"Exposed wheels, flashy aerodynamic fins and prominent rear engines. No, these are not Formula 1 cars. They are, however, uncompromising sports cars, with the flavor of a tribute to the unforgettable Colin Chapman and his Lotus Super Seven. The Formule Rhin and the Be-Twin, two-seater barquettes, are the first two models to emerge from Espera (École Sbarro Pédagogique d'Études et de Réalisations Automobiles), in Pontarlier, France, the third educational center that Franco Sbarro opened just over a year ago.

The Formule Rhin features dual controls, just like an airplane. The car has been designed and built for learning sports driving on the racetrack. A control on the dashboard, in place of the instructor, allows the learner to be "excluded" from driving and regain full control of the vehicle. Formule Rhin takes its name from the "anneau du Rhin", the 3200-metre private circuit run by Marc Rinaldi, exclusive Ferrari dealer in Alsace, near Colmar, which will be inaugurated in June.

"The idea for the Rhine Formula," explains Franco Sbarro, "came to me while talking about Ferrari with Marc Rinaldi, a long-standing friend. We agreed on one thing: being able to afford a Ferrari doesn't necessarily mean knowing how to drive it. So Rinaldi came up with the idea of offering all his customers two hours of driving lessons. Naturally, for maximum safety, these lessons take place on a closed circuit. And obviously not at the wheel of a Ferrari. And so the Rhine Formula was born. Of course, the car has only 200 horsepower, less than a Ferrari. But when you consider that this power means a mass of just 600 kilos, you can get an idea of what it means to learn to drive it and control its reactions perfectly..."