The Espera Sbarro automotive design school has presented a radical concept car in Geneva designed in tribute to the Alfa Romeo brand. The concept is based on the theme of “interpreting Alfa’s glorious history”, and is being displayed at the prestigious show as a fully operational prototype.

Designed as a mid-engined sports coupe, the concept is far more extreme than anything that comes out of Alfa Romeo’s own Centro Stile. Included on the Sbarro show car is an interesting approach to the front spoiler, incorporating an aerofoil positioned across the nose, broken only by the traditional Alfa Romeo ‘scudetto’ grille. The nose section will also feature large individual scoops for cooling the front brakes, as well as spoilers moulded into the bottom of each fender.

The concept car also incorporates gull wing doors, the top section of which being fabricated totally from glass, separated only by a central beam to provide an H pattern when viewed from above. Generous rear intakes, similar in shape to those on the Ferrari Enzo, feed air to the transversely-mounted Alfa Romeo 'Arese' 3.2-litre V6 engine.
 

In typical fashion, the Sbarro Diva concept sportscar was only completed just in time to be presented at the Geneva Motor Show. The Espera Sbarro training centre, located in Pontarlier, France, offers a full-blown automotive design course, where the students are invited to discover the different aspects of the trade: sketching, polyester bodywork, modelling, moulding, general mechanics, automotive mechanics, chassis design, etc.

The course, which takes place over several months of the year, is open to all highly motivated individuals above the age of eighteen, with a passion for automotive design. With over forty years of experience, Franco Sbarro has created numerous concept Alfa Romeo’s ranging from the realistic 155 Sportwagon proposal, to the extreme dual V6 engined Issima roadster of 1996.