1966 - SBarro

Sbarro coupé Filipinetti 2

Franco Sbarro embarked on the design and manufacture of a second coupé bearing the name of his employer at the time, Georges Filipinetti. Filipinetti planned to offer this new prototype to Volkswagen, with a view to small-scale production.

The Filipinetti 2 coupé benefits from the lessons learned from the construction of its predecessor.

An evolution of the Filipinetti 1 coupé

Two years after the Filipinetti 1 coupé, Franco Sbarro built a second model with reworked bodywork, including streamlined headlamps. The front grille disappeared. The rear now features six small lights. The rear window is smaller, and the side quarter windows are different and less slender (thicker uprights). The rear fenders gain a rib. The windshield wipers are now parallel. The Filipinetti 2's styling is as slender as ever at the front, but more clumsy at the rear. The underpinnings are still original Volkswagen (1600 TL engine) and parts from a Karmann coupé.


The bodywork of the Filipinetti 2 coupé is made of polyester, Franco Sbarro's preferred material.

A small series project

The press release of March 7, 1967, on the occasion of the presentation of the Filipinetti coupé (without the 2) at the Geneva Motor Show, begins with the words: a new Swiss brand. There was indeed talk of producing this car, under the Volkswagen umbrella with the support of Georges Filipinetti. Franco Sbarro readily admits today that there was a great deal of naivety in this project, which never came to fruition. It should be noted that, in this press release, full authorship of the car is clearly attributed to Franco Sbarro, Georges Filipinetti being the sponsor, advised by Herbert de Caboga. A year later, de Caboga co-founded the ACA with Franco Sbarro.

The wire mesh is covered with polyester and fiberglass.

The end of the Filipinetti period

For the record, unlike the first Filipinetti coupé, which was built in his spare time, the second prototype was financed by Georges Filipinetti, allowing Franco Sbarro to work on it during his regular working hours.
After building this coupé, however, Sbarro left Scuderia Filipinetti to set up his own business, ACA, in 1968. The Filipinetti Coupés made him realize that he could now go into the car-building business: his dream was coming true. A year later, the Dominique III was launched.
In brief
1- First Sbarro model exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show, March 1967
2- Georges Filipinetti plans to produce a small series with Volkswagen
3- For Franco Sbarro, this coupé marked the end of the Filipinetti period.
Main sources
1- book "Franco Sbarro. La mécanique dans le sang. Tome 1"
2- book "Franco Sbarro / concept cars" by Fabian Sbarro
  • Four-cylinder 1600 cm3 engine from Volkswagen (Beetle) d'origine Volkswagen (Coccinelle)
  • Approx. 70 hp
  • Engine in rear position
  • Rear-wheel drive
  • Weight around 700 kg
  • 4.30 m long, 1.69 m wide and 1.19 m high.
  • front track 1.44 m, rear track 1.51 m, ground clearance 18 cm
  • Top speed 175 km/h