Futuro-Weird Icon - Sometimes, a car comes along that makes you question whether it rolled out of a factory or landed from another planet. In the case of the Ferrari Testarossa-based Alcador, the design feels so surreal that you could almost believe it was reverse-engineered from alien technology. Yet, the real story is far more fascinating — it’s the work of Swiss automotive visionary Franco Sbarro and his team of students, who turned a familiar Italian supercar into a one-of-a-kind piece of rolling sculpture.
 |
| This early iteration of the Sbarro Alcador was built in 1995 by Franco Sbarro for collector Ludovic Binder, based on his Ferrari Testarossa. (Picture from: ClassicDriver) |
The Alcador’s story began when auto collector Ludovic Binder commissioned Sbarro to reimagine his own Ferrari Testarossa. The name “Alcador” came from the initials of Binder’s three daughters — Aline, Catherine, and Dorine — a personal touch for a project that was anything but ordinary. Using the same 180-degree V12 engine and five-speed manual gearbox from the original Testarossa, Sbarro shortened the chassis and then went in a completely different direction visually. The result was a car that looked decades ahead of its time. |
| The Sbarro Alcador eliminated the standard roofline and windshield, instead showcasing transparent scissor doors and seats molded directly into the body. (Picture from: ClassicDriver) |
Gone was the standard roofline and windshield. Instead, the Alcador featured transparent scissor doors and seats molded directly into the body. In the early ’90s, this was a radical departure from anything Ferrari or its competitors were offering. It’s the kind of boundary-pushing design language that today’s multimillion-dollar open-top speedsters from Ferrari, Aston Martin, or McLaren are only just beginning to echo — except Sbarro did it nearly thirty years earlier. |
| The Sbarro Alcador featured a pair of sweeping longitudinal arches running from the front of the cockpit to the rear, which not only channeled air from the headlights through the body to the taillights but also served as rollover protection, perfectly blending form and function. (Picture from: ClassicDriver) |
One of the Alcador’s most distinctive features was its pair of sweeping longitudinal arches that extended from the front of the cockpit to the rear. They weren’t just there to look dramatic; these curves served two purposes. First, they channeled air from intakes at the headlights through the body and out near the taillights. Second, they doubled as rollover protection — proof that function and form can be perfectly blended.
 |
| The Sbarro Alcador featured an interior worthy of its design, with two red leather seats sculpted directly into the chassis. (Picture from: ClassicDriver) |
Only three Alcadors were ever built. This particular example, displayed at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show, is the only road-registered version and remains in nearly original condition, apart from the addition of two side mirrors. With just over 4,000 km on the odometer, it stands as one of the rarest and most unconventional expressions of Ferrari’s legendary Testarossa platform.
 |
| The Sbarro Alcador also featured a custom dashboard paired with a three-spoke Ferrari sporty steering wheel, its center housing the relevant analog clocks of the era. (Picture from: ClassicDriver) |
But Sbarro didn’t stop there. Years later, he evolved the concept into a new line called the Alcador GTB. The first appeared in 2008 at the Geneva Auto Show, this time built on a Ferrari 348 platform but still keeping the spirit of the original alive. A year later, a second GTB arrived, now based on the Ferrari 360 and powered by its V8, delivering around 400 horsepower — the same figure as its predecessor but with a fresh aerodynamic shape and four additional air intakes up front.
 |
| The Sbarro Alcador was built on a shortened Testarossa chassis and took a radically different visual direction, resulting in a car that looked decades ahead of its time. (Picture from: ClassicDriver) |
The third and final interpretation, the Alcador GTB LO (Lista Office) GT, returned to its Testarossa roots. Sponsored by Martin Lienhard, it carried the Autobau name along its side skirts — a nod to Lienhard’s car museum, which also houses several other Sbarro creations. This series not only showed Sbarro’s willingness to experiment but also demonstrated how a single idea could evolve into multiple bold expressions without losing its essence. For a detailed overview of the three Alcador GTB versions, please refer to this link. Although there’s no video of this car, here is a video showcasing one of the Alcador GTB variants. | AEdlqT8f4U4 |
Looking back now, the Alcador stands as proof that creativity in car design doesn’t have to be restrained by convention. What started as a Ferrari Testarossa became a futuristic dream machine that still feels ahead of its time — whether you see it as art, engineering, or a visitor from a far-off galaxy. Franco Sbarro didn’t just modify a car; he created an automotive legend that refuses to be forgotten. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | THIESEN-AUTOMOBILE | PHCALVET.FR | SBARRO | MOTOR16 | CLASSICDRIVER | CARBUZZ | SUPERCARS.NET | CARSTYLING.RU | CARSCOOPS | MOTORLEGEND | ITALIASPEED ]Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.
