-grey gradient paintwork by Andréini, who did a similar job on the Super Twelve.

Challenge 3

In 1987, Sbarro exhibited the latest in the line: the Challenge 3. It differed from its predecessor in that its engine, still of Porsche 930 turbo origin, was increased to 3.3 liters and developed 400 horsepower. The selling price was 320,000 Swiss francs. At the time, this was a tidy sum.
Challenge 3, chassis number 7, on a Spanish beach.

Eight Challenge models

Franco Sbarro declared in 1985 that only 10 Challenge models would be produced. In reality, according to Fabian Sbarro in his book about his father, eight were produced. I have no further details on production figures.
Still according to Fabian Sbarro, the first, the pearly white one used in the promotional photographs with the large fire in the background, was delivered to Peter Kauss, a German collector. The second remained in Switzerland. Two examples, one red and one grey, went to a Japanese enthusiast. The grey Challenge was later bought by Franco Sbarro.
On the web, there are many photographs of a Spanish Challenge, the 7th to be built. It has a grey paintwork with changing highlights that is difficult to define.
As for the other examples, I can't find any reliable information.
As is often the case, Sbarro also offered a Challenge-baby, a scaled-down version for children. Does this mean that Sbarro customers are still big kids? I certainly hope so!
In brief
1- A unique, unprecedented unibody design, overturning the aesthetic codes of the time.
2- Numerous innovations: four-wheel drive, camera, windshield wipers...
3- Eight examples only
  • CHALLENGE 1 (1985)
  • 4973 cm3 Mercedes V8 engine
  • Longitudinal rear mid-position
  • 2 IHI turbochargers
  • Power output around 350 hp
  • 4-wheel drive
  • 2-speed automatic gearbox
  • -------------------------------
  • CHALLENGE 2 (1986)
  • 3299 cm3 Porsche 6-cylinder boxer engine
  • Longitudinal rear mid-position
  • 1 turbocharger
  • Horsepower around 300
  • 2-wheel drive (rear-wheel drive)
  • 5-speed manual gearbox
  • -------------------------------
  • CHALLENGE 3 (1985)
  • identical to Challenge 2 except for
  • Power around 400 hp