1973 - ACA

Sbarro Tiger -1973

In 1968, Bertone presented the Panther, a prototype designed at the instigation of driver Umberto Maglioli and Alfredo Belponer, owner of Scuderia Brescia Corse, with a view to entering the Group 6 Prototype-Sports Car category. The prototype was bought by Franco Sbarro and converted for sale.

The Sbarro Tiger at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show.

A complex history

The Auto Journal Spécial Salon of 1968 presented the Bertone Panther as a coupé which "has a monocoque chassis in light alloy and a body in synthetic material. Titanium alloy was used extensively, which explains the relatively low overall weight of around 650 kg. A hydraulically-controlled stabilizer spoiler enhances grip at high speeds, but unlike the Chaparral, its action is in front of the rear wheels".

Unfortunately, at the end of 1969, Alfredo Belponer decided to stop the Panther project, as it had become too costly. This led to disputes between various parties involved in the project, resulting in Umberto Maglioli keeping the car as compensation. In 1972, he sold the Panther to Franco Sbarro.
The spoiler of the original Bertone Panther has disappeared from Sbarro's version.

From Panther to Tiger

The latter wanted to produce the Panther in small series. So, in 1973, Franco Sbarro presented a series of modifications and fittings, including the removal of the prototype's famous spoiler and the Panther and Bertone logos. The dashboard was modified and the interior carpeted. Bertone's original engine was a BRM Formula 1 V12. Instead, Sbarro installed a 6.3-liter Mercedes V8. And finally, the car was renamed Tiger.

The story could have gone badly wrong when Nuccio Bertone, tipped off by Gianbeppe Panicco, was surprised to see "his" car on Sbarro's stand at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show. A discussion between the two men enabled Sbarro to prove his good faith: he was the owner of the car, which, moreover, no longer looked as it did in 1968. That was the end of the matter.
Technical drawing of the Sbarro Tiger, a car in line with the competition cars of the time.

Projects that never came to fruition

A catalog reproduced here was published for the Tiger at the time. Sbarro mentions the possibility of installing a choice of V8 engines: Ford-Boss 7033 cc, Chrysler-Hemi 6980 cc, Chevrolet 7380 cc or Mercedes 6332 cc. The original ZF gearbox is a 5-speed manual, but the catalog specifies that an automatic gearbox could be fitted. Performance figures seem optimistic, with a top speed of 300 km/h and a 0-100 km/h time of around 4 seconds. But this small series project never came to fruition, as Sbarro was unable to obtain the body molds. The Tiger therefore remained a one-off model. Curiously, the reference book "Franco Sbarro / concept cars" makes no mention of it. The 1973 catalog shows the Tiger in drawing form only. Only photos of the Sbarro stand at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show show the Tiger alongside the SV1.

What happened to this car? Franco Sbarro kept it for a long time before selling it. The current owner exchanged a few e-mails with me in 2020, and I learned that he had begun a very major restoration project, wishing to return the car to its original 1968 Bertone configuration, with the original BRM 12-cylinder Formula 1 engine.

In brief
1- Introduced in 1968 as the Bertone Panther
2- Sbarro buys the Panther
3- Sbarro extensively modifies the car for the market and renames it Tiger
Main sources
1- The car's current owner, who allowed me to correct and completely revise this article in 2020.
2- Auto Journal spécial salon, 1968
3- Former website of the Espera school in Pontarlier, consulted and archived by myself in 2009.
4- ACA Sbarro catalog (1 sheet), 1973
5- magazine Thoroughbred & classic cars, march 1993
  • Mercedes V8 engine
  • displacement 6,3 litres
  • 300 hp DIN at 5500 rpm
  • 5-speed ZF manual gearbox
  • length 4.20 m, width 1.75 m, height 1.05 m
  • theoretical maximum speed 300 km/h