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A squat, wide-bodied hatchback with a Ferrari V8 sounds like a factory hot hatch taken to an extreme. The 1984 Sbarro Super Eight is stranger: a one-off creation by Swiss designer and builder Franco Sbarro, built around Ferrari 308 GTB chassis and mechanical components and clothed in a custom fiberglass body. Its December 2024 auction reached $160,000, but the reserve was not met, so that figure was a high bid—not a sale price.
What is the Sbarro Super Eight?
The Super Eight is a two-seat, rear-wheel-drive special that turns Ferrari 308 hardware into a compact, unusually wide concept-car shape. It debuted at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show and was built by Franco Sbarro, not by Ferrari. The auction catalog describes it as based on a Ferrari 308 GTB, with the frame reportedly shortened and covered by a bespoke fiberglass body. Bring a Trailer’s 2024 catalog is the most detailed available account of the car’s specification and auction.
The car followed Sbarro’s earlier Super Twelve, a similarly compact, wide-bodied show car that used an unusual engine assembled from two Kawasaki motorcycle powerplants. The Super Eight substituted Ferrari 308 components for that mechanical experiment. Classic Driver’s retrospective discusses the two cars in that context.
Ferrari 308 hardware beneath the custom body
Engine and transmission
The Super Eight uses a 2,927cc Ferrari F106 V8 with dual overhead camshafts on each bank, four valves per cylinder and Bosch fuel injection. Bring a Trailer’s catalog gives Ferrari’s rating as 240 horsepower. Some secondary accounts cite about 260 hp, but the auction catalog’s 240-hp figure is the more conservative specification to use.
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#1 Best Overall
- An incredible, faithful reproduction of a classic supercar. The realism of this replica car is unmatched and no detail is overlooked. Perfect to collect, display or simply play.
- Exceptional, accurate and vibrant paint finishes, Open the doors, bonnet and boot and admire the intricate details, working steering and suspension, performance rubber tyres.
- Precision manufacturing and craftmanship using heavy gauge Zinc alloy diecast metal and some ABS plastic components creates an authentic replica of this high performance, elegant, luxury vehicle
- It’s the perfect size to show off the details of this exotic machine, comes in a beautiful window box
- An excellent gift or present for any automotive, racing and street car enthusiast with a passion for the pinnacle of design, a great gift for ages 14 +
A five-speed manual transaxle sends power to the rear wheels. The car also retains Ferrari 308 running gear: ventilated disc brakes, double-wishbone independent suspension, coilover shock absorbers and anti-roll bars at both ends. That shared chassis and running gear make “Ferrari 308-based special” more precise than describing it as a generic hatchback fitted with a Ferrari engine.
Shape, wheels and cabin
The red fiberglass body has a louvered front fascia, flared fenders, side intake details, a rounded rear and several simulated vents. Its proportions are short and exceptionally wide, more like a concept car formed around mid-engine hardware than a conventional production hatchback.
Rank #2
- FERRARI 308 GTS 2013 Hot Wheels Retro Series Magnum, P.I. Ferrari 308 GTS QV 1:64 Scale Collectible Die Cast Car Model
- 1:64 Scale ~ 3" long
The auction car wore staggered-width 15-inch multi-piece BBS wheels, with gold-painted basketweave centers, and Yokohama AVS AV1-40 tires. Inside, brown leather and cloth, wood accents, a three-spoke MOMO steering wheel and a gated shifter give the cabin a distinctly period character. The listed equipment also included power windows and a Clarion component stereo with cassette player and equalizer.
One known example, with an unusual history
Only one Super Eight is known to have been built. Accounts say it was delivered to industrialist Bernd Grohe after its Geneva display, later entered a Swiss collection and was associated with the Sbarro Museum before changing hands again. Bring a Trailer described the 2024 car as a dealer consignment in Paris, France, on Dutch registration.
Rank #3
- 1/24 scale model
- Diecast metal body with plastic parts
- Packaging: Original factory window retail box
- 1/24 scale diecast car with metal body and plastic parts, opening engine compartment and full function steering by Bburago.
- Full function steering
The car had public-sale exposure before the 2024 auction. Bring a Trailer covered an eBay listing for the same car in Belgium in 2018; that listing called it a 1984 Geneva Motor Show Ferrari 308 GTB Sbarro, described it as one of one and reportedly road legal. The coverage had limited technical documentation and no useful engine-bay photographs, so it is weaker evidence for detailed specification than the later catalog. The 2018 listing coverage provides that earlier context.
What happened at the 2024 auction?
Bring a Trailer’s auction ended December 11, 2024, at a high bid of $160,000, with the reserve not met. The car therefore did not sell at that auction for $160,000; the bid records interest, not a completed transaction or a confirmed market value. Hagerty’s contemporaneous coverage also reported the reserve failure. Carscoops’ account covered the same auction and summarized the car’s unusual Ferrari basis.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What buyers should know about its identity and registration
The Super Eight’s Ferrari connection is mechanical and foundational, not factory provenance. It was built by Sbarro, and the available auction listing did not establish Ferrari Classiche certification or a complete, factory-authenticated vehicle identity. The seller could not locate the complete chassis or engine number on the car. The Dutch registration reportedly used engine number F106AB31465 as the VIN, while the listing categorized the mileage as true mileage unknown despite showing approximately 30,000 kilometers.
The car was described as road-registered in Europe. Carscoops also reported the seller’s claim that it could be registered in the European Union and throughout the United States. That claim does not guarantee registration in any particular place: import, title, emissions and inspection rules differ by jurisdiction, and buyers would need to verify the requirements that apply to their own location.
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- Hot Wheels 2002 1:64 Scale Black Ferrari 308 Die Cast Car #166
Why the Super Eight attracts collector attention
The car combines several unusual attributes: one known example, a recognized designer-builder, a Geneva-show debut, Ferrari 308 mechanicals and a mid-engine layout under a radically compact body. That combination helps explain the attention around the auction without turning the $160,000 bid into a reliable valuation. A one-off can be compelling and difficult to compare with other cars, while incomplete identity and mileage documentation are meaningful considerations for a prospective buyer.
The clearest description is a one-off, concept-derived Sbarro road car using Ferrari 308 GTB chassis and mechanical components. “Ferrari hot hatch” captures its visual surprise, but it should not be mistaken for a factory Ferrari model.
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