Sbarro Super Twelve History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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Presented at the March 1982 Geneva Motor Show, the Super Twelve was one of Sbarro's most mechanically inventive one-offs. Its engine was a custom 2.6-litre inline-twelve assembled by mating two Kawasaki Z1300 six-cylinder motorcycle units end-to-end on a common crankshaft, producing around 240–250 hp at 8,000 rpm.
The body was a low, broad wedge of polyester just 3.1 metres long, weighing approximately 800 kg, giving the car a power-to-weight ratio competitive with contemporary supercars. The mid-mounted engine drove the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox, and Sbarro claimed a 0–100 km/h time of five seconds.
Only one Super Twelve was built. It demonstrated Franco Sbarro's recurring interest in using motorcycle powertrains in automotive applications — an approach that required purpose-built adapter engineering and underscored the workshop's genuine technical capability beyond mere replica craftsmanship.
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