Alfa-Romeo Diva

The biggest surprise on the Sbarro Espera stand at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show was undoubtedly the Alfa-Romeo Diva. An interesting sketch was unveiled a few days before the show opened, but the Diva turns out to be much more successful "in real life" than on paper. This car is the fruit of a three-way collaboration between Wolfgang Egger (head of Centro Stile Alfa), the Fiat Group's research center and Franco Sbarro. The car was designed by Egger himself and built by Sbarro and students from the Espera school.

La Diva is one of the finest creations by students at Espera Sbarro in Pontarlier (Alfa Romeo photo).

Nostalgia

The lines of the bodywork evoke a nostalgic past (notably the sublime Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale), but without lapsing into facile neo-retro. Among the most striking features of this coupé are the elytra opening doors and LED headlamps. The front end is directly inspired by Formula 1. The result is a resolutely sporty, modern face. The rear is much more retro, with two large round lights reminiscent of the Lancia Stratos. The central, high-mounted double exhaust tailpipe is superb and adds a touch of originality. The result is a compact, muscular car with a strong personality. A success in every respect. As for the interior, it's very Spartan.
Nostalgic yet modern styling (Alfa-Romeo photo)

Modern

The engine, located in the rear center position, comes from the Alfa-Romeo 147 GTA. It's a 3.2-liter V6, here boosted to 290 hp. The running gear is nothing less than that of the Ferrari F430. We've done worse! Last but not least, weight remains well contained at 1100 kg. This gives an interesting power-to-weight ratio of 3.79 kg/hp (for comparison, a 2006 BMW M3 "does" 4.35 kg/hp). Performance should therefore be high. However, the car was certainly not tested before the show opened. Indeed, Espera's students were forced to race against the clock to be ready in time. Which explains some of the details that betray the speed of execution.
An exceptional car, the Sbarro Diva is a concentrate of Alfa-Romeo (photo: Van Campenhout)
The Sbarro Espera Diva was presented at the Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance, where it almost eclipsed the production 8C spider. The Diva is one of the most beautiful cars designed by students at the Espera school. Such a success story would have deserved to become a small production model for Alfa-Romeo. Which would have made it one of Alfa-Romeo's finest creations.

In brief
1- Official order from Alfa-Romeo
2- Wolfgang Egger, head of Centro Stile Alfa, was personally involved in the project
3- One of Espera Pontarlier's finest creations
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