Bet you haven't seen one of these before

[Bill_Riblett]

After 9 years of trying, Grant Randall of Alexandria Bavarian Service recently was able to buy a '75 Sbarro 328. A Swiss, Franco Sbarro, built a number of these replicas of the 37-38 BMW 328 roadster.

We think this is the second car built. There is paperwork with the car that it was converted to Propane by IMPCO and turbocharged by AK Miller.

It doesn't seem like the turbo is working now, but the car should be pretty quick when it is since the car doesn't weigh much (1700lbs?). It supposedly is built on a E21 floorpan, but Grant says it has frame rails like the real 328 and some sort of cobbled together independent rear suspension. It does have rack and pinion steering, which looked like E21 to me.

[wegweiser]

Weren't Sbarro 328s a 7/8 scale version of the original? I seem to desperately recall there was a weird thing about them - being a perfectly copied vehicle - but smaller.

think I've heard of this particular Propane one, too - a couple years ago maybe????

Definitely cool factoid-ed-ness - having a real "copy" - esp A Sbarro!

Paul Wegweiser

[TTyMiller]

I see them all the time in

www.bmwVccca.com and we should support them more, I do.

[Bill_Riblett]

As I understand it, the molds for the bodies were taken off an original 328. It looks full-sized to me. I've seen a few 328s at vintage races in past years.

It is very cramped inside. I can barely get into it and then there is no place to put my left foot except on the clutch.

From what I read back in the 70s when these came out, they were going to be propane-powered so Sbarro wouldn't have to worry about emissions laws. The previous owners have some kind of propane business.

[Bill_Riblett]

I see them all the time in

www.bmwVccca.com and we should support them more, I do.

What you see in the VCCA events are the real 328s, which now that I think about it, are probably more common than the Sbarro replicas.

[Mike Self]

Glen Pray built Cords--Royalite plastic bodies, Corvair engines, built back in the late 60s-early70s.

The Sbarros had 2002 engines and other 02 bits, IIRC. They were converted to propane to meet US emission requirements.

I remember seeing one on the showroom floor at the BMW dealer in Panama City Panama around 1987 or so.

cheers

mike

[nevadainMN]

There's been one on ebay on and off for at least a year now.

I was wondering why someone would convert it to propane.

Now here's something you don't see every day.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/65-BMW-Roaster-2-seat-convertable-car-Cusom-2000-cc-rim_W0QQitemZ330227871950QQcmdZViewItem

[HarryPR]

We have a local customer that has/had a kiddie-sized replica of a 328 in his warehouse. Saw it once a few years ago and was very impressed to the attention to detail. It was powered by a small gasoline engine.

I did some research back then and, IIRC, the kiddie car was also built by Sbarro.

[c.d.iesel]

around Greenwich, CT., BMW dealer Competition & Sports

Cars dealer back when ever it was that they were available.

Couple of them at the time as I remember.

[f1reverb]

and the pics are buried in my archive somewhere. I have shots of the factory, the 328 and other vehicles. I did take out this car and shoot it by Grandson (where the factory was) . . .

[punchesdfw]

I did take out this car and shoot it by Grandson (where the factory was) . . .

YIKES!! That car should be "Shot"

[H_Krix]

what did that poor thing start out its life as? a Mercedes 300?

[f1reverb]

(nt)