1986 - ACA SBarro

Sbarro 300 SL - 1986

Imagine yourself driving along a Japanese highway in the Tokyo area. A car with a three-pointed star on its grille passes you. You're in awe, thinking how long it's been since you've seen a Mercedes 300 SL roadster. If you're passionate about German cars, you're thinking of the 1,858 examples produced between February 1957 and February 1963, extrapolated from the famous 300 SL gullwing. You're a true connoisseur, and yet you've got it all wrong!

A successful evocation of the 300 SL roadster, apart from the mirrors (photo by Dingo for Option Auto magazine).

Evocation

The car presented here is only a replica, built by Franco Sbarro in 1986 for a Japanese customer. Had you been a little more attentive, the rear-view mirrors might have tipped you off. They don't really resemble the ones that were fitted to cars at the time. And with good reason: they come from a 1985 Mercedes 500 SL (the series produced from 1971 to 1987).

The Mercedes was delivered new to Sbarro, with the task of making a replica of the 300 SL roadster of the late '50s. Sbarro was given carte blanche: rather than a perfect copy, he preferred to redesign the car to fit the dimensions of the 1985 SL. The replica is therefore wider than the original, but the proportions are respected in order to give the impression of being different. As a guarantee of reliability and modern comfort, all mechanical components, chassis and soft top are retained, as is the hard-top! Nor has the interior been changed.

 

Overall, the proportions are respected. But it's important to remember that this is not a replica but an evocation (photograph taken from the Unicorn catalog).

Differences

The bodywork, on the other hand, has been completely revised. The headlights and taillights are taken from a genuine vintage 300 SL. As for the wheels, they were taken from a Mercedes 600! It took just three months to achieve such a result. If you don't examine the car carefully, you'll fall for it. Except when you look at the mirrors, which I think are a real lapse in taste!

Among the differences between the replica and the original are, in no particular order: the exhaust system, the side grille with two vertical stripes (as opposed to three on the original), the right-hand fuel filler flap, the door handles, the windscreen and... the mirrors.

The rear lights are real 300 SL lights (photo taken from the Unicorn catalog).

Nostalgia

As we have seen, the aim was not to create a clone, but rather an evocation of the original car. The details mentioned above are therefore purely anecdotal and, to put it bluntly, of little interest. Everyone is captivated by the charm of this car. Sbarro's Japanese customer owns a superb, unique car. That counts too!
In brief
1- Evocation of the Mercedes 300 SL roadster of the '50s
2- A Mercedes 500 SL from 1985
3- We haven't really seen it because it's in Japan
  • Mercedes 500 SL V8 engine
  • Displacement 4973 cm3
  • 231 horsepower
  • Rear-wheel drive
  • Automatic gearbox
  • Weight approx. 1500 kg
  • Top speed around 210 km/h