Sbarro Espera Ibride Sparta Hybrid-Rallye-Auto is Better Than Pizza

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Sbarro is a chain of New York style pizza joints... oh wait, scrap that. Too much fatigue from photographing the cars exhibited at the Essen Motor Show got us very hungry.

The Sbarro in the live photo gallery below is, all things considered, outlandish by modern concept standards. It originally made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and it encompasses a Swiss design house’s take of an all-wheel drive rally car.

That’s why it’s got Hybrid-Rallye-Auto in its name. As for the Ibride and Hybrid, you’ve guessed it - it’s also a gasoline-electric eco-friendly machine. It’s a crazy combo, but this Sbarro is mostly a student project.

Curious about what firepower hides under that loony Hot Wheels-inspired body shell?

A Peugeot engine! Not that impressive, I’ll give you that, but the 1.6-liter four-cylinder powerplant is mounted at the middle and it drives the rear wheels via a six-speed stick shift. In addition to the suck-squeeze-bang-blow, the Swiss concept is aided by a couple of electric motors at the front and rear axle.

That setup makes the Sbarro Espera Ibride Sparta Hybrid-Rallye-Auto an AWD vehicle, one that’s boasting with a total output of 407 horsepower. Although inside you’ll find a big, 24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the body is made from fiberglass, translating to a weight of just 1,397 kg (3,080 lbs).

Not bad at all, especially when you consider you get cupholders and a rally-inspired vertical handbrake.

Sbarro Espera Ibride Sparta Hybrid-Rallye-Auto at the Essen Motor Show 2014 - photo gallery