Chrono

The Sbarro Chrono concept is that of an acceleration car. The goal is to reach 100 km/h from a standing start in 3.5 seconds. The approach is simple: a low weight of 650 kg and a high power output of 500 hp DIN. In other words, a weight/power ratio of 1.3 kg per horse. Terrifying. By comparison, a Ferrari 360 Modena has a power-to-weight ratio of 3.22 kg per horse. No comment!

To power the beast, Sbarro chose the 3.5-liter, 6-cylinder BMW engine from the legendary BMW M1. This fabulous engine, positioned transversely in the rear mid-position, delivers 500 DIN horsepower (without turbo or compressor). It is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels, shod with huge Pirelli P Zero 335-35 ZR 17s. The more modest front wheels make do with 205-45 ZR 16s. As you'd expect, despite these tires, transmitting power to the ground under full acceleration is quite an art: wheelspin remains difficult to control.

The car is built around a semi-monocoque chassis in composite materials. The Chrono can be seen as an assembly of two parts, the front comprising the passenger compartment and the rear the engine. The whole is connected by a joint that allows the engine to be released for better mechanical accessibility. Sbarro had already used such a system in 1983 on a VW Golf powered by a Porsche 928 engine!

The car is bodied like a roadster. The Chrono offers little in the way of protection, and the tiny red Plexiglas windscreen encircling the cabin won't stop mosquitoes crossing your path. Of course, there's no roof or soft top: if it's raining, step on it! The interior is trimmed in red leather. A stopwatch, embedded in the center console, is set to... 3.5 seconds, of course.

And what about performance? As far as top speed is concerned, nothing out of the ordinary: just 200 km/h. Don't be disappointed, that's still 70 km/h too fast on a French freeway, and you're still considered a criminal by the law. But the aim wasn't to reach unspeakable speeds. It was to accelerate as hard as possible. And that's allowed, and the Chrono is unbeatable! At the time (1990), the homologated record for acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h was held by a Donkervoort at 3.85 sec! Only a Koenig Competition (1000 hp twin-turbo Ferrari Testarossa) matched the Sbarro's performance.

This race for acceleration doesn't really seem to be a thing of the past these days, even if sports car manufacturers are producing some extraordinarily fast cars. But let's put it into perspective: you'll find a model in the 3-second range at any motorcycle dealer. And for a more reasonable price. But on four wheels, nothing beats a Sbarro Chrono 3.5.